If you know a little bit about a property, you will know this: a lot of things affect the price of properties. You already know some of them: location, amenities, condition, neighbourhood, accessibility, timing – things like that.
In property buying and selling, (obviously) it will be in the seller’s best interest to sell the property at a higher price for bigger profit, and it will be in the buyer’s best interest to purchase the property at a lower price for a smaller mortgage.
So how does one get a fair price (or close to it) that will satisfy both the seller and the buyer?
Here are 2 additional things to take into consideration if you want a fair price when you buy or sell your home.
‘Fair’ is Subjective
Homeowners will always wear rose-tinted glasses when they look at their properties. They bought or inherited the house. They might have even lived in the house their whole lives. They spent a lot of money over the years for maintenance and fixing numerous wears and tears. They have had immeasurable happy memories in every nook and corner.
In short, homeowners will tend to think that their property is worth a lot then it’s actual value, and would like to be compensated for it.
On the other hand, potential buyers will spend weeks, months or years to look for their ‘perfect’ home. If you spend that much time comparing, you will develop a quick eye to spot imperfections. The ceiling is a little bit too low. The view is a little bit too unpleasing. The neighbours are a little bit too noisy.
Starting Out in Your Investment Journey
If both buyer and seller have distorted views of what is ‘fair’, unfortunately, no amount of negotiation will leave both parties satisfied. This is not good for both parties.
If a seller keeps rejecting offers, he/she might run out of money to maintain the house and might end up selling the property cheaply in a desperate sale. If a buyer keeps focusing on the negative stuff to find that ‘perfect’ home, he/she will never find it.
Therefore, both house buyers and sellers need to be objective. The easiest way is to introduce a third party – a property agent – in the mix.
An estate agent can guide sellers on how to price their properties realistically. Likewise, an agent can also help buyers to appreciate a house’s key features instead of focusing on less desirable qualities.
You can also assess property prices in these 5 property websites in Singapore where you can buy, sell or rent houses.
Women: Is Your Gender Giving You A Bad Deal?
This 2014 study says that more women are deceived during negotiations as compared to men, as women are perceived to be more easily misled. In this case study, the pattern is consistent among male and female sellers. In other words, even women deceive women.
Now, we are not going to play the blame game. We are too classy for that. However, we acknowledge that this gender norm is not to your financial advantage – regardless whether you are a buyer or a seller.
The best way to go about it is to be aware of it. If you are a female seller, and your buyer (or even the agent) is trying to intimidate you by driving a hard bargain, don’t be obligated to say yes.
Bonus points if you can call them out on it – you don’t have to intimidate them back (ugh, we don’t live in the Medieval age, alright). Just tell them it’s no deal unless the price point is fair to you.
Likewise, if you are a female buyer, and you were told that your quote is ‘already the best possible price, honey,’ then get researching for comparable properties of similar quality as a backup. Use data to get a more realistic price. Also, tell them to cut it off with the nicknames – it’s infantilising and sexualising you.
Also, if you are with your partner, never let them make you feel invisible during the negotiation process. We know this is hard to do in real life. But you are not invisible. Your say matters. It matters a lot. Why pretend that it doesn’t?
Explore more about how gender plays a role in negotiation here.
Conclusion
An overused saying, but here it is: a house is likely the biggest purchase in your life – so the 2 considerations that we explained here can help you to buy or sell your home with a fair price.
