Playing sellers off one another?

[2010dvcfan]

My time is way more valuable to me than any negotiations, I decide on the price I am willing to pay and offer it, that's it, take it or leave it. I also don't mention any other prices or offers I'm quite straight forward this is where I am if it's not enough then I respectfully understand. I also don't low ball or attempt to see how low they will go either. During Covid I snatched up several at full asking price I viewed that as a win/win.

I purchased BCV in March and the sales agent attempted to tell me I was in a bidding war and I needed to give my very best offer if I wanted the contract. I simply stated, " I just did, if it's not enough then it wasn't meant to be I'll catch the next one" 2 hours later I was notified that the contract was mine.

Treat people the way you would want to be treated, and you won't go wrong.

 

[Willow Ufgood]

I'm betting that no resale agencies are going to do anything more than present your offer to the seller without any reference to what is available at a lower price on a competitor's website. Just remember, they are being paid by the seller. It's in their best interest as well as the seller's to get the highest possible price.

 

[Genie+]

I mean that's literally the point of negotiating. Not to get the "better" deal but to get the "best" deal.

As a seller I’d ask if the contract detail match. If other contracts exactly like mine have been sitting, I might be inclined to accept an offer a couple dollars below. That last few hundred dollars between an offer and asking comes down to who is more motivated, buyer or seller.

 

[smileyanna]

I'm a big fan of going big (low counters, negotiating) when you have nothing to lose and you are absolutely willing to walk away. Since that describes your situation: Sure, go ahead and try.

That said, I don't see why countering with "such-and-such other website has a contract that's very similar listed for $132, so I'm staying firm at $130" would be any more effective than just saying "Thanks, I'm staying firm at $130." I think you are overestimating the value of educating(?) the seller

 

[Brian Noble]

[Forgot to quote @WinterSolider. It was:

I'm buying DVC in the last posture. I'm entirely comfortable with getting rejected fifty times, or two hundred times, and never getting a deal. But if I do get a deal I want to know it was an absolute steal.]

And that's fine. That's your negotiating stance. It would not be mine, even for DVC.

 

[2010dvcfan]

[Forgot to quote @WinterSolider. It was:

I'm buying DVC in the last posture. I'm entirely comfortable with getting rejected fifty times, or two hundred times, and never getting a deal. But if I do get a deal I want to know it was an absolute steal.]

And that's fine. That's your negotiating stance. It would not be mine, even for DVC.

I agree, I would never take that stance, I would always wonder what situation drove them to be so desperate to sell at an "absolute steal" honestly, I would never want to take advantage of someone else poor fortunate.

Determine a fair value and buy it, get your satisfaction from use of the product not from "absolute steal" you got from a possibly desperate seller.

 

[WinterSolider]

I agree, I would never take that stance, I would always wonder what situation drove them to be so desperate to sell at an "absolute steal" honestly, I would never want to take advantage of someone else poor fortunate.

Determine a fair value and buy it, get your satisfaction from use of the product not from "absolute steal" you got from a possibly desperate seller.

Do you do this when you're buying a house too? Deliberately overpay out of some kind of misplaced generosity towards the seller?

 

[2010dvcfan]

Do you do this when you're buying a house too? Deliberately overpay out of some kind of misplaced generosity towards the seller?

Yes, I do, I am residential housing rental specialist, and I purchase a large number of estate properties and foreclosures, I always go in with a fair valuation of the property in its current condition and make my offer. It cuts down on all that wasted time of negotiating and being reject 50 times or more that you mentioned you have time for. I also do not view it as overpaying or misplaced generosity. it's the value that I offered based on the current market conditions, so I agree that it is appropriate and fair for both parties.

I live my life and make my money fairly and with compassion for the other party, always have and sleep very well at night. You may not agree but treating others as you would want to be treated is VERY good standard for all life decisions IMO.

You never know what the other party is going thru, approach it as if the shoe was on the other foot.

Best of luck to both you and the sellers in your negotiations.

 

[WinterSolider]

it's the value that I offered based on the current market conditions

"Current market conditions" isn't some abstract force that exists outside of the context of individual negotiations. Market conditions are merely the aggregation of individual buyers and sellers doing what's in their best interest. You don't just "take" market conditions, your negotiation helps *set* market conditions. You're not a spectator in the marketplace, you're an active participant who gets to move equilibrium.

And frankly, I think it's infantilizing to treat the other party in a negotiation as if they're anything other than intelligent, competent human beings capable of advocating for their own interests in the same way I am.

There is no such thing as "fair" or "unfair." It's both parties doing what's best for them and if those things intersect, you make a deal, and if they don't, you don't. Nobody is being taken advantage of. If you don't like my lowball offer, literally just say "no thank you" and move on with your day.

 

[2010dvcfan]

"Current market conditions" isn't some abstract force that exists outside of the context of individual negotiations. Market conditions are merely the aggregation of individual buyers and sellers doing what's in their best interest. You don't just "take" market conditions, your negotiation helps *set* market conditions. You're not a spectator in the marketplace, you're an active participant who gets to move equilibrium.

And frankly, I think it's infantilizing to treat the other party in a negotiation as if they're anything other than intelligent, competent human beings capable of advocating for their own interests in the same way I am.

There is no such thing as "fair" or "unfair." It's both parties doing what's best for them and if those things intersect, you make a deal, and if they don't, you don't. Nobody is being taken advantage of. If you don't like my lowball offer, literally just say "no thank you" and move on with your day.

Fair enough, I would always wonder if they were accepting my lowball offer due to a need for medical emergency or funeral expenses. When people sale large ticket items in a time of need in my experience they are neither intelligent or competent always at that given time. If an offer is "lowball" there is a reason most people are even considering it not holding out for a reasonable price point.

If the contract is listed for sale at a price that the current market conditions support than it's a good deal IMO.

We will have to agree to disagree on this one.

Appreciate the opportunity to share opinions with you.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Fair enough, I would always wonder if they were accepting my lowball offer due to a need for medical emergency or funeral expenses. When people sale large ticket items in a time of need in my experience they are neither intelligent or competent always at that given time. If an offer is "lowball" there is a reason most people are even considering it not holding out for a reasonable price point.

If the contract is listed for sale at a price that the current market conditions support than it's a good deal IMO.

We will have to agree to disagree on this one.

Appreciate the opportunity to share opinions with you.people

We never know what’s on the other end, but if they say yes they say yes. Maybe money now is better than more money later. Every situation is unique. DVC also has a lot of contracts that are inherited and often the person who inherited it doesn’t want a timeshare and just wants to be done with it and move on.

 

[Chili327]

Yes, I do, I am residential housing rental specialist, and I purchase a large number of estate properties and foreclosures, I always go in with a fair valuation of the property in its current condition and make my offer. It cuts down on all that wasted time of negotiating and being reject 50 times or more that you mentioned you have time for. I also do not view it as overpaying or misplaced generosity. it's the value that I offered based on the current market conditions, so I agree that it is appropriate and fair for both parties.

I live my life and make my money fairly and with compassion for the other party, always have and sleep very well at night. You may not agree but treating others as you would want to be treated is VERY good standard for all life decisions IMO.

You never know what the other party is going thru, approach it as if the shoe was on the other foot.

Best of luck to both you and the sellers in your negotiations.

That is pretty freakin humbling right there.

 

[Brian Noble]

Do you do this when you're buying a house too?

Yes, because time also has value. Also that’s a very different situation. Unlike DVC points, specific houses are usually not fungible.

Look, I’m not telling you what you are doing is wrong. I’m telling you I would not do it. The hassle over $2/pt is not worth it to me. It is to you. And that’s why Baskin-Robins has 31 flavors.

 

[CastAStone]

There is one broker who would lay into you if you quoted the thread and possibly ban you from ever making offers with them again.

Challenge accepted!

 

[Kailunkat]

I have done this unintentionally actually (it was the brokers/seller's fault).

Made an offer on listing 1. They countered and I wasn't willing to move off my number. They told me no. I moved on.
Made an offer on listing 2. They countered and I negotiated. We ended up at the exact number that listing 1 wouldn't meet. Signed contracts.
Agent for listing 1 came back to me 2 days later and said the seller had reconsidered and wanted to accept my offer after all. I told them I had already moved on and signed a contract for the same price with a different broker. They offered to go lower by a couple of $pp and undercut the other contract. Ultimately, I decided I didn't love the situation with that broker, and paying the extra $2 upfront with a broker I knew/had dealt with before would be better.

 

[R2Daddy]

Has anyone had success doing this as a negotiating tactic when purchasing DVC resale? Example:

I offer $130 for a contract.

The seller comes back with a counter-offer of $150.

I respond "such-and-such other website has a contract that's very similar listed for $132, so I'm staying firm at $130."

It feels like it could be an effective negotiating tactic but I don't want to annoy the brokers I'm working with if this is frowned upon for whatever reason.

Giving a reasoning to the broker so they can pass along is not a bad idea, but just don’t make the seller sour otherwise they won’t feel good about budging. I think in this specific scenario as a seller I’d wonder why you just aren’t offering on that other contract. Maybe a better tactic is to share the average selling price.

Also consider that some sellers still have outstanding loans (as controversial as that is). Sellers might have to get a specific price to avoid being under water.

 

[Sandisw]

Has anyone had success doing this as a negotiating tactic when purchasing DVC resale? Example:

I offer $130 for a contract.

The seller comes back with a counter-offer of $150.

I respond "such-and-such other website has a contract that's very similar listed for $132, so I'm staying firm at $130."

It feels like it could be an effective negotiating tactic but I don't want to annoy the brokers I'm working with if this is frowned upon for whatever reason.

As someone who has sold several contracts, I can say that this would have had no impact on my decision to accept or counter an offer. I certainly would not have been offended or anything, but in all cases, I knew what I wanted to accept, and what the lowest I would go was in every case, so if I got a response like you mention, the fact you could get one for that price elsewhere would not have made me say "yes" to accepting that price.

I do think everything is fair game when wanting to find a contract....sellers have their thresholds and buyers have theirs and I think it just takes time to find a buyer and seller whose thresholds match! When buying, I can say a few times, I had to offer plenty to find that one seller!

 

[Chili327]

I do think everything is fair game when wanting to find a contract....sellers have their thresholds and buyers have theirs and I think it just takes time to find a buyer and seller whose thresholds match! When buying, I can say a few times, I had to offer plenty to find that one seller!

Yep, everyone has different situations, some may be in need of money, some may be underwater already, and others could just be fishing to see what kind of offers they can get.
Definitely just have to play your hand based your own situation until you find the right match. There really shouldn’t be anyone offended from lowball offers as well as no offense if they are asking more than what the masses consider to be reasonable… they just have to sit on it for longer until the offers come up or they are willing to drop the price to get it sold.

 

[TinkAgainU]

... There is one broker who would lay into you if you quoted the thread and possibly ban you from ever making offers with them again.

We might need a hint ...
(just kidding, poor Sandisw probably gets very tired of reminding us we need full links

 

[Sandisw]

We might need a hint ...
(just kidding, poor Sandisw probably gets very tired of reminding us we need full links

Probably not as much as others get tired of me reminding!!! All in good fun!!!