Scott P. Rogers
Funkhouser Real Estate Group
540-578-0102  •  email
Brought to you by Scott P. Rogers, Funkhouser Real Estate Group, 540-578-0102, scott@HarrisonburgHousingToday.com
Brought to you by Scott P. Rogers, Funkhouser Real Estate Group, 540-578-0102, scott@HarrisonburgHousingToday.com
Monday, February 24, 2020
Negotiating

I don't play poker regularly - though I have played it a few times lately with my kids.  When I do play, I can become caught up in my excitement to see a strong hand.  Wow!  This pot is mine!  I am bound to win this time!  And often, that might happen with a strong hand in poker -- but not always.  Sometimes, another player will have an even stronger hand, and I'll lose despite my strong hand.

Here are the rating of poker hands, in increasing strength...
  • High Card
  • One Pair
  • Two Pair
  • 3-of-a-Kind
  • Straight
  • Flush
  • Full House
  • 4-of-a-Kind
  • Straight Flush
  • Royal Flush
And here are some generic types of offers that might exist on a house, in increasing strength, generally speaking...
  • Offer with a home sale contingency (anything else matters little)
     
  • Offer below asking price with financing, appraisal and inspection contingencies.
     
  • Full price offer with financing, appraisal and inspection contingencies.
     
  • Offer over list price with financing, appraisal and inspection contingencies.
     
  • Offer over list price with financing and appraisal (but no inspection) contingencies.
     
  • Cash offer, over list price, with no home inspection contingency.
That order isn't actually always 100% accurate - it can depend on the property, the seller, etc.  But the point should be clear...

Even if you make a full price offer, with what would be considered to be normal contingencies (financing, appraisal, inspection) you could still lose in negotiations in several different ways.

So -- play your strongest hand, but always know that there could be a stronger hand out there!