To Haggle Or Not To Haggle: How To Play Ball When Negotiating A Home

Purchasing a home is a major financial commitment, but many people do it on a daily basis. When the time comes for you to start looking at housing, you should understand that negotiations have a major role. Most people do negotiate when they purchase a home, so employing these tips and techniques is important.

Realistically Determine Your Budget

If you go into negotiations and have no concept of what your budget is, then you are likely to become both confused and overwhelmed. You, and whoever else is purchasing the house with you, need to sit down and discuss what your exact budget is. By having a number in mind, you will know how much room you have with the negotiations. Furthermore, you will also recognize when it is time to consider other options. If the figures won’t budge and you can’t afford it, then you have to move on to another house.

Understand The Realistic Selling Price

Going into the home-negotiating process with dreams of grandeur is not good. When you envision that your going to knock hundreds of thousands of dollars off of the house price, you are just setting yourself up for failure. Before you start to negotiate on the house, you need to look into what similar houses in the area are selling for. Doing so will give you a much better idea of what the seller might be willing to accept. You don’t want to go too low because you could end up losing the house.

Considering Work on The House

When you go to look at some houses that you might be interested in purchasing, you also must take into account how much work has to be done on the house. This significantly influences the amount of money you are going to be willing to pay for it. For example, let’s say that there is an illegal bathroom in the basement of the house that needs permits or that the roof is showing a lot of signs of wear and tear. Explain that you will offer a higher price for the house only if those issues are resolved by the current homeowner.

Understand Other Bidders Exist

As you are considering the amount of money you are going to bid on the house, you need to realize that other bidders exist. It’s a whole different ball game than if you were the only person who was making an offer on the house. Knowing the intensity of the situation can give you the motivation to offer that extra ten thousand dollars to ensure the house is yours. The amount of money you bid also depends upon how desperately you want this particular house.

Foreclosures and Short Sales

Extremely intense competition exists when it comes to foreclosures and short sales, and you should really be working with people who are experts in the field if you want this type of house. In these situations, you may be better if you are willing to offer the full price of the house. Otherwise, you could find that it is extremely difficult to procure the home.

Negotiating for a house may be on the hardest parts of the process, which is why it’s so important to be well-informed. When you have the right information, you can make much better choices with your future house.