Comment by Aboutplants
3 hours ago
I had a plumber over to quote a HVAC replacement, while he was working up the quote I saw his iPad where his was inputting the equipment for costs etc, then it flipped over to an area that showed my home estimated value, my estimated household income and a ton of other economic measures that gave them sweet spots for their quote. While I obviously know people do this, to see it so blatantly laid out (it wasn’t meant for my eyes) was very gross.
By the way, the home value and income estimates were higher than reality, and his quote was also fairly high - though not the highest
That sort of counters the advice to get three quotes. If every bidder has that info, it may be harder to get the "best" price.
Not really, because a slightly smarter (or more motivated) seller will realize they can make the sale by being slightly lower than the other sellers.
A buyer should also ask the sellers for a lower price after the initial prices are given.