How to Outsmart the #1 Negotiation Trick Sales Agents Use

Do You Think Buyers Give Sales Agents Enough Credit?

They don’t. 

Many forget that while they purchase a property every five or so years, Sales Agents are out there selling a home every week; sometimes more. They are trained professional negotiators whose job is simple: extract the highest price possible for their client.

And honestly? Many of them are very good at it.

There are countless tactics agents use to influence buyers, but there’s one in particular I see all the time and it’s surprisingly easy to get to the bottom of if you know what to look for.

The Pressure Play: Time + Competition

Agents know that time pressure and the fear of competition create urgency. If they can make you believe that:

• You'll miss out if you don’t act fast, and

• Other people are already trying to buy it,
  …then they’ve won half the negotiation before it even starts.

This taps into social proof. If someone else wants it, your brain tells you it must be worth buying.

One of the most common lines you’ll hear is:

• “We have an offer of $1,500,000”, or

• “The owner previously rejected an offer of $1,500,000”

Most buyers take this at face value. But should you? Not always.

Is There Really an Offer of $1,500,000?

Here’s how to assess it without turning the agent against you:

• Ask clarifying questions. Not confrontational. Curious. Try:

  • “Is the seller willing to accept that price?”

  • “If so, when are they planning to exchange?”

  • “Are there terms other than price that matter to them?”

    Genuine offers are usually accompanied by real momentum.

• Use comparable sales as your anchor

  • If $1.5m is fair and the offer is unconditional, most owners won’t sit on it for more than 24–48 hours.

• Look for timeline inconsistencies

  • If there was really a $1.5m offer on Thursday, but you’re at the open home Saturday and the agent is still chasing you on Monday…

  • Let’s just say the probability that an offer still exists is extremely low.

• Did the owner really reject $1,500,000?

  • This one gets thrown around constantly.
    It’s designed to make you assume value sits above that figure. But context is everything.

Here’s what I see in the real world:
Agents often say, “They had an offer of $1.5m in week one but the vendor rejected it.” If the home has been on the market for more than four weeks, the landscape has shifted. Vendors who’ve bought elsewhere become more motivated over time.

I’ve had two purchases in recent months where we bought below the number the agent initially told me was “rejected.” It happens more than buyers realise.

What mattered wasn’t the story. It was knowing the market and playing the long game.

Calling an Agent’s Bluff Without Burning the Bridge

You can challenge an agent’s narrative while keeping the relationship intact.
In fact, you should. My Advice:

• Ask smart questions that expose inconsistencies rather than accusing anyone of lying.

• Know your comparable sales so you’re anchored to reality, not stories.

• Don’t feel pressured to offer a certain price because of what “someone else supposedly offered.” You’re not being difficult you’re being informed.

Final Thought

The negotiation game is stacked in favour of Sales Agents not buyers. They’ve honed these strategies through hundreds of transactions. Buyers simply haven’t.

But you can level the playing field.

With the right questions, the right information, and the right strategy, you can cut through the noise and make confident, smart decisions.

And if you want a professional in your corner someone who negotiates for you, not against you reach out. This is exactly what I do day in, day out.