A few years back, the Business Insider listed one tip for negotiating a home sale: “Don’t be a jerk!” That sounds like a hyperbolic put-down (after all, who wants to be a jerk?). But it’s true that negotiating for a home can have personal consequences that contribute to a particularly tense situation—one where uncharacteristically charged emotions can be triggered. This can befall even the most even-tempered among us—especially if the other side seems to be acting like a jerk!

It can happen if one party fails to try to see both sides of the negotiation. From the buyer’s perspective, there may be a temptation to assume an “I am the customer—and the customer is always right” attitude. That can easily lead to a take-it-or-leave-it, tough customer stance—signaling the buyer’s conviction that he or she completely controls the discussion. That’s almost certain to create an unnecessarily confrontational atmosphere.

The fact is, although the buyer may control his or her side of the discussion by being able to walk away if an offer isn’t immediately accepted, the seller is in a powerful position, too. The seller owns the property that the buyer admittedly would like to possess—and although it’s a given that the seller has been willing to part with it for the listed price, accepting any offer isn’t a cut-and-dried certainty. In a seller’s market, it’s not unusual for other offers to materialize (or to be in the offing). Financing considerations affect the desirability of an offer—as well as inspection and a host of other possible contingencies.

In short, a heavy-handed approach by either side amounts to a counterproductive injection of animosity-creating atmospherics—something that may interfere with an otherwise perfectly acceptable outcome.

When your interests are represented by your own St. Cloud Realtor^®, one of the valuable results is to minimize extraneous emotional issues that might be allowed to derail the business at hand. It makes it much more likely that the result will be a snag-free, friendly conclusion at the signing table. Successful negotiations are the end-point of a process that can begin with a no-obligation discussion about what is happening in today’s St. Cloud market. Call anytime!

Providing a superior level of informed, professional real estate services to buyers and sellers throughout Central Minnesota. We have agents specializing in residential, commercial, multifamily, new construction, existing, investment properties, foreclosures/REO, and short sales with offices located in:

Five Office Locations To Serve YOU!

Saint Cloud 320-259-4554
Princeton 320-983-3555
Maple Grove 763-565-2000
Hutchinson 320-455-9127
Litchfield 320-298-1140

Premier Real Estate specializes MANY areas around Central MN including Saint Cloud, Waite Park, Rice, Royalton, Sartell, Royalton, Little Falls, Cold Spring, Saint Joseph, Elk River, Monticello, Ramsey, Saint Michael, Andover, Ham Lake, Anoka, Champlin, Buffalo, Glencoe, Brownton, Silver Lake, Kandiyohi, Dassel, Minneapolis, Maple Grove, Saint Louis Park, Saint Paul, Robbinsdale, Crystal, New Hope, Brooklyn Center and more!