Posted By Alan Donald @ May 4th 2009 12:45pm In: Negotiations

USING CREATIVE NEGOTIATIONS

If a buyer has an 850 Credit Score, 45% downpayment and does not have to sell a home, his/her offer on your home is a strong one! However, many buyers are not in that situation. And while as a seller you would like to get your asking price and no conditions, an experienced agent will prepare you for the possibility of receiving offers that involve less than ideal conditions and may require some compromises.

Successful REALTORS® know how to structure creative offers and do whatever it takes to make a transaction work ("a bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush"). If a buyer is low on cash, your counter-offer may shift some closing costs to you (the seller), minimizing the amount of cash that the buyer needs to close. If the buyer needs to sell a home, your REALTOR® should ask to see their listing and talk to their listing agent to understand how "saleable" and well priced their home is, plus include a "kick-out clause" which will allow you to force the buyer to remove the contingency, or rescind the contract to sell the home to another buyer who does not need to sell first.

A lease purchase arrangement might be an effective way to structure a contract if a buyer has recently changed jobs or became self-employed. Owner-financing for part of the loan can make a difference in some cases, like for example if the buyer is a foreign national, and has the money to buy the home, but his/her funds have not been cleared as "seasoned" in a U.S. account for the period required by law.

If your REALTOR® brings you a complex offer designed to get a buyer into your home, don't say "no" until you understand the offer, and explore all possible scenarios to make it work before you give up!

 


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