I’ll squeeze a car dealer like a lemon—but I won’t lowball a pro.
I was buying a car for my wife recently and negotiated with several dealerships at once—exclusively by email. In my opinion, that’s the only way to get the best result (more on that another time).
I wrung every nickel out of the deal and ended up with a better price than I expected. More importantly, my wife’s happy.
Whenever I’m buying a car, jewelry, real estate—anything like that—I approach it the same way. I work the numbers hard, and if I don’t like the deal, I walk. No hard feelings.
But when it comes to professional services? I don’t negotiate rates. Not one bit.
Now, a fee might be more than I’m willing to pay for my situation, and I may decide to go elsewhere. But I’ll never ask a real estate broker, attorney, accountant, or consultant to “do it for less.”
These folks have the same 24 hours in a day as anyone else. The best in their field bring real value, and they expect to be paid for it. They deserve to be.
Top professionals are usually in high demand. Their schedules are packed. Every hour they give me is an hour they can’t spend with someone else. If I ask them to cut their rate, I’m not just negotiating—I’m taking money out of their pocket. That’s not right.
At best, they’ll turn me down. At worst, they’ll take the job and resent it. Either way, I lose. And I definitely don’t want someone working for me half-heartedly because I pressured them on price.
If I hire someone, I want them all-in. Focused. Energized. I want them glad they’re working with me—not counting the minutes.
Now look—I get how this could come across as self-serving. I’m in real estate. But I think you know where I’m coming from. If you’re hiring someone to help sell your property and you want the best, why shoot yourself in the foot by asking for a discount?
That’s not negotiating—that’s working against your own interest.
Now, it’s totally possible that what you need can be handled by a discount broker. If so, I’ll tell you. I might even help you find one.
But if you’re looking for a seasoned pro with a track record of strong results, it just makes sense to pay what they’re worth.
If you’re ready to sell your property, just respond here.
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