When looking for property to buy on Sanibel Island and Captiva, if given the choice, focus on working with sellers that are motivated. It can make the entire negotiating process go much more smoothly and increase the likelihood that you will get what you want. How do you know if a seller is motivated and what makes a seller motivated? Someone that has to sell their home is a motivated seller. This would include people that are getting a divorce, a recent death in the family, someone facing large medical expenses or those involved in a job transfer. It also may include someone that fallen on hard times financially and is looking to salvage some of their equity before a foreclosure becomes eminent. This information usually is not kept a secret from realtors as they know they will be more likely to receive offers if admit they are motivated sellers. Some buyers may feel a sense of guilt taking advantage of another person’s misfortune. The truth is, this could not be further from the truth. You actually are doing the seller a favor! When you think about what may happen if they do not sell their property……increased expenses of maintaining two homes, possible foreclosure, having to protect an empty house that were forced to leave due to a job transfer, etc. For whatever reason, they want to sell and you are doing them a favor by buying their property. This holds true for real estate sales on Sanibel Island, Captiva and other locations throughout the country. What percentage of sellers is truly motivated? The fact is most are not. Many sellers will take the attitude of “I don’t have to sell” or “I’ll wait until I get my price”. The trick is to find that one in ten seller that is really motivated and NEEDS to sell his home. That’s the seller you want to work with! Working with a licensed and experienced real estate professional can help you find these sellers.