Negotiation Items

Negotiating a home sale involves more than the purchase price. Here are some other items that are typically involved in negotiations:

1. Earnest Money - how much money the buyer will be depositing with the Title Company in an escrow account.

2. Close Date - every family is different in terms of moving timeframe needs.

3. Seller's Contributions - if the buyer needs help with closing costs, they may ask the seller as part of the contract. Keep in mind that this money comes out of the seller's bottom line and may cause the seller to negotiate less off of list price or even ask for over the list price of the home.

4. Home Warranty - frequently a buyer requests the seller to pay for a 1 year home warranty.

5. Survey - The seller may provide their existing survey, or the survey may be obtained at either the buyer or seller's expense.

6. Title Insurance - while it is common for sellers to pay for title insurance in Texas, this is still a negotiable item.

7. Timeframe and money involved in the option period - Sellers will typically want less than 10 days.

8. Continencies - a buyer may need to sell another property or receive financing approval prior to purchase of the home.

9. Non real estate items - a buyer may ask for an item such as a refrigerator as a part of the home sale.

10. Additional information - buyers can request a subdivision resale packet to be provided by the seller.