Bargaining is appropriate: how to get an individual discount on an apartment in a new building

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You can reduce the price when buying an apartment if you know some of the nuances of preparing for the negotiation process. There is always a certain “reserve” in the cost of housing, by which the seller can reduce the price. You need to prepare for the fact that you will have to fight to reduce the price of an apartment alone. After all, this is unprofitable for both the seller and the realtor. The success of the event depends on the weight of the arguments presented in favor of reducing the cost of housing.

Wallet audit

By the time of searching for an apartment, the buyer must clearly know how much money he can handle. Funds for housing are formed from:

cash;
bank loan;
partially - maternity capital.

If you plan to take out a mortgage for an apartment, it would be a good idea to visit a financial institution in advance and make sure that the loan will be issued.

Knowing the budget, you can start searching for an object in advertisements for the sale of an apartment on the secondary market. The first difficulty you will have to face is the lack of first-person sentences. By luck, you can “stumble upon” the owner, but more often a realtor begins cooperation.

The realtor acts to please the seller. He makes efforts to persuade the owner to cooperate, promising to defend his interests. The goal of a realtor is to make a profit by selling an apartment at a higher price.

If it is not possible to select options on their own, the buyer can entrust this to a realtor acting in his interests. However, you should not say exactly how much money can be spent. Information needs to be dosed by announcing a minimum price limit.

More details:

Do you need a realtor when buying and selling an apartment?
How much do realtor services cost when buying and selling an apartment?

Analyze

The first thing to do before buying a property is to decide how much you can pay for it. It doesn’t matter how the payment will be made: you can pay in cash, purchase a mortgage or other types of loans. In each case, you need to decide how much maximum you are willing to give. Set yourself up for the most realistic conditions, as you may come across a seller who refuses to reduce the price when buying an apartment.

Once you have resolved the cost issue, you need to analyze the situation on the real estate market. To do this, you will need to study the advertisements and select from them those that fit your criteria (conveniently located, have a suitable price). Pay attention to whether the advertisement indicates the seller’s willingness to reduce the price. Some do not provide such information.

Important! If you are determined to reduce the price of housing, then when meeting with the owner, do not talk about the fact that you have a high level of income, a prestigious job and expensive property. In this case, the seller will refuse to reduce the price of the living space, since he will be sure that you are a wealthy person.

Be careful with the realtor, because it is in his interests not to reduce the price, but to increase it. His income is directly proportional to the price of the property sold. It is much more profitable to create the image that you are a person from an average family who does not have large sums of money.

Reducing the real price or a marketing ploy?

By handing over the reins of the sale of an apartment to a realtor, the owner hopes that the transaction will be completed as quickly as possible. To speed up the implementation process, already at the stage of placing an ad, an experienced agent uses methods of psychological influence on the buyer. One of them is an indication of the possibility of bargaining. If the ad states “bargaining” or “bargaining is appropriate”, this is a hint of the opportunity to get a “discount”, and the concession is 1-3% for a property value of 5 million rubles. - a very significant amount.

The buyer must take into account the nuance: if the housing has been sold since 2014-2016, then the price for it is prohibitively high. It was during this period that the value of real estate was unreasonably inflated, and the owners did not want to lower it in accordance with the changed market conditions. So these apartments are marked “bargaining”, although in reality their price should be 10-15% lower. As a rule, by introducing a price limit when viewing ads, buyers do not even see such offers.

According to statistics, about 85% of real estate sales transactions in Moscow take place using a discount. On average, discounts range from 3-13% depending on the region of sale. The closer to the capital, the lower the discount.

In some regions, bargaining is not a percentage of the price, but a monetary amount. This situation is observed in the cities of the northwestern part of Russia. So, on one-room apartments you can get a discount of 50-100 thousand rubles. , and for “three rubles” - about half a million.

The maximum discount is 20-25% of the cost of the apartment, but this is rare. Residents are forced to “reduce” the price of their apartment by life circumstances.

So, what you need to understand when buying an apartment: you will be able to get a discount if the seller has set an adequate price, but slightly inflated, suggesting the possibility of bargaining. If a person has been selling an apartment for a long time, which he initially bought at an inflated price, he will stubbornly sell it for a price not lower than the purchase price. Asking him to reduce the price to the average market level is pointless.

We bring down the price of the apartment correctly

You can reduce the price of a resale apartment only by communicating directly with the seller. It is important to find convincing arguments that will not have the opposite effect.

Arguments in favor of reducing the price of an apartment

The validity of every word is the key to successful negotiations. As practice shows, the seller reduces the price of an apartment in the following cases:

Unauthorized changes. The main thing here is to be attentive and do not hesitate to ask for a cadastral passport for the property, walk around the apartment and check the integrity of the load-bearing walls and interior partitions. All unaccounted for changes threaten with a fine or restoration of the original state, and this is a good reason to demand a discount. After all, the amount that will have to be spent on paperwork according to the actual condition of the apartment is from 20 thousand rubles. , and significant changes will cost 50-100 thousand rubles . And this does not take into account the cost of time and nerves.
There is an offer for a similar apartment at a lower price. If the buyer provides information that an apartment is for sale in the same area in a similar condition, with the same square footage, layout and other parameters, but at a lower price, the chances of receiving a discount increase. You need to come to negotiations with a list of similar proposed objects. This way the seller will understand that the buyer is not bluffing and will begin bargaining.
Indication of the discrepancy between the data in the ad and the real picture. An attentive buyer should pay attention to the square footage of the property and the layout. If, for example, the ad states that the living area is 80 m2, but in reality it is 75 m2, it is possible to get a discount.
Lack or remoteness of infrastructure facilities. Often, advertisements indicate: “school, kindergarten nearby”, “5 minute walk to the metro”, “nearby a park, shop”. Such remarks attract the buyer’s attention, but you need to check everything personally. Take the time to walk around the area, see if there is really a school, kindergarten, hospital, store nearby, and what the transport interchange is. If the real data does not correspond to what is written, we can safely talk about reducing the price of the apartment.
Unnecessary furnishings. If the buyer is selling an apartment with furniture that the buyer does not like, you can ask to remove the unwanted movable property and ask to reduce the price of the apartment.
An acceptable alternative. What if you offer the seller to deposit part of the proceeds in the bank at interest? So, instead of a long search for a buyer, he will be able to immediately dispose of the amount, and will not only recoup the discount, but also increase his wealth.
Poor quality of repairs. Sometimes pleasant colors of wallpaper or fresh flooring are a retouching of serious problems. Motley colors make it difficult to see the unevenness of the walls, and bright tiles in the bathroom distract attention from the old plumbing. Be careful and don't miss any flaws.
Depressing view from the window , lack (excess) of sunlight.
Negative remarks, dissatisfaction with neighbors. If it turns out that a violinist boy lives on the floor above, a large family lives behind the wall, and at 12 at night you can consistently hear the plane landing, have no doubt - the apartment will fall in price. But where to get such information? Of course from the neighbors. And if everything happens in the presence of the owner, the latter will be discouraged and ready to make concessions.

There is no point in resorting to justifying the discount if the seller expresses his readiness to sell the apartment. This happens if the potential owner “likes” the owner, and the latter acts intuitively: he himself speeds up the sale, supports the bargaining.

What can you offer the seller to make him feel the profitability and safety of the transaction:

make payments using a safe deposit box;
provide relocation assistance;
wait until the previous residents can re-register;
take responsibility for paperwork;
pay for the assistance of a lawyer for the correct preparation of the preliminary and main purchase and sale agreement;
make a deposit.

To reduce the price of an apartment, you need to act in 2 directions: prove the advantages of making a transaction with you and point out the objective reasons for the decrease in the value of the property.

Buying an apartment: how to get the maximum discount

Thanks to the crisis, discounts on housing have ceased to be a marker of illiquidity, but “real money” still remains the main “weapon” of the thrifty buyer... Which apartments are sold at a large discount, when sellers are especially generous and how to behave in negotiations in order to buy an apartment as profitably as possible, leading realtors and developers in Moscow and the Moscow region told the editors of IRN.RU.

"Discount" apartments

On the market of new buildings, those apartments that are in less demand are usually offered at large discounts. The reason may be not only objective shortcomings such as poor layouts, windows facing north, location in corner sections or on low floors, but also subjective circumstances. For example, multi-room apartments are usually difficult to sell due to the higher price, but for large families they are a desirable option.

Popular offers often end up on sale. “Currently there are no situations on the market where a discount on an apartment implies illiquidity. Developers rely on their own policies, required sales rates, etc., when offering discounts. For example, last month sales were slow, and the developer needs to get cash flow; he may well offer a discount on popular apartments or apartments in a certain building,” explains General Director Natalya Shatalina.

In the secondary housing market, apartments in which the owner does not live are promising in terms of discounts, says Alexey Bernadsky, director of the Est-a-Tet Real Estate Office Network. The maximum discount can be obtained, of course, in the case of an urgent sale - say, the owner moves to another city or country and has nothing to do with this property. True, this option is only suitable for those who are ready to make a deal as soon as possible, notes Natalya Shorina, executive director of the Megapolis-Service Academy, Elektrostal.

But if such an opportunity exists, it will be a serious advantage. “Today the situation is such that when choosing between two buyers, one of whom is ready to purchase an apartment without a discount, but in a month, and the other is ready to make a deal within a week, but asks for a discount, the seller will rather choose the second, despite the fact that that he will lose some money,” emphasizes Maria Litinetskaya, managing partner of Metrium Group.

You can also bargain well with the owner of a rental apartment who is disappointed in this business. However, according to Alexey Bernadsky, the bargaining will still be less than in the case of an urgent sale.

But the expert does not advise participating in chains of alternative transactions if the buyer expects a discount of more than 3-5%, which is already included in the price of such apartments. With the money from the sale of their real estate, the “alternatives” need to buy new housing, so they are extremely uncompromising in negotiations.

However, according to the director of the secondary market department of INCOM-Real Estate, Mikhail Kulikov, purchasing an alternative can also be successful in terms of discounts. Especially if a person has “real money” and can act as a final, that is, direct buyer - in a crisis it is very difficult to find such a person, so all parties to the transaction are interested in him.

Who will get the discount

The maximum discount when buying an apartment on both the primary and secondary markets can primarily be counted on by people who have the entire amount necessary to pay for real estate, market participants are unanimous.

According to General Director Vladimir Kashirtsev, in some cases, in addition to 100% payment, developers provide a maximum discount on apartments purchased with a mortgage. “The situation when receiving a mortgage is approved by the bank is identical for the developer to paying for the purchase in full, since he receives funds immediately after registering the DDU,” explains Julian Gutman, director of the new buildings department.

However, if we talk specifically about an additional discount, then it is much more likely that the buyer will be met with 100% payment, notes Natalya Shatalina. “To get the maximum discount, the buyer needs to be ready to pay the required amount within a few days after signing the contract. In this situation, the so-called “mortgage holders” no longer have to count on the maximum discount, since it takes at least one to two weeks to obtain a mortgage loan. True, in some cases, when buying an apartment in a new building with the help of a mortgage, you can still get a significant discount, even if not the maximum. In this case, we are talking about buying an apartment under joint programs of developers and banks,” says Petr Masharov, general director of the Century 21 Eurogroup Real Estate Agency, partner of the Megapolis-Service Kyrgyz Republic.

Wholesale buyers - those who purchase several apartments at once or, for example, an apartment and a parking space - can also, naturally, hope for a special favor from developers, adds Chairman of the Board of Directors Irina Dobrokhotova.

In addition, those who apply not directly to the developer, but to the realtor selling the property, also have a chance to receive an additional discount. “As you know, brokers work for a certain commission. And in some cases, they may “move” the price a little to the detriment of the bonus. However, you should not count on a discount of more than 0.5-1%,” says Alexander Zubets, general director of New Vatutinki LLC.

Clients purchasing apartments with a military mortgage also enjoy additional benefits, says Vladimir Kashirtsev.

According to Maria Litinetskaya, sellers are often ready to accommodate preferential categories of citizens - veterans, disabled people, pensioners, large families. Both the developer and the realtor can provide a discount, thereby reducing the size of their commission.

Sale time

Promotions and bonuses are a great way to stimulate sales, so developers show increased generosity precisely during periods of seasonal decline. That is, in January, May, August. “December is almost always added to January - discounts due to a drop in demand in January are disguised as New Year’s gifts,” says Maria Litinetskaya.

According to market participants, maximum discounts on the primary market are offered at the end of the year. “However, we should not forget about certain holiday dates, which developers often coincide with lucrative offers - March 8, February 23. Often, for International Women’s Day, we make special offers on decoration or rare apartment formats, and for Defender of the Fatherland Day, we offer promotions for military personnel,” says Leonard Blinov, Deputy General Director of Urban Group.

Seasonal discounts are valid for a limited period of time, so Maria Litinetskaya advises starting to follow news from developers even before the launch of promotions. According to her, information about upcoming “sales” appears in November, April, and July.

Buying an apartment at a promotion can be very profitable, but you can save an even larger amount by purchasing housing in the first weeks from the start of sales, notes General Director of the River Park project Larisa Shvetsova: “During this period, the developer needs “real” money more than ever, so This is when the biggest discounts are provided, not “tied” to any holidays.”

Unlike the market for new buildings, there is no particular seasonality on the secondary market and, of course, there are no “holiday” sales. “The owner makes the decision to sell and the level of discount in the vast majority of cases based on his personal life circumstances and ideas,” says Mikhail Kulikov.

But fluctuations in demand, and therefore in the average number of applicants for an apartment, on which the compliance of sellers to some extent depends, still take place. According to Inkom statistics over the past 11 years, the most requests to the company regarding the purchase and sale of housing occur in February-April, with a peak in March. As for transactions, contrary to generally accepted beliefs, summer is more active on the secondary market than autumn, and May is one of the three most “fruitful” months.

How to bargain

New buildings

In the primary market, additional individual discounts are typical mainly for business and luxury class projects. However, against the backdrop of massive discounts, many buyers are trying to get a discount in projects where the developer does not dump, notes Larisa Shvetsova.

And often quite successfully. “Currently, even large developers who do not automatically provide a certain discount for 100% payment or when purchasing with a mortgage are often ready to discuss individual discount or installment terms with their clients,” says Vladimir Kashirtsev.

Of course, it will not be possible to force the developer to sell the apartment at a loss. “Sales are carried out based on the economics of the projects, price lists are approved, which also include the maximum possible discounts, below which it is impossible to fall without damaging the construction,” explains Irina Dobrokhotova.

Nevertheless, there is no need to be shy: refusal is the worst thing that can happen in response to a request for an additional discount.

“During a substantive conversation, when the buyer has already made his choice, but insists on reducing the price, he, of course, should voice his proposal to the manager,” says Maria Litinetskaya. — Even if we are talking about a small percentage, a decision is almost never made immediately. The manager will forward the proposal to the department director for consideration. He, in turn, can independently approve or reject it, or request permission from a higher authority. Often within the company, discount limits are set for each object, but these figures are not made public. As a result, the buyer requests a 7% discount on the apartment he likes. The seller is ready to provide 10%, but after “long deliberation” he agrees to the client’s offer.”

Secondary market

In order to buy a resale property as profitably as possible, you need to call all advertisements with apartments with suitable parameters and then schedule viewings based on the information found out during the call. Realtors strongly advise against starting bargaining before visiting the apartment. “This will only make the seller angry and put him in a negative mood at the first meeting,” emphasizes Alexey Bernadsky.

“The optimal scheme is as follows: the buyer looks at many apartments, then the realtor or buyer finds out which seller is ready to provide the maximum discount. Most often, of the apartments viewed, the client likes one of them the most, and the bargaining begins with the owners of this apartment in the spirit that you are selling for 30 million rubles, but there are similar offers for 28 million. The main task of such a bargain is to buy an apartment with the best consumer prices characteristics, but at the lowest price for similar objects in the location. At the same time, it is necessary to start from the minimum price, but real, and not fictitious offer,” says the expert.

You can reduce the price by pointing out the shortcomings of the property. But, again, the objectively existing ones are not the most attractive view from the window, outdated renovation, etc. – and always politely, in a delicate tone, emphasizes Bernadsky.

“Aggression can cause the same response or even fear from the seller - the person will “close”, the deal will not go through,” agrees Mikhail Kulikov.

In general, attentiveness to the needs of the counterparty and willingness to compromise are the keys to the success of negotiations. “Suppose it is important for the owner in what currency the money will be placed in the safe deposit box. Or, perhaps, in parallel with the sale of the apartment, he is renovating a new home and would like to delay the moment of eviction from the old apartment for two or three months... Take an interest in his circumstances, discuss his wishes! Dialogue is the first condition for finding a compromise. If a compromise is found, then all participants will receive satisfaction from the deal,” sums up Kulikov.

Also on topic:

Apartment buyers are on the hunt for discounts
How to determine the right price for an apartment

Current projects of the company SZ Investtrust 1 (October 2020)

Project	Location	GK	Price per apartment
New Vatutinki	New Moscow, Novomoskovsky district, Olkhovaya metro station, Vatutinki village	4 sq. 2022	from 4,268,700 rub.

Data source: Real estate database IRN.RU

What not to say to the seller

When communicating with the apartment seller, you must first analyze each phrase. You should not say:

“The apartment is bad, the price is too high.” Such a remark will immediately be followed by the answer “look for a good one.” The owner selling the home still considers it his own, so any such phrase is met with hostility.
“The design of the rooms is really bad taste, lower the price.” This argument is a direct insult to the buyer. You certainly won't be able to get a discount.
“There are many similar cheap apartments in your area.” Such an argument must be supported by information. To speak at random means to put yourself in the ridiculous position of a person interested in the most unfavorable offer.
Insulting words addressed to the seller. Unfortunately, there are buyers who are emotionally unrestrained and show aggression towards the realtor or seller. You need to keep your emotions to yourself, and not just the negative ones.

Sometimes buyers go into a frenzy, listing the apartment's shortcomings and causing hostility from the seller. He may refuse to negotiate further, and even the wisest realtor will not be able to correct the situation.

How to hear a categorical “no” from the seller or fatal mistakes from the buyer

Like sensitive psychologists, realtors are ready to share their observations. Often, before their eyes, a deal falls through due to the buyer’s impulsive actions, although it would seem that everyone intends to conclude an agreement. So, the top “stops” for the seller:

“I’ll give you a deposit, let’s hurry up.” Even if you really like the apartment, you should not advertise the urgency of the purchase or the presence of money “in your wallet.” A discount can only be asked if the seller does not see obvious interest, otherwise he will not give up a single ruble.
“We’ll talk when you lower the price.” Harshness in communication is unacceptable. The seller cannot be forced to sacrifice material interests unless there are grounds for this.
“I’m not choosing an apartment for myself.” For the seller (and the realtor) such a buyer is problematic. He can walk around for a long time, choose, and in the end either the potential owner will come and find a lot of shortcomings, or the person in whose name the property will be registered will make claims in the future. The inspection of the premises should be carried out by the person who will have to live there. Then it will be easier to talk about a discount.
“But no deception, I have great connections.” There is no point in intimidating the buyer; it is better to order legal support for the transaction, this will be proof of the seriousness of intentions.

By talking with the seller respectfully, without emotional overload, you can achieve more than using force, threats, blackmail, and assertiveness.

Signals of deal failure, precautions

It would seem that there are agreements, but the seller avoids communication. How to understand that the deal will not go through? You should check the advertisements. If the apartment is still for sale, it means the owner has changed his mind about selling the property at the previous price and has taken a wait-and-see approach, or he is not satisfied with all the terms of the transaction. To prevent such a situation, you must:

conclude a preliminary purchase and sale agreement indicating the price of the property;
draw up an agreement on the deposit, according to which, if the deal fails, the seller will have to return the deposit in double amount (in practice, a refund is simply made, but the agreement still limits the desire to violate the agreement).

If the owner categorically refuses to draw up any documents, it means that he has either found another buyer or, due to life circumstances, intends to refuse to sell the apartment.

You can find an apartment on your own, but find arguments to reduce the cost of housing only with the help of an experienced lawyer. To identify the shortcomings of the apartment, as well as to protect yourself from the failure of the deal, please clarify what can affect the price of the apartment? How to properly negotiate to reduce the cost of housing? What are the benefits of concluding a preliminary purchase and sale agreement and a deposit agreement? Ask all your questions to a lawyer at ros-nasledsvo.ru and get a free consultation.

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Author of the article

Natalya Fomicheva

Website expert lawyer. 10 years of experience. Inheritance matters. Family disputes. Housing and land law.

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Can the price rise during trading and how to protect yourself from this?

This often happens if there are two or more applicants for one apartment. The seller can arrange a secret or open auction among potential buyers, promising to sell the apartment to someone who agrees to pay extra above the stated price.

A way to protect yourself against a sudden demand from the seller for additional payment after you have already agreed on everything is to enter into a deposit agreement. It is better to do this through a notary. After paying the deposit, the seller will be obliged to fulfill his part of the transaction according to the terms of the contract. If he refuses, he will return the deposit to the buyer in double amount.