As a professional Property Search Agent I've learned that 4 factors determine the Negotiability of any property's asking price. These 4 Factors are Desirability, Comparability, Supply and Proceed-ability. Understanding how these work helps you avoid over-paying by equipping you with a persuasive argument in favour of your best offer. This enables you to negotiate like a professional, rather than haggle like an amateur.
Searching for a new property is a famously stressful experience. So when you eventually reach the point of negotiation you're in a high-stakes game, one where you're likely to feel as if the vendor's agent holds all the cards. Fear of losing out naturally makes you vulnerable. Once you've set our heart on somewhere, all those media reports of slow markets and falling prices offer little comfort or assistance. In reality every house price will be negotiable to a greater or lesser extent.
N is for Negotiability
After months of fruitless searching you finally see somewhere you really like. It's got everything you want in a home. Unfortunately it's at the upper edge of what you can afford.
So how can you tell whether your dream home is really worth the asking price?
And if the price is too full, how much lower might you sensibly offer instead?
You want to know the property's Negotiability (or N-Factor for short).
Establishing the N-Factor is not an exact science. There's no magic formula. But Negotiability is generally determined by the inter-relationship of 4 variables: Desirability, Comparability, Supply and Proceed-ability.
D is for Desirability
Obviously you like the property - but how many others are really interested? And are any of them really interested at the current asking price? It's harder to tell with fresh instructions. The longer a place has been on the market the lower its D-Factor will be. Changes of estate agent or multiple agencies are both tell-tale signs of a lower D-Factor.
C is for Comparability
How many comparable properties exist in your favoured area? In a typical suburban street the answer is very clear. Consequently variations in asking prices between similar houses in the same street are not too hard to assess. Character or period properties in the country are naturally more difficult to compare in this way.
I always employ a few simple principles when assessing value for clients, whether in town or country. I use UK Land Registry data which is easily available online.
Firstly I adjust recent historic selling prices for property inflation (or deflation) by postcode.
Secondly I assess fair value from the top down or the ground up. What's the ceiling and basement price in any given street, neighbourhood or village? I'm always wary of "herd pricing" by estate agents, an inevitable consequence of the way that competition to secure vendor instructions can push up asking prices.
Thirdly I benchmark both these measures against total internal floor space. Outbuildings such as garages, stables or garden rooms should be treated as distinct from living and working space in the main dwelling.
A good Comparability analysis is invaluable. It enables you to make a reasoned assessment of what intangibles (such as a quiet site, large plot, Grade 2 listing, or thatched roof charm) are really worth to you as a premium over fair value based on the C-Factor.
S is for Supply
How many similar properties are there currently on the market? In other words how much choice do you the buyer have in practice?
The lower the S-Factor, the more important it is that you are decisive in choosing what to offer, and how best to frame your offer. Because the longer you wait the more likely you are to face competition.
P is for Proceed-ability
Are your finances ready? Are you a cash buyer, chain free or under offer?
Proceed-ability has a clear hierarchy. Cash buyers are in pole position, followed by sale agreed chain free buyers. Next come sale agreed buyers with a chain, and so on. The importance of the P-Factor is easily under-rated. It is increasingly screened at all price levels by vendors' agents who will always favour the more proceed-able buyer.
A Working Formula for Negotiability
Property valuation is not an exact science. But we can illustrate the relationship between the 4 Factors with a simple formula:
D/(C+S) - P = N
It doesn't matter whether this is strictly robust, mathematically speaking. What counts is the relative (high/ medium/ low) levels of the component Factors, and how they modify each other to drive that critical Negotiability.
The higher the right hand figure (N), the smaller the gap you may expect between the asking price and the selling price to be. To secure a place with a high N-Factor, you may have to pay close to the full asking price. But as that right hand figure gets smaller, you may reasonably expect a bigger gap between asking and selling price.
Using this approach has three big advantages.
Firstly, it lets you put a sensible figure on Desirability in the context of a given property type and location. Sure, it's nice - but is it really worth XXX,000?
Secondly, it helps you turn Comparability into an effective and บ้านมือสอง meaningful lever to make a reasoned case in support of an offer below the guide/ asking price to the vendor's agent.
Thirdly, it reminds you to emphasise your Proceed-ability in your opening offer and any subsequently improved bid. Sell your property first and you'll be treated much more seriously by vendors' agents. They may well even favour such buyers over higher bidders who are less able to proceed.
Applying these principles should make your negotiation less daunting and more straightforward, to deliver the home you deserve at a fair price. Happy house-hunting!
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