When you have spent plenty of time undertaking all of the research about your prospective real estate property and are also happy to be doing work with the owner, it is already the right time to offer your price. Even so, the home buying offer isn't really the last part of the sales process; you could still be involved with negotiating a final price even after you have made an offer if the seller declines your initial offer, thus you'll need a strategy to be able to secure the cost you want - or somewhere around that range - well before you extend your preliminary offer.

Being familiar with most of the terms of any sales agreement and having a backup plan are just a few ways to ensure you are offered the best price for your potential new home. The 'Consumer's Guide to Home Buying' by the Barron's series encourages all potential homeowners to produce a checklist of items they can practice prior to the negotiation process occurs. The following are a number of things to consider when you start negotiating the cost of your brand new house:

1.Who are the decision makers involved in this transaction? Knowing who the decision makers are benefits a skilled negotiator as this gives you an idea as to who influences the buy & sell process. A basic question you should know the answer to is, for example,, is the seller working independently or are they working with agents, lawyers and other third parties to coordinate the transaction? Knowing who you are negotiating with helps you determine the most suitable strategy for negotiations on terms as well as let you gauge the selling party's trustworthiness.

2. What is your contingency plan? If the seller refuses all of your offers, do you still have other options? It is definitely frustrating not to get what you wanted from the negotiation, but you also need to know when to stop pushing for what you want and go to another direction. Identify precisely the upper price limit that you are ready to bid for a home and don't move beyond your price only to win the price war.

3. Have you gone through the particulars of the deal? It is necessary to fully appreciate every term and condition of the sales agreement so you will not be confronted with undesirable surprises at closing. Make sure you review the sales agreement and all the terms that go with it and note anything that is not 100% clear to you. Set up a meeting with the seller or agent to look at everything that you don't think you completely understand to eliminate any reservations on signing the sales agreement in the event that your offer is accepted.

4. Do you feel comfortable with the realtor? Your real estate agent should be able to provide assistance and decent real estate advice with regards to the entire process of negotiation for your house purchase, but you need to feel like you can trust them. Spend an ample amount of time talking to them in order to create a positive relationship as well as talk about your thoughts about the property that you are about to buy well before the negotiation commences so you are able to make the most informed decision.

5. Are you prepared to deal with difficulties? Miscommunication with the real estate agent, hostility from the seller as well as other undesirable exchange of words that can occur in the course of negotiation makes it tough to come to a fair deal. Keep your cool and make sure that you are ready to stop the deal if you don't feel like it's going down the right path.

Alexandria P. Anderson is a licensed Minnesota Realtor that uses the Edina real estate listings to help her clients to find and purchase Edina real estate and other quality Twin Cities properties.