On real estate negotiations with Robin Kencel
Tue Nov 11 2025
In this episode, we host Robin Kencel, a leading real estate broker in the U.S. Robin has been recognized on The Wall Street Journal's RealTrends rankings (including The Thousand/America’s Best lists), placing her team among the top performers nationally and in the top 1-1.5% across the U.S., with repeated state-level top-100 distinctions.
Together with Robin, we unpack how real estate negotiations really work, who holds leverage at different stages and how to align agents, principals, lenders, and lawyers. We look at pricing and anchoring in volatile markets, from comps and cap rates to when ignoring the “asking” price is the smartest move. Robin shows how to use structure as a bargaining tool, from contingencies and seller financing to creative concessions that unlock value, and how disciplined diligence, zoning, environmental risk, tenant rolls, can legitimately reopen terms without undermining trust. We talk BATNAs that truly matter, time pressure, managing multiple offers ethically, and the fine line between tactics and relationships: reading signals, countering nibbling, and keeping counterparties on-side to reach closing. You’ll hear where residential and commercial playbooks overlap (and where they don’t), plus two vivid case stories, a bidding war flipped into collaboration, and a near-miss rescued by reframing interests. We wrap with practical takeaways you can use immediately: questions to ask before the first call, a concession matrix for inspection findings, and a closing checklist, lessons that apply well beyond property, from leases for founders to any negotiation requiring speed, diligence, and structured creativity.
This episod is especially interesting to: buyers, sellers, founders negotiating leases, asset managers, and anyone who wants sharper due-diligence and deal-structuring skills.
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In this episode, we host Robin Kencel, a leading real estate broker in the U.S. Robin has been recognized on The Wall Street Journal's RealTrends rankings (including The Thousand/America’s Best lists), placing her team among the top performers nationally and in the top 1-1.5% across the U.S., with repeated state-level top-100 distinctions. Together with Robin, we unpack how real estate negotiations really work, who holds leverage at different stages and how to align agents, principals, lenders, and lawyers. We look at pricing and anchoring in volatile markets, from comps and cap rates to when ignoring the “asking” price is the smartest move. Robin shows how to use structure as a bargaining tool, from contingencies and seller financing to creative concessions that unlock value, and how disciplined diligence, zoning, environmental risk, tenant rolls, can legitimately reopen terms without undermining trust. We talk BATNAs that truly matter, time pressure, managing multiple offers ethically, and the fine line between tactics and relationships: reading signals, countering nibbling, and keeping counterparties on-side to reach closing. You’ll hear where residential and commercial playbooks overlap (and where they don’t), plus two vivid case stories, a bidding war flipped into collaboration, and a near-miss rescued by reframing interests. We wrap with practical takeaways you can use immediately: questions to ask before the first call, a concession matrix for inspection findings, and a closing checklist, lessons that apply well beyond property, from leases for founders to any negotiation requiring speed, diligence, and structured creativity. This episod is especially interesting to: buyers, sellers, founders negotiating leases, asset managers, and anyone who wants sharper due-diligence and deal-structuring skills.