Take offers and counteroffers personally
Anytime someone puts an offer on your home, it is a compliment. Reacting personally to a poor offer or counteroffer is destructive to your end goal: completing the transaction. Instead of reacting, try to understand the possible reasons for such a divergence in the perceived value of the home. Has your home decreased in value since you first put it on the market? Is the other side unqualified to make a larger offer? Is this simply a tactic to see how low you will go? Depending on the reason, there are several ways to secure a positive outcome. Good Advice: ALWAYS COUNTER! If you receive a poor offer/counteroffer do not just walk away. Even if you have to counteroffer back only slightly better then your original offer! Let the other side make the decision to walk away.

Include everyone in the decision
Including friends and family members in your decision-making process makes a lot of sense in the opening stages of a transaction. Your loved ones can help you find a home you love, free up the funds you need, and support you throughout the process. However, once you begin making and responding to offers, the process moves very quickly. Consulting with everyone you care about slows the transaction and may cause the other side to lose interest--particularly if you are competing with other buyers and/or sellers. Good Advice: TRUST YOUR REALTOR®! Your agent has the knowledge and the experience of how offers are made, countered, accepted and rejected. They go through this process on a daily basis. Your friends/family, although looking out for your best interests, may not be the most qualified.

Play hardball
Bait-and-switch tactics, "hard ball", excessive demands, and intentional deception will derail your transaction in a hurry. Keep in mind that real estate transactions are about much more than the numbers; they are about people. If the other side feels like it has been "taken", there are a myriad of ways they can make your life difficult. Also, keep in mind that it’s normal for a buyer to feel a little remorse the day after an offer is accepted; be sensitive to this tendency. Good Advice: The smoothest and easiest transactions are the ones where both buyer and seller feel like they have "won" a little. If either party "wins" everything, that usually doesn't make the other party too happy.