A Florida Home Buyer Can Increase Negotiating Leverage

A Florida Home Buyer Can Increase Negotiating Leverage

When a Floridahome buyer first finds that single-family homes and condominiums have been getting pricier, it shouldn’t be a surprise. Nationally, the median sales price is still well below the record $230,400 reached at the height of the housing boom ­ but that gap is shrinking.

If you’re a future home buyer in Palm City, Jacksonville, Nocatee Ponte Vedra or Port St Lucie, you can take steps to improve the situation. One way is to increase your negotiating leverage – to turn yourself into a highly desirable buyer from the seller’s point of view.

Show You’re Financially Attractive: Maximize your negotiating power by getting yourself pre-approved for a mortgage loan. This is a step beyond merely becoming pre-qualified. To become pre-approved, a mortgage lender pulls your credit, studies your income, debt and employment history, and determines the size of the mortgage loan you can handle. A seller prefers working with a Floridahome buyer whose agent can present a pre-approval letter. It increases the odds that a sale won’t fall through at the last minute.

Know the Florida HomeMarket: You’ll have a better chance of convincing a sellers to lower the asking price if you are armed with the sales prices that similar homes in the market are fetching. If a seller is asking $20,000 more than is typical, your agent will be able to present this fact in negotiations.

Prepare to Offer Something: A seller is usually more willing to come down in price when he sees a concession or two from you. A home buyer can, for instance, agree to a later or earlier closing date to accommodate the seller. You might also agree to overlook some needed repairs. Especially on fixes that might take a lot of time, such a concession can have a meaningful impact on the bottom line.

Be Realistic: Don’t ask for too much. Asking sellers to lop off 30% is more likely to scuttle negotiations than lower the price.

A home buyer in Florida will still find some great deals out there. With the short fall selling season upon us, if you’re considering buying, call me today to get the search going!

Are you tired of scouring the newspaper and MLS listing sites looking for homes in Florida?  Tired of playing telephone tag with Realtors only to hear the home’s already sold?  Sit back, relax and let Bold Real Estate Group and our team of professional Realtors do the work for you!  Just visit our website and check off the properties and communities you’re looking  for www.BoldRealEstateGroup.com  is FREE and there’s no obligation!  or send us an email communityinfo@comcast.net  for additional information on all the real estate services we offer.

Author Millie Gil:  I have been in the real estate service business in Florida for many successful years and will be here for many more. This longevity and confidence comes from my residential lending and real estate services to great buyers and sellers, and their recommendations to others that result in repeat and referral business that keeps me productive and successful.

Doing real estate relocation is also a passion, by assisting transferees with every residential or commercial real estate need.  I know that “Relocations occur for business reasons, but more often they succeed because of a combination of family needs that are met”.  My commitment to my clients is that I work diligently and quickly to produce results.

As a full service Broker-Owner of Bold Real Estate Group in Stuart Florida.  I assist  buyers, sellers, renters and investors in real estate transactions spanning all of the price ranges and property types.  I am fluent in English and Spanish with a strong network of real estate professionals worldwide.