Regardless of market conditions, no buyer in the history of buyers has wanted to pay a dime more for a home than absolutely necessary**. In the equal history of sellers, no seller has wanted to sell their home for a nickel less than they possibly could get.*

Buyers and sellers each has had to face the emotional and intellectual comfort zone of what he or she is willing to pay or trade even though they don’t know what the other party’s comfort zone is.

When the conditions are relatively moderate great negotiating skills aren’t needed as the area of compromise can be wide. Many people have the tools and skills to negotiate in this scenario.

In strong buyer or seller’s market the area of possible compromise is much tighter. The negotiating skills required to make a deal happen need to be much more sophisticated and nuanced, and fewer people can do it well.

Unfortunately many sales fall apart even as areas of compromise do exist. How many transactions couldn’t come to terms over less than a one percent difference only to find too late that a wider compromise existed?

It’s too easy to blame a failed negotiation on the irrational or demanding other side when in truth, we are all demanding and want the best for ourselves.

As agents, we can serve our clients best by treating everyone in a transaction as real people with real motivations, thoughts, and feelings. It’s crucial for agents to humanize the other side so we can better understand their thought process and feelings, and to humanize our clients to them. It’s also important for us to try to help our clients come to terms with their motivations and comfort zone.

The surest way of serving our client’s needs and wants is take the time to know them so we can continually work toward a win win solution that works for them. We must constantly improve our communication skills and remind the sellers they were once buyers, and the buyers that they were once sellers. First time buyers, call me. I’ll remind you of something.

*Perhaps that’s an exaggeration, but I think I can get away with that one.

Seek First to understand, then to be understood belongs to Stephen Covey - The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People