Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It

the neighborhood were offering “much” lower prices, he
said. “Even though your building is better in terms of
location and services, how am I supposed to pay $200
extra?”
The negotiation was on.
The agent went silent for a few moments and then said,
“You make a good point, but this is still a good price. And
as you noted, we can charge a premium.”
Mishary then dropped an extreme anchor.
“I fully understand, you do have a better location and
amenities. But I’m sorry, I just can’t,” he said. “Would
$1,730 a month for a year lease sound fair to you?”
The agent laughed and when he finished said there was
no way to accept that number, because it was way below
market price.
Instead of getting pulled into a haggle, Mishary smartly
pivoted to calibrated questions.
“Okay, so please help me understand: how do you price
lease renewals?”
The agent didn’t say anything shocking—merely that
they used factors like area prices and supply-and-demand—
but that gave Mishary the opening to argue that his leaving
would open the landlord to the risk of having an unrented
apartment and the cost of repainting. One month unrented
would be a $2,000 loss, he said.
Then he made another offer. Now, you’re probably
shaking your head that he’s making two offers without
receiving one in return. And you’re right; normally that’s