A price reduction is often the incentive that is looked at first, says Delores Conway, director of the Casden Forecast at the University of Southern California's Lusk Center for Real Estate. "The price is something that is a common currency -- it appeals to everybody," she says. Other perks will appeal to buyers, too, ranging from the common to the unique. Payment of homeowner association fees -- typically associated with condo developments -- are sometimes offered. Ms. Ramsey says that a seller with a swimming pool might also offer a year's worth of upkeep for it, a welcome help for those worried about the maintenance of the backyard attraction. Or maybe, if a corner of the home was designed for a grand piano, leaving that instrument behind entices a buyer to go through with the deal, USC's Ms. Conway says.
July 15, 2007