Whether you are buying or selling a home, you want the best price you can get. Of course, price is one of many negotiable terms, and you want a clean transaction that closes as soon as possible. Buying or selling a home is not like going to a garage sale where you might get that used paperback for 50 cents or 75 cents, but either price is acceptable. A typical 3 bedroom, 2 bath home can easily be priced at $325,000 or $600,000, depending on the location and the market, and the price you ultimately negotiate involves big stakes, perhaps the biggest you have ever played.

Knowing how to negotiate the price and each term of a transaction could mean 10 to 50 thousand dollars to you. This is no time for a garage sale mentality. The last thing you want to do if you are representing yourself as a buyer or seller is to go up against someone on the other side who has 20 or 30 years of experience negotiating. You will lose, although your opponent will make you think you won. By the way, if you have a real estate agent representing you, don’t assume your agent is a master negotiator. Most are not. It takes years of experience to acquire the skills.

One of my favorite movies is the classic, “The Princess Bride.” Early in the movie the two stars face each other in a thrilling sword fight. They are both extremely good, and leap and dance with grace and skill that is delightful to watch. At one point in the battle, one of the swordsman asked his opponent why he is smiling, and the response is, “Because I know something you don’t.” “What is that?” The answer from the left handed swordsman is, “I am not left handed. I am right handed,” at which point he quickly tosses his sword into his right hand, and the battle continues.

A master negotiator will smile while he negotiates, but he will not reveal he is a master negotiator. In fact, he may have practiced a bit of a stutter or slow talking, and he will appear so average. He learned not to seem too smooth. He also knows something you don’t. He knows how human nature negotiates. He knows the patterns. He’s seen the pattern hundreds of times, and your behavior is quite predictable, although you don’t even know that he knows how you will respond and counter.

You may say, “No one knows how I will negotiate. Even I don’t know yet.” Oh, but he does know. He is often able to predict with an accuracy of 70% to 90% how negotiations will proceed and what the final outcome will be. But of course, he will not reveal any of this to you . . . ever.

Here is a simple example, which actually occurs regularly, but there are many nuances that an expert negotiator learns. The nuances are a function of the parties’ motivation, experience, and financial status.

A home is listed for sale at $425,000. The actual FMV (fair market value) is only $405,000, but the seller thinks that he has to start high to negotiate down. Almost all sellers make that mistake. A lot of real estate agents do, too. The buyer happens to have an expert negotiator in his corner, and knows the FMV is in the range of $395,000 to $410,000. The buyer is not going to pay more than FMV, and would prefer a little lower price since the market has stalled and prices may drop a little in the months ahead.

The buyer’s negotiator writes the offer at $380,000. The buyer is willing to pay more, but his negotiator knows the seller will typically meet them halfway in a counteroffer, $400,000. While the seller is having all kinds of discussions at his end about how this is his lowest price, yadda yadda, the buyer’s negotiator doesn’t care, because he knows something the seller doesn’t know. He knows the seller typically will come down again.

Buyer’s counter now meets the seller halfway again at $390,000, and seller (after agonizing) counters at $395,000. Buyer’s negotiator had already prepared his client for this eventuality, so this has all played out just as planned for the buyer. Unfortunately, the seller thinks this is all new ground, and that he has everything under control. That’s precisely what the buyer’s negotiator wants the seller to think.

Are we done? No. The buyer’s negotiator had a discussion with his client in the very beginning about the carpet in the living room. The buyer would like new carpet. Continuing to implement their original plan, the buyer now counters one last time, accepting the price of $395,000, provided the seller gives the buyer a $2,500 credit for carpet in the living room. The seller now exhausted emotionally by this whole process, and having already gone through the negative experience of having his house on the market for 216 days with no offers, is not going to kill the transaction over $2,500.

The buyer wins, and the buyer wins precisely as his negotiator had coached him. To this day the seller still does not know how this was orchestrated, or even that it was. The seller found the whole experience very stressful, and of course it would be, because one of the greatest sources of stress is uncertainty. The buyer had a very pleasant experience throughout, because he knew what to expect and what he was willing to do, and he knew the outcome he wanted. He got that outcome, and so the buyer lived happily ever after.

Do you have a master negotiator in your corner? I hope so.

You could well be surprised at how much you can actually achieve without seeking the help of a debt management company. Many people have negotiated reduced payments with their creditors, sometimes even getting them to freeze interest and charges on their debts. If you have decided to go it alone, the following article will provide you with valuable advice on how to do this successfully.

When negotiating with creditors, there are a few key points to keep in mind. Follow the top 5 tips below for a better chance of negotiating successfully.

5 top tips for negotiating with creditors

1. Be polite. If you are respectful, calm and show a willingness to work with your creditors, your negotiations will be much more successful. It is good to remember that your creditors do not HAVE to accept your offer, they are under no obligation, so shouting the odds and being confrontational will get you nowhere.

2. Be honest. Explain your financial situation fully. Creditors are real people and they understand that everybody’s circumstances can change at any time for various reasons. Be aware though, that your creditors will ask questions and may require proof of your change of circumstances. If you have been ill – a doctors note, if you have been made unemployed or had reduction in income – wage slips…etc. If you are honest from the outset, there is no chance of your story coming unstuck and your negotiations stalling.

3. Do not let your creditors persuade you to offer more. Before you even contact them decide exactly what you can afford and stick to it, even if they are being difficult. If you agree to pay more than you can afford, you will only run into more problems in the future when you cannot keep up the repayments.

4. Importantly, you must ask your creditors to freeze the interest on your debts. Unless they do, your debt will carry on growing, meaning you will be paying them for longer and your debt will be harder to clear. Do not presume they will do this automatically.

5. Be vigilant. Sometimes you will need to contact your creditors several times before they agree to your offer. If, after numerous attempts, you cannot get them to agree, or you just don’t feel confident about negotiating with them, you can contact a debt management company who specialise in negotiating with creditors.

If you follow the above tips, you should have a much better chance of negotiating successfully.

Right, folks, listen up. Father’s Day falls on Sunday 17th June. Is your dad, or a dad you know, always there for you when – and when you don’t – need him? Then don’t plump for the same old, same old socks and ties. Surprise your unsung hero with some thoughtful bits n’ pieces, a personal gift straight from the heart on Father’s Day…

Tell daddy dearest he’s the bee’s knees and set your sentiments in stone with personalised Fathers Day gifts. Here are our top 10 faves…

10. Father’s Day Hamper

Make Dad’s day by presenting him with a hamper containing all his edible favourites. You can get your mitts on exclusive Father’s Day hampers including a bottle of his favourite tipple – be it red wine, white wine, malt whisky or champagne – together with an assortment of goodies, from fudge to chilli nuts. What’s more, the bottle label can be customised with your dad’s name plus a special message. A truly scrumptious Fathers Day present!

9. Best Dad Spoof Newspaper

Tell your dad he’s the best with a spoof newspaper… all about him! You can even upload a pic of Dad so he really does see his name in lights. It’ll definitely give your old man a chuckle.

8. Football Club Book

Whatever team he supports, whether it’s Man U, Liverpool or Tottenham, let him relive the glory years of his favourite team with a football club book. Complete with newspaper cuttings and articles on all the magnificent moments in dad’s favourite team’s history, you can personalise the front cover with his name in gold lettering and also feature his name on the certificate of the title page.

7. Wine and Spirit Gift Set

There are various types of wine and spirit gift sets available, but one of the most popular is the pack containing a personalised bottle of his favourite tipple along with a pair of beautifully engraved glasses complete with his name along with a special message from you. These sets make truly unforgettable Fathers Day presents and you can get all types of glasses, from whisky tumblers to champagne flutes.

6. Personalised Guinness World Records Book

So… the world’s best-selling copyrighted book… is now available as a personalised edition! These books are exploding with thousands of new record breakers and personalised with your dad’s name on the cover. What’s more, two additional personalised pages have been inserted – an intro page and a themed page – which you can personalise with his name too. Whether he’s a petrol-head, jack-of-all-trades Dad or just loves to have the answer to everything, personalised Guinness records books will captivate him with eye-popping facts and photos taken from the ever popular 2012 edition.

5. Best Dad Personalised Calendar

Show Dad he’s the best (the whole year round!) with a personalised ‘Best Dad’ calendar, featuring his name in twelve amazing photographs for every month. See it emblazoned on trophies, beer glasses, golf balls and much, much more.

4. Personalised Chocolate Bars

If he isn’t a footie fan, touch his heart – and his belly – with a delicious chocolate treat on Father’s Day. You can bestow him with a milk chocolate bar, foil wrapped and finished with a colourful and festive personalised bar wrap featuring his name along with a thoughtful message. This bar will be no one else’s but his.

3. Best Dad Mugs

There are oodles of Father’s Day mugs up for grabs to make your old man’s favourite hot drink taste even better on his special day. What better way to get Dad up on the right side of bed on Father’s Day than serving him his favourite hot drink in a mug featuring his name… along with a great breakfast?

2. Original Newspapers

Seeking a novelty Father’s Day gift for your nostalgic dad? Most dads enjoy reminiscing, right? Now, your favourite contemplative dad can relive the newspaper headlines from any chosen date with old and rare newspaper gifts – the perfect gifts for Fathers Day.

1. Driving Experience Day

Give Dad some adrenaline-fuelled excitement on Father’s Day with an amazing driving experience at some of the UK’s top tracks, including Silverstone and Brands Hatch. Let him burn rubber around the track, take the hot seat in a Ferrari or navigate his way through rugged terrain on a quad bike.