As a Realtor, I get to perform several functions in the service of my clients. One of those functions is that of negotiation, and it is one of my favorites! However, it is often not one of my client’s favorite hoops to jump through, so I must remind myself of their comfort level when advising them.

Honestly, if the price of a home is good and my buyers have fallen in love with it, I have to understand their priorities. Not all families have buying price as their most important goal. Sometimes it makes sense for them to just cut the check and get the property they want. Often, negotiating is a luxury and not as important as a family being happy with their new home.

But often there is a need to offer less than the list price, or at least there appears to be some leeway with other considerations. Other seller concessions such as closing date, down payment, title insurance and several other elements will many times affect the overall deal. Of course, the current housing market may dictate these options and how much wiggle room that is readily visible to us.

Though we think of negotiation as a tool for our biggest financial purchase, it need not only be utilized in real estate. I have had the fortune to visit the weekend markets in Hong Kong and do some dickering for souvenirs. I was in heaven.

But in America, we have lost the art of haggling. We think of only asking for a discount for “big ticket” items, but what exactly is that? For me, anything over $500 is a big-ticket item.

Here are some ideas to keep in mind when trying to get that price down:

– Don’t just keep in mind what you want, be cognizant of what motivates the other side. It’s not always money. For some wishing to make a quick sale, terms and conditions are more important than cash.

– It never hurts to ask. On at least two occasions, I have purchased $500 flatscreen TVs for a hundred bucks. One was a floor model at a store and the last of its kind; the other television was one sent to a YouTube influencer for a demo. Most manufacturers do not expect to get those back. I offered each merchant $100 and the response I got back was “sold!” It never hurts to ask.

– I once knew a man who, once a year, would go to a department store and place several hundred dollars’ worth of clothing in his push buggy. Then, he would head to the checkout lane and request to speak with a manager for a discount. Surprisingly, it always worked!

– One can do much the same thing online as well. Load up your shopping cart with at least three or four times the amount you believe a typical customer would purchase. Then call the company and ask them to discount the overall purchase. Given the amount of gross sales, it may be attractive to grant you a 10 to 25% savings. It pays to buy in bulk, and you don’t even have to go to Costco.

– Just because something isn’t marked as a clearance item doesn’t mean it’s not. When the little catchline next to an item says “only 3 left,” it may have been written for that product over a month ago. Don’t automatically think scarcity—think discount, and that the seller wants to move it. This way of thinking can serve us with the services we offer as well.

– I recently received several texts for a corporate function from an event planner wanting to hire me. After a while, I felt the back-and-forth and changes to the plans were confusing her and I both. Sometimes, you just have to get offline, pick up the phone and continue the conversation in an actual exchange of dialogue. It may not be as convenient, but clarity will prevent misunderstandings later.

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© MMXXIII, This article is an original work and was written without the assistance of artificial intelligence.