The most ridiculous question deserves a quality response that give the quintessential answer.

How much will it take to buy it? Many people ask this question and most likely think that is a great question to ask.

As a real estate agent, I understand why people ask the question. Here is my standard response.

While I cannot give you a definitive answer to your question, what I can do is make the following suggestion.

Submitting an offer, somewhere towards the top of the advertised price range, can sometimes be sufficient incentive for a vendor to conclude the sale without waiting to see what other offers may or may not come along.

The price range the property is advertised at when it goes to market is usually a good indication of price expectations. This is our estimate as estate agents of where it sits in the market. The vendor is at liberty of course to accept a price within the range, below the range or above the range – it is entirely their call.

It is of course impossible to predict how the vendor will respond, but at least you will be creating the need for a response when you put forward a written offer.

You might consider making an offer within the advertised price range or even above that, but this is entirely your call. If, having given the matter further thought, you would like to take this initiative, I can certainly assist you in the process.

So the real question is not “how much will it take to buy it?”, but rather “How much are you prepared to offer?”

I am sure that this will help you next time you really want to know the answer to the question and I look forward to your comments.

The Quintessential Real Estate Agent Trevor Pickens