adminThis morning we got THE phone call. The realtor from yesterday’s story called us for a negotiation. After we found a problem with the roof that required a timely fix, we gave the current owners two options: either we stay with our current bid and they fix the roof. Or we get a discount so we can fix the roof ourselves.
But the timing of the call was rather awkward, as we were in the car on our way to a big job. The realtor wanted to know what kind of discount we had in mind. Neither Mandy nor I are natural negotiators. And we had no clue what fixing the roof would cost. So again, we didn’t have the best cards.
He asked us bluntly, “What exact price do you have in mind?”. We both went silent. The night before, we had discussed that somewhere between €1500 and €2500 sounded good. But now we got the question from man to man, we got cold feet.
I’m not sure where it came from, but I just said: we were thinking of €2000. I was affraid that it would be too high. And the realtor responded: “I’m thinking that with material and one day labor costs, it might be something like €1000. What would you say if I suggest €1500 to the selling party?”.
That would be okay, we said. We hung up. Mandy and I looked at each other. “This might be it…” and we went silent. Sometimes, a short moment can feel like an eternity. In this case, a short moment was really a short moment. Within two minutes, the realtor called us back: Congratulations, your bid is accepted.
So…that’s it. Now we will be the owners of a new house. Sort of. Before the house is 100% ours, we first need to have multiple contracts signed. That means we are somewhere between 95% and 99% sure about the new house. Until all paperwork is finished, we can be happy. But just for 95%.