Why does a Real Estate Deal hinge on a TV or Planter Pot?

To Chattel or Not to Chattel

• 
• By Nancy Smith
• Qualicum Beach REALTOR®
• Published: Jun 1st, 2021 at 6:31 am

My husband recently sold a long held property and received a higher price than he anticipated. He previously purchased a natural gas fireplace but never had it installed. When the sale was completed, he decided to gift the fireplace to the new owners, much to their delight. Why? Because he was more than happy with the transaction, and he appreciated the effort and forthcoming attitude of the buyers.

I suppose the opposite must be true when buyers and sellers argue over incidental chattels during negotiations, someone is not happy, nor forthcoming. However that said, people have different points of view on value and needs. For some people, a penny saved is a penny earned, or what is mine is not yours, or someone is not going to take advantage of me.

As a REALTOR, this makes my job so much more difficult, as I must dig deep into figuring out the psychological triggers of my client and anticipate what works for the person on the other side of a deal. On some level it would be great if we could just go into a 'Home Market' and buy something at shelf price, but in real estate, every property is unique, as is its value. The final determining factor in a successful deal is finding a person's needs and motivation. Is the seller anxious to unload a property, is the buyer hungry to acquire, or maybe someone really does not want to sell, or maybe it is not easy to part with that fat bank account.

Putting that final nail in the deal often is about finding a perspective which draws the client's eye away from the incidental chattel roadblock, paints a picture of the strategy and goals of intiating and completing a real estate transaction. Looking at the bigger picture is not easy when we also have to deal with emotional responses, many which are triggered during the process. Perhaps the ceramic pot has sentimental value, maybe that LED TV was a triumphant purchase, who knows?