Buyers' agents are experts in negotiation

The wide diversity of people’s trades and professions ensures that everyone can earn a living in their own way. 

Each of us has something different to offer, from the carpenter to the doctor. We have our tools of the trade and we have our special skills, and we use these in daily life to earn our bread and butter. 

When the carpenter uses his hammer, the doctor his stethoscope or the writer his pen, they offer specialist skills which others do not have. They also have the benefit of years of experience and are talented in what they do. They have all learnt their skills “the hard way”. That is, they have gained experience by learning from their mistakes along the way. 

It is not enough to hold a hammer in your hand or wear a stethoscope around your neck unless you know how to use it. And in the case of politicians if their tongue is their skill, let them be silent unless they know when and how to use it. 

One of the greatest skills of all is the art of negotiation. 

We learn instinctively to negotiate from the time we are born and we build and hone this skill as time go by. But let’s face it: negotiation is not everyone’s forte. You have to learn how to negotiate. You need to have competed and lost and won many times over before you have the advantage over an opponent through experience. 

In real estate transactions win-win negotiation is paramount. When the stakes are high and you have to admit you may not be the best negotiator in your own interest I recommend you engage a buyers’ advocate (or buyers’ agent) to do the job for you. 

buyers’ agents know their stuff. They have learned the hard way how to close a winning deal and they have earned that special skill of successful negotiation.

Tim Mansfield is founder and principal of Sydney-based buyers' agency Prime Property Buyer.