This is a fundamental of property investment that you need to fully understand, because it gives you tremendous power.

The full statement is “The seller always WANTS to sell. The buyer must never WANT to buy.”

If you don’t WANT to buy, this means that you don’t care whether the seller accepts your offer or not. There’s always another property coming on to the market. So –

(1) Don’t ever forget that the asking price is always 10% above what the seller would love to sell for.
(2) Go in low! Make a stupid offer.
(3) Dictate the terms. For example, you must choose the conveyancer. Make the seller pay for the professional inspection.