There’s a simple thing you can do to put yourself in a powerful negotiating position: If you want something, don’t care about getting it.
Does that sound crazy? Can you see yourself not caring about your dream home, the one you can see yourself blissfully happy in for years to come?
Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting you don’t try to get the house. Not caring means you sit down with your Texas REALTOR® and put together a data-driven offer that makes sense for your situation. Then you divorce yourself from the outcome.
Not caring—removing the emotion—makes your decisions easier because you’ll be assessing objective criteria. Either the seller meets your price or he doesn’t. Either he agrees to make a repair or he doesn’t.
You won’t win every negotiation this way, but you’ll be less likely to pay more than you wanted to or compromise on something that you’ll regret.
There’s no line in the contract that says, Check this box if you really want this house. Focus on the particulars of the deal without caring about the outcome. It’s easier said than done.