Every home inspection brings a moment where a buyer has to decide how hard to push. For one of our agents, Mariette Thibaudeau, that moment came down to a set of gutters, and the way she handled it is a good example of what real negotiating instinct looks like in practice.
Mahi’s buyers were under contract on a home when the inspection turned up concerns with the gutters. It was not a dramatic finding, but it was the kind of item that can quietly turn into a sticking point if it is not handled the right way. Mahi’s first move was straightforward. She sent the seller a request for repairs.
The listing agent came back with a question instead of a yes or no: would the buyers consider a concession instead of a repair? It is a distinction that matters more than it seems. Many sellers see gutter work less as a repair and more as an improvement to the home, and that perception changes how willing they are to negotiate.
Mahi’s clients were ready to move forward. They told her they would be comfortable accepting a $2,000 credit to resolve the issue and move on. Most buyers, and plenty of agents, would have gone ahead and put that number on the table.
Mahi did not. She told her clients she wanted to see what the seller would offer first before naming a figure of their own.
The seller came back at $8,000.
That is four times what Mahi’s buyers had already said they would accept. Had she led with their number, the negotiation would have ended at $2,000 and no one would have ever known there was more room on the table.
This is not a story about being aggressive or difficult in a negotiation. Mahi did not make a bigger ask or threaten to walk. She simply paused before speaking first, and let the seller respond to an open question rather than react to a set number.
It is a small moment, but it captures something we care about a great deal on our team: negotiating well is not about scripts or pressure tactics. It is about patience, timing, and genuinely understanding the leverage in a given moment. Mahi’s buyers ended up with a far better outcome not because she pushed harder, but because she knew when to hold back and let the seller show their hand first.
The deal closed with the $8,000 credit in place, giving Mahi’s buyers real cushion to handle the gutter work and then some. They moved into their new home knowing their agent had looked out for their best interest at every step, including the moments that had nothing to do with price and everything to do with strategy.
Stories like this are why we spend so much time coaching our agents through negotiation scenarios before they ever come up in a live deal. If you want to see how we approach the inspection period more broadly, we walk through the full playbook our agents are trained to run.