Let?s face it: buying a home is like a game of chess, and each person is trying to outwit the other. You want to purchase the house for the least amount of money and the seller is trying to get as much as possible out of the deal. So when should you use a lowball […]
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Let?s face it: buying a home is like a game of chess, and each person is trying to outwit the other. You want to purchase the house for the least amount of money and the seller is trying to get as much as possible out of the deal. So when should you use a lowball offer as a part of your strategy"
Freshome asked several top realtors to weigh in on this topic.

Sometimes, it’s better to receive than to give. Image: jimfeng/Getty Images
The holidays
Apparently, sellers are in a more generous mood during the most wonderful time of the year, according to Shelton Wilder, a Beverly Hills, CA-based realtor at the Douglas Elliman Real Estate Company. In fact, she remembers one buyer who put in a lowball offer on Christmas Eve.
?The holidays and the fourth quarter are slower, but sellers tend to panic every year at this time,? Wilder says. ?If a house has been sitting a while without offers, then it can create the perfect scenario for a buyer to pick up a property for a steal.? Also, she says that some sellers want to close the deal before the end of the year for tax purposes.

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