If you own a home in Vancouver, WA that you are thinking about selling, have you thought about how you are going to negotiate the sale yet? If not, this is something you might want to think through before you’ve got your house on the market. The key is to always try to be at least one step ahead of your potential buyer.

Do you have a home in Vancouver, WA that you are trying to sell? Interested in learning what we’d offer for it in cash? For a no-obligation offer, just call Summit Development at 360-667-5424 or fill out the form on our site.

Some Negotiation Tactics to Keep in Mind when Selling Your Home in Vancouver, WA

Throw in some extras

You never know when you’ll get a buyer who is right on the fence. They may come in and like your home, yet you can tell they are holding back. Throwing in something extra is a fantastic way to help push someone who is interested but being hesitant over the edge. What should you use as an incentive? You can be inventive as different things appeal to different buyers. Your buyers might be the kind who’d appreciate a golf cart. Or they might like a $1000 gift card to a local furniture store. Consider your demographic, your home’s needs, and your budget when deciding what to offer.

Keep Your Emotions Out of It

Negotiating the sale of a house can be quite an emotional experience. So before you start talking to potential buyers, make sure you’ve defined the bottom limit of what you are willing to accept. Then, when offers come, if they don’t meet that minimum, don’t accept them. If this goes on and you simply cannot sell your home, it could be you are asking too much or that it’s simply not the right time for your home to sell at its full value. Always keep in mind a second plan, a BATNA or “Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement.” You may not sell the house, but maybe renting it would be acceptable for a while. The bottom line is keeping your emotions out of it keeps you from appearing desperate, which can scare off buyers.

Try to Start a Bidding War

In a circumstance where you know you have more than one interested buyer, you could even make an announcement of a time and date that you will review all bids. If you do this right, it can help build a buzz about your property that can drive that price right on up. The simple fact there is competition can get buyers more interested and encourage them to offer more. However, this only works with a house that will be receiving many offers.

Inspect Your Property BEFORE You List It

A buyer is going to want to inspect the home before they make a final offer on it. What better way to be prepared for this and insure your asking price against concessions you may have to make upon inspection than to hire an inspector to learn what issues there are so you can address them beforehand. Making sure these issues are addressed before you come to the negotiating table is always going to be in your advantage as the seller.

Learn What You Can About Anyone Making an Offer on Your House in Vancouver, WA

Anything you can learn about a potential buyer can help you out during negotiations. For example, can they pay full price? Are they looking to move immediately? Do they have special living needs for younger or older members of the family? Figure out what matters most to the buyer so you can appeal directly to this in order to help negotiate a higher selling price. Sure, there will always be haggling, but making your house closer to what your buyer is looking for will make them more ready and willing to agree to a price.