I grew up poor with an immigrant mother that was a master negotiator. You can become one too...in fact, I wrote these 13 easy steps just for you.

At the age of 5, I started my “training”. Every weekend my mother took me to the Farmers Market to stock up on food for the week.

She would buy everything from fruit and veggies to fresh killed chickens or fish brought in right from the river.

I watched as she got a discount on everything...I do mean everything. If apples were $2 a dozen, she ended up with 14 apples for $1.50...and they were always the biggest ones.

If the chickens came with all their feathers still on, she would get them to pluck all the feathers off...they would do that for her...for free.

It helped that she had a good personality, beautiful black hair and knew how to make everyone feel good about giving her more “extras” than she paid for. Yes, she definitely knew how to negotiate...

That stuck with me. Even as a kid I would try to bargain for things from my friends. As I grew up, I was drawn to flea markets and anywhere else that you could dicker your way into a bargain. I loved it!

Maybe that's why today I love negotiating real estate...

Did I tell you that I negotiated a nice discount on my office furniture from Office Depot? It was not on sale...

My friend even negotiated a discount on multiple dog beds at the Big Lots Store...who would have thought of that?

My theory is that you will never know what you can get until you ask. The secret is you have to learn how to ask.

Unless you negotiate for a living, let someone else do it for you. But if you are stuck and need a crash course, then here are your best negotiation steps.

1. It’s only business, never personal. It is not about you, your family or your looks...it is only about what you are trying to negotiate. So don’t let your emotions get the best of you.

2. Read your agreement or document...if you have one. You must know what you agreed to! Sometimes there is some hidden “small print tidbit” that you can use to make your point and gain leverage.

3. Give no more information than you need to. The less the other side knows about where you live, what you do, or how much money you wish to spend, the easier it is to negotiate what you want.

4. Who are the players? You must know who you are negotiating against. Is it the owner? A representative? Or one of their kids? If it is really important, google their name.

5. Offer no more than you need to. Find out what the other person wants before you make an offer. You may be pleasantly surprised that they are willing to settle for less than you were willing to give them.

6. Use your poker face, no reaction. Don’t let anyone see how you feel...make them wonder. Show no emotion either way...don’t look happy or sad. Keep your body language quiet. You can smile when you win.

7. What is “it” really worth? You should have an idea of value before you bring out your wallet. If not, then you better get a really low price or you might pay too much.

8. Who else wants it? Are there other people interested? Just one person or a crowd of people? Always ask yourself these questions: How unique is it? How badly do you want it?

9. Zip it up...stay silent. Control your tongue and listen more. He who speaks first loses. Whoever talks the most, loses more. You have two ears...listen carefully to the unspoken words.

10. Stick to what is most important. Skip the small stuff...and most of it is small stuff. When someone gets too greedy that will irritate the other side. Don’t split hairs over chump change.

11. Don’t come in with your best offer...leave some room to negotiate. No one likes to hear about your “best” offer if it is your first offer. Everyone likes some concession to make themselves feel good.

12. Never argue or criticize. No one wants to hear that! The owner thinks it is a great deal and you really want it, so don’t say it's ugly, or outdated or not valuable. That would be a turn off to negotiations.

13. Don’t play hardball unless you mean it. Bluffing is a skill most do not possess. Besides, playing hardball leaves you no options. You either have to walk away to save face or come back to the table and pay their price.

Buying a house? Let me negotiate it for you...or at least call me and we can chat about the best bargains in town.

Call Eve Alexander at Buyers Broker of Florida 407 539 1053.