Upfront beats clever. Every time.
A couple of years ago I bought my daughter a car. Used car prices were so inflated it actually made more sense to buy new. Not long after that, I bought my wife a car too.
If you’ve done this recently, you already know what comes next.
The advertised price pulls you in.
You get interested.
You drive over.
And suddenly the price is $3,000 to $5,000 higher than you expected.
Floor mats. Window tint. Paint protection. Nitrogen in the tires. Perfectly fine products, already installed, presented as non-negotiable. Sometimes you can get them removed or avoid the cost. Sometimes you can’t.
I usually do fine in those situations. That is not the point.
The aggravating part is not the add-ons.
It’s the surprise.
When I bought my wife’s car, I asked before I ever showed up:
What add-ons are going on this vehicle?
What do they cost?
What is my out-the-door number?
That is the number you need before you step foot on the lot.
In real estate, I operate the opposite way.
If you are selling through me, I prepare a Seller’s Estimated Net Proceeds sheet early in the process. It is an estimate. At that stage it cannot be exact. Some costs are negotiable. Some may shift depending on the structure of the deal.
But on the first pass, I show everything as if it is being charged to you.
Not because that is what I want to happen.
Because I do not want you surprised.
When an offer comes in, I prepare a new net sheet based on that specific offer as written, or based on how we are countering it. That version is not perfect either, but it is much closer to reality.
You see the numbers before you sign anything.
You know what you are walking away with.
You stay in control.
If you do not like the deal, you do not sign it. Even if someone offers exactly what you asked for, it is still your property. Circumstances change. You can change your mind.
I might not love it. I will not be mad.
What I will not do is lure you in with one number and quietly move the goalposts later.
There are enough surprises in a transaction already.
The pricing should not be one of them.
P.S. You may not be ready to sell today, but does it hurt to know where you stand? Request a MBR Land Reality Check below.
No cost. No obligation. Just clarity before decisions.
PPS – If you have ever felt the “add-on” effect in a big transaction, feel free to forward this to someone who might appreciate a different approach.
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