Human beings like to believe that they are masters of their own destiny, but many times the decisions they make end up creating completely unexpected results.

When a seller prices their home to go on the market, they often want to pad the price to give themselves some “negotiating room.” The unintended consequence is that this strategy often ends up making the final sale price lower than if they had priced it correctly from the start. Buyers don’t look at overpriced homes and they sit on the market. The longer a home sits, the lower the ending sales price.

Sometimes a seller wants to offer a “credit” for repairs like carpet and paint. They don’t want to spend the money getting the house ready to sell and would rather list it “as is.” The unintended consequence is that a buyer will double or triple the actual cost of painting or replacing the carpet. For example, if painting costs $10,000, a buyer might think, “Well, I need $30,000 because I need to hire a painter, take time off work, etc.” Doing the work to get the house ready upfront saves the seller money in the long run.

Buyers often want their real estate agent to make a “lowball offer.” The thinking is that the buyer wants to see how motivated the seller is. Typically, a lowball offer is anything more than 10% below the list price. A buyer may ask, “How can it hurt to start low?” It can hurt plenty. Many times, the seller loves the home they live in and are proud of it. When a buyer makes a low offer, the seller is often offended. Now, the buyer is in a position of negotiating with a seller who would prefer not to sell the home to them. The buyer often ends up paying more for the home when they start off too low.

Agents sometimes make decisions that produce surprising results too. When negotiating a contract, an agent might assume they know what is important to the other party. Price is not always the most important term to a client. Sometimes the closing date, closing costs or repairs are more important than price. Making this assumption can lead to contracts that don’t close or offers that go nowhere. Good agents find out what is important.

Real estate is written about more than just about any other topic in history. The abundance of articles can make people feel like experts even though they really know almost nothing. Expecting the unexpected in real estate can lead to a better outcome for agents, sellers, and buyers.

Steve Mallett is a founding member of DS Elite and currently serves as Vice-President on the Board of Directors. He is the Broker Associate, GRI- Mallett Integrity Team, Keller Williams.