Everyone wants a deal — I get it. You find a property that’s been sitting on the market for two months, and you just can’t justify paying what the seller is asking. The deck needs replacing, the roof only has a few years left in it, and the stairs are scratched up from the seller’s dog. But other than that? The house is perfect for your family. It has all the bedrooms you need, the school zone is ideal, and you love the charm.
So what do you do?
Your first instinct is probably to tell the seller everything that’s wrong with their home. The roof is going to cost thousands. The deck needs to be replaced before summer even starts. In a perfect world, the seller hears all of this and happily drops their price to match.
The reality? That rarely happens. The seller already knows how old the roof is. They don’t think the stairs are a big deal. In their eyes, the deck is just fine — and the home was priced with all of that already factored in.
Here’s a better approach: stay sweet, and seal the deal.
Instead of listing everything wrong with the home, try telling the seller everything you love about it. Write a letter. Share how you can picture your dog running up and down those same stairs, how you imagine evening dinners on that deck with your family, and how grateful you’d be to make this house your home. Then close with something simple and honest, like:
”Thank you for considering our offer. At this time, this is the most our budget comfortably allows.”
A little kindness and understanding goes a long way in real estate. Buyers and sellers often get painted as being on opposite sides, but the truth is everyone wants the same thing — a successful sale. The best deals aren’t always won through criticism or hard-nosed negotiation. Sometimes they’re won through connection, respect, and sincerity.
At the end of the day, a house is more than shingles, stairs, and square footage. To the seller, it’s a place full of memories. When buyers recognize that, it can make all the difference.
Sometimes, staying sweet really does help seal the deal.