If only I had a dollar for every time ….

How would you complete the blanks … “If only I had a dollar for every time ____  _____  _____, I would be rich!”

Mine would be … “If only I had a dollar for every time I was asked will the seller take less, I would be rich!  If I included the times I was asked a variation of this such as:  “Is the seller willing to negotiate?” or “How firm is the seller on his price?” or “Will the seller come off his price?”, I would not be just mildly rich but STINKING, FILTHY “Warren Buffett” RICH.

The most common question I get asked about my listings is “Will the seller take less?”

What the person asking the question doesn’t understand is that it is NOT my house to sell.  I represent the sellers and they have hired me to sell their Spring Texas house for as much money as possible. My Realtor code of ethics require me to protect my clients best interests which in this case is the best interest of the sellers.  So why, even if I did know if the seller would take less, would I tell the caller?

Most of the time I respond to the question with “I don’t know. Why don’t you put in an offer on the house and we will find out together.”  Sometimes the response satisfies the caller and sometimes it does not. If it does not, the next question I am invariably asked is “Will the seller negotiate?’ Now to me this is the same question.  I can only assume the caller is hoping this time I will answer it differently. But I do not.  Sometimes the caller is persistent and will then throw out a dollar figure such as will the seller take $135,000 for the house.  But my answer remains the same … “I don’t know”.

If only I had a dollar for every time I was asked “Will the seller take less?”, I could stop selling Spring Texas real estate and retire because I would be RICH!!!