Life, relationships and yes, real estate, are all riddled with compromise. These include some of those more important life decisions like whether to finish binge-watching "Scrubs" or start "Brooklyn Nine Nine". You know - the important stuff. If you have been partnered up for any length of time, you are keenly aware of the importance of compromise and negotiations. As The Rolling Stones taught us: You can't always get what you want.

One of the more important "rules" for these discussions is simply to keep it professional and courteous. Regardless of the state of the current, local market, low-ball offers are always going to be a "thing". We can't fault the buyers for wanting the best price, but as sellers (and agents) it is important to not take the offer personally. It is even more important not to show anger or hostility or even make efforts to "make a statement" with the counter offer. Obviously if both sides are polite and respectful, it works much better. But my encouragement for you today is to step back, take a deep breath and take the high road. With this much money on the line, there's no better place to be.

Another important strategy for these talks is knowing your product (the home) inside and out. "One misstep we see new agents and first time sellers make is not being aware of all the features (and blemishes) of a home," notes Badger Peabody & Smith Realty (formerly Badger Realty) agent, Kathleen Sullivan Head. Knowing the condition of the windows, doors, HVAC and roof can all be valuable bargaining chips when it comes time to talk price," she continued. Kathleen is right. If you know your product better than the other party, you can highlight those features when the time is right and possibly bring the deal to a close.

This extends out beyond the property lines into the neighborhood as well. Knowing an area's many neighborhoods and how they are all currently trending is critical information during the process of the deal. Buyers and sellers alike should be aware of how quickly homes are selling in an area of town and what they should expect with regards to offers. If homes are going quickly, the buyers are going to want to offer up their best offer right off the bat. This is no time to play games. In a slower market, sellers are going to have to get creative with their marketing and be supremely confident in their asking price lest they are left sitting on the sidelines. Once again showing that working with a local agent is always going to be to your advantage.

As with all negotiations it is very easy (and tempting) to get caught up in the minutiae of the deal. Bickering over a radon mitigation system, which furniture stays or goes or even the actual date of closing can all grind a deal to a screeching halt. It is important for both parties to (once again) take a step back and take a deep breath. The single most important thing to both sides of the deal is actually getting the deal done. Getting hung up on these little things or a few hundred (or even thousand) dollars is simply unhealthy, stressful and is going to do more damage than good to both the deal and to any sort of relationship you may have had with the other party. Keep your eyes on the prize and don't sweat the small stuff (I guess you CAN put two clichés in the same sentence!).

And to continue that last cliché: …It's ALL small stuff. While you're working to get this deal done, and you are not getting hung up on the little things, don't forget that you can use those "little things" to your advantage. When it comes to a point in the negotiations where a few items of furniture or a few hundred dollars in concessions for repairs will make the deal happen, throw in that couch! By taking a step back you will realize that (unless your grandfather crafted that dining table with his bare hands from an oak tree on the farm he grew up on) none of your "stuff" is worth losing a deal over. Make the concession and get the deal done. That's why you're here in the first place; remember?

Negotiations with buyers, sellers, partners and really anyone all have the potential to be mutually beneficial. It is your job, as the person with the vested interest in this deal, to be mature and professional and focus on the important items and getting the best for both sides. These truly can all be win-win situations.