Well... I have a house search update for ChiliDragon and I. It may not be that important to everyone else, but it is hugely important to use. We abandoned the house we were previously considering in the middle of the negotiating process because we found a much better house that we loved far more. Imagine finding a house that looked almost exactly like Nicole Kidman does today. Now imagine finding a house that looks exactly like Jessica Alba does today. Or, if you prefer, how Nicole Kidman looked fifteen years ago. This new house that we're bidding on is Nicole Kidman 15 years ago. The previous house we were bidding on was Nicole Kidman today. She's still sexy, but not the force of nature that she once was where sex appeal is concerned. I'll pause for a minute to allow all my male and lesbian/bisexual female readers to enjoy that imagery... The new house we're looking at is 2327 square feet, less than three years old, and has the following incredible features... Very popular & open floor plan with large upper bonus room. Very high ceilings. Hardwood floors throughout entire main level area. Large kitchen with breakfast bar, granite counters, huge pantry, raised panel alder cabinets & stainless appliances with gas range. Master suite has coffered ceiling, his & hers walk-in closets, dual vanities & jetted tub. Large covered patio with stub for BBQ. Bonus room includes 1/2 bath plus closet. Oversized three and a half car garage. Water softener. Security system. Excellent location close to shopping. Right now, the seller and us are $8500 apart on the price. One of the issues is that the seller listed the house at what they wanted the final price to be. They didn't want to bother with the whole negotiating thing. Instead, they looked around at all the houses in the neighborhood to see what they were listed at, adjusted for interior upgrades, and then set the house list price at what they wanted to sell it at. In other words, they listed it at what they expected their best and final offer to be. As a negotiating strategy this is pure idiocy. Nobody pays full price on a house, particularly in today's housing market. So far, I've managed to get them to drop the house $9500 dollars and throw in a new refrigerator and window coverings for the entire house, along with an offer to paint two of the rooms. In the meantime, I've come up $12,000 from my initial offer. (Which I admit was an absurd lowball offer.) Now comes the tricky part. Somewhere between the $8500 that separates our two offers will be the final end price of this house. We know this, and the seller knows this. One thing that I'm not sure the seller knows is that I, having done my research on other houses in the neighborhood, fully realize that the house was without question worth their listing price point. If I had paid what they asked for without taking a penny off in negotiations I'd have gotten a good deal. So now what? How much more can I squeeze out of these people? Do I offer to split the difference and raise my offer $4250? My guess is that if I do that, they're going to counter with a higher offer. They know that their house is worth more than I am offering, but on the other hand, they're at least a little scared that I am going to walk away from them. Do they really want to lose a potential buyer for $4250? On the other hand, they probably at least suspect that I'm unlikely to walk away for a thousand or two difference in price. My ultimate guess is that I can squeeze roughly another $1500 out of these folks. I'm thinking about raising my offer $7000 and then outright stating that they can either accept my offer or wait and hope that another buyer comes along, then gambling that they're not willing to lose a sale for a measly $1500. (I know in video game terms that's a lot, but in terms of a new house isn't that much.) Thoughts? (Oh...and time is of the essence with these thoughts.)