I can&#x27;t help but to pile on about the difficulty of negotiation. The reality is is that 90% of it is done before you&#x27;ve ever started talking. You can maybe influence 10% of the outcome, and it might be worthwhile to do that, but it&#x27;s also worthwhile to work on that 90% beforehand, and studying negotiation techniques doesn&#x27;t really help with the 90%, only the 10%.<p>So if you look at the opportunity cost of effective negotiation, the value prospect doesn&#x27;t look half as clear. If I want to buy a house, the actual negotiated price is probably somewhere down around #8 on my list of considerations. Time spent looking at comps, finding a good inspector, understanding the real estate biz, could be far better spent.