Negotiating - The Bad

I was going to tell you a tale of a bad personal negotiation that I had just before Christmas but upon watching the start of another series of Location, Location, Location whilst munching on yet another mince pie I could not believe my mince pies as to what I had just seen on the box. The good ship Phil and Kirsty have made a career out of advising the hapless and the hopeless find accommodation throughout the UK and on the face of it do a good job but this time got on the wrong side of a terrible negotiation for a couple buying in Birmingham.

Cue plumber and Scottish lawyer (property not her forte?) trying to buy first property together with the loveable negotiators doing their usual shtick - three properties - second viewing - sexual tension - double entendres etc etc. Let's cut to the chase! All we are interested in is the negotiation at the end when they set up the call to the agent.

And so the tale starts.

The property is on at £200K and the owner wants this. The roof needs patched - seller speak for a new roof and new carpets are required. Sharp as a button, Phil says that the price can be negotiated if the lawyer and the plumber fancy doing that themselves. On asking the clients what they want to pay for the property, the plumber says he would like to get it for £190K. Phil retorts that he did not think that they would get it for that. Fair enough, he's the professional. So instead of low balling at under £190K - after all Phil doesn't know for certain what the seller's personal circumstances are. They go in at £192K? Surely "101 Negotiating" says go in below £190K to sniff out the seller's lowest price - especially if you don't know what the roof repairs are going to cost.

Yes. You've guessed it, they come back and accept. Cue lavish praise for the negotiating skills of Mr Spencer.

But hold on!

Where was the counter offer from the seller? Me thinks that the roof is gubbed and the the seller has sold them a pup. Of course there was no mention of a roof report and in the post purchase interview the camera panned to the loft space. It was fair to say that there was so much natural light coming through you would not have needed lighting in the loft.

If I was the plumber and the lawyer, I'd be thinking -

1. Could we have got a better deal?

2. Why did Phil decide that £192K was a good starter without the benefit of a roof report.

2. Why did we not get a roof Report before they offered.

Let's hope they do a little better next week!