Red vs Blue

When negotiating in real estate, the key thing to avoid is to create a situation where you are in an adversarial position with the party you are trying to transact with. The perception that every buyer is trying to buy a property for the absolute cheapest price or that a vendor will only sell for the absolute maximum amount is not always the case in reality. What both parties generally want is a fair outcome. What each party perceives as fair can vary significantly and that is where a negotiation tries to bring the buyer and seller to a point where they agree. Of course this doesn’t happen all the time, but one of the most common reasons why negotiations fail is that the parties end up in an adversarial situation. One is in the red corner and one is in the blue corner. In real estate transactions, there are several factors that can cause this.

One is starting from price expectations that are too far apart. Another may be that the conditions of a particular offer may be seen as unrealistic or unreasonable, causing a vendor to react poorly.

By far the most common reason vendors and buyers find themselves in adversarial positions is the language or tone of the communication between them. This is quite interesting because in fact, the buyers and the vendors very rarely ever communicate directly. This is where the skill of a good real estate agent really comes to the fore. An estate agent’s role is to do a lot more than deliver messages. A skilled estate agent will assess the personalities he or she is dealing with and take early interventional steps to set the tone of any dealings, so that a transaction has a good chance of success. The best agents are generally great people watchers and can assess the personalities they have at hand, to determine the best way forward in any transaction. Modifying and setting the language and tone of a transaction to allow a positive outcome is crucial and common in the life of a skilled agent. Some of this skill comes from experience, some from training and some from instinct. Despite popular belief, estate agents don’t deal with property. They deal with property owners and property buyers, real people rather than real estate. Real estate is just the topic of discussion. It is the ability to guide that discussion to a successful conclusion and avoid the red and blue corners that makes the great agents worth their commission. If we can ever be of assistance in any real estate matter, please do not hesitate to call.