During this week leading up to the holiday of excessive eating and gratitude, I would like to express my thanks for the opportunity to help buyers from all walks of life get a stellar deal on some real estate.

Since this is the time of year when the real estate market historically slows down, this is truly the best time of year for buyers to jump into some aggressive offers. With less competition, fewer showings and an ample number of listings to choose from, many sellers are anxious to offload before the new year. As a result, a lower offer price may be considered.

There is a thin line, however, when making an offer so low that it alienates the seller who in turn will refuse to negotiate at all. “Lowball” offers can initiate some strong responses. Many sellers take this as an insult and their first response could be insulting the buyer right back. Typical responses have been a variation of the following: “Are they living under a rock? Do they know anything at all about real estate? They can take that offer and purchase a seat in he**.”

In my experience, there are two types of “lowball” offers. The first, which we generally get on all our listings that may be “a handyman’s dream,” is the typical investor throwing the proverbial spaghetti on the wall to see if anything sticks. These are the people who fix and flip properties. They generally offer around 20% less than ask price just to see what they can get. As all offers must be presented to the seller, most of these offers don’t stick. In other words, the seller refuses to respond at all. However, as a seller’s agent in these types of circumstances, I always hold onto these offers. I have had some situations where we can come back to one of these offers, after some time on the market, and negotiate with these buyers to come up in offer price and end with a closed transaction and a win/win for both parties.

The other type of “lowball” offer is generally a buyer who does not have a great deal of knowledge about the market. As a buyer’s agent, it is our responsibility to educate our buyers about the current market conditions so they can know what to expect. After doing that, however, there are still some buyers who insist on coming in low, hoping to negotiate a great deal. This is where an experienced Realtor is critical. They can get a feel for the other side by conversing with the other agent. I call it “fishing.” My goal in doing this is to try to get as much information about the seller’s situation as possible to determine motivation level. Between pulling my own comparisons, paying attention to the days on the market and retrieving information about activity level on the listing, all are factors that can help me as a buyer’s agent, advise my buyer in structuring an offer.

As a seller’s agent, responding to a lower offer is a decision that can only be made by the individual(s) selling in conjunction with the advice of an experienced Realtor.

Whether it is turkey time, tinsel time or even hammer time (see 1990 rap solo “U Can’t Touch This”), real estate is a business transaction. Money, stress and difficult decisions are all at risk. The best way to handle it is to attempt to remove your personalization from the process. Create some distance between the memories created in a home and the process of selling. As a buyer or a seller, a home is a commodity. Thinking of it as such can help you make a better financial decision. A licensed and experienced Realtor can help you do exactly that. Meantime, enjoy the turkey. I prefer a burger myself.

Jen Fischer is an associate broker and Realtor. She can be reached at 801-645-2134 or jen@jen-fischer.com.