á Strategy for Buying a Kitchen / How to Negotiate Effectively?
Created on: 6 Aug 2020 16:47
S
Shiny86
Iâve started planning my kitchen and feel completely overwhelmed. It feels like being at a bazaar. Exactly what you see on TV shows happened to me. So far, Iâve visited 4 kitchen showrooms. Iâm still waiting on the design and price from 2 of them. These are smaller studios, so Iâm curious to see what they come up with.
But with the other two, it went exactly as expected. Twice I asked the manager for a discount, and it turned into a kind of show. The comments were laughable: âWe can do it for price X, but then we wonât make any profit on you. The manager will probably want to talk to me about this.â Even after the second discount, I still felt like I was paying too much. Both salespeople set deadlines for me. One even said I had to sign the contract that same day.
I also donât know how to negotiate smartly or what the right tactics are. I donât really know the actual value of my kitchen. When does negotiating become unreasonable? How do you know for sure when thereâs no more room to negotiate? Are there actually people who donât negotiate at all and just accept the first offered discount? Iâve wondered about that too. Itâs a shame I donât know any kitchen salesperson personally to get insider tips.
Since I have a lot of expensive requests, I feel almost ridiculous setting my budget too low. The problem is that I canât compare apples to apples because my kitchen concept has changed with every planning appointment. In my small town, Iâve now visited all the studios except for Roller. There are still studios in neighboring towns, but I already feel like I wonât have a kitchen even after visiting 5 more showrooms.
Nearly all plans are for a Nobilia kitchen, coming to around 20,000 euros (about $22,000), or even more if I include my latest wishes. Iâve asked if I should buy the appliances myself to save money, but I was advised against it. They said they wouldnât install them due to warranty reasons.
What price would you set if you were in my position? And please share how you got your kitchen and how you negotiated.
My requirements are:
- A tall cabinet row with 6 cabinets, each 60cm (24 inches) wide, boxed in drywall. Two of these should be pantry cabinets with pull-out shelves, and the other 4 will house appliances.
- A kitchen peninsula about 1.2m (4 feet) wide and approximately 3.10m (10 feet) long, with drawers on both sides only.
- I want quite high-end appliances, probably Bosch Series 8 black Carbon Accent line, likely including an oven with microwave, a combi-steam oven, and a built-in coffee machine.
- Cooktop with an integrated downdraft vent, recirculating air, flush-mounted (Bosch Series 8 has been planned so far, but I donât know how good the cooktop is).
- Very quiet dishwasher, brand doesnât matter (Bosch and Neff have been suggested so far).
- Refrigerator inside a tall cabinet with 2 bio-fresh drawers, brand doesnât matter (Liebherr and Bosch have been suggested).
- Ceramic countertop
- Undermount ceramic sink
I donât want to spend more than necessary. But I realize I probably wonât get everything for 15,000 euros (about $16,500).
How should I proceed?
But with the other two, it went exactly as expected. Twice I asked the manager for a discount, and it turned into a kind of show. The comments were laughable: âWe can do it for price X, but then we wonât make any profit on you. The manager will probably want to talk to me about this.â Even after the second discount, I still felt like I was paying too much. Both salespeople set deadlines for me. One even said I had to sign the contract that same day.
I also donât know how to negotiate smartly or what the right tactics are. I donât really know the actual value of my kitchen. When does negotiating become unreasonable? How do you know for sure when thereâs no more room to negotiate? Are there actually people who donât negotiate at all and just accept the first offered discount? Iâve wondered about that too. Itâs a shame I donât know any kitchen salesperson personally to get insider tips.
Since I have a lot of expensive requests, I feel almost ridiculous setting my budget too low. The problem is that I canât compare apples to apples because my kitchen concept has changed with every planning appointment. In my small town, Iâve now visited all the studios except for Roller. There are still studios in neighboring towns, but I already feel like I wonât have a kitchen even after visiting 5 more showrooms.
Nearly all plans are for a Nobilia kitchen, coming to around 20,000 euros (about $22,000), or even more if I include my latest wishes. Iâve asked if I should buy the appliances myself to save money, but I was advised against it. They said they wouldnât install them due to warranty reasons.
What price would you set if you were in my position? And please share how you got your kitchen and how you negotiated.
My requirements are:
- A tall cabinet row with 6 cabinets, each 60cm (24 inches) wide, boxed in drywall. Two of these should be pantry cabinets with pull-out shelves, and the other 4 will house appliances.
- A kitchen peninsula about 1.2m (4 feet) wide and approximately 3.10m (10 feet) long, with drawers on both sides only.
- I want quite high-end appliances, probably Bosch Series 8 black Carbon Accent line, likely including an oven with microwave, a combi-steam oven, and a built-in coffee machine.
- Cooktop with an integrated downdraft vent, recirculating air, flush-mounted (Bosch Series 8 has been planned so far, but I donât know how good the cooktop is).
- Very quiet dishwasher, brand doesnât matter (Bosch and Neff have been suggested so far).
- Refrigerator inside a tall cabinet with 2 bio-fresh drawers, brand doesnât matter (Liebherr and Bosch have been suggested).
- Ceramic countertop
- Undermount ceramic sink
I donât want to spend more than necessary. But I realize I probably wonât get everything for 15,000 euros (about $16,500).
How should I proceed?
A
Alessandro7 Aug 2020 13:41pagoni2020 schrieb:
Yes, the issue is that mNm deliberately and actively avoids this possibility of comparison, especially in the kitchen area.Let me ask again:
What comparison possibilities do you mean? How exactly should what be compared with what?
An example would be helpful, as Iâm clearly not following...
P
pagoni20207 Aug 2020 13:52Scout schrieb:
OBI is basically just another sales channel for KĂŒchen Quelle (The owner of OBI in Franconia is involved with them).
And KĂŒchen Quelle also distributes HĂ€cker alongside Kempfle, Wellmann, Pino, Nobilia, and Störmer. ...was just a random example....in the medium term, most things end up connecting somewhere anyway-
Alessandro schrieb:
then youâll have to wait forever for some things or might not get them at all.
Manufacturers and service providers in the home construction industry donât lack customers, so their pricing follows a âtake it or leave itâ approach. I understand that and unfortunately, Iâm far from always making the right decisions, even though Iâm a repeat offender. Iâm here, reading, learning, failing, and reading again...
For me, if someone says âtake it or leave it,â I simply wonât accept it and decide to go with another option for flooring or something else. I generally donât like that kind of approach.
That may not always be the smartest choice, but itâs my wayâstubbornness with age.
Alessandro schrieb:
The biggest problem with these situations is:
The super friendly, competent advisor who takes the time probably earns a salary that motivates them accordingly.
Thatâs why this provider probably wonât be the cheapest.
If you then go to a low-cost local offer with free planning and end up choosing them just because they are $500 cheaper, the good professionals in the industry will eventually disappear. Thatâs exactly where I see the difference and am willing to pay the price when I experience it because I want to support that! Therefore, Iâm very careful not to get taken advantage of by their less reputable competitors.
Maybe weâve just misunderstood each other a bitâ
So longâ
P
pagoni20207 Aug 2020 14:02@matte1987 described it well above.
Because he was able to specify shapes, dimensions, and surfaces precisely in advance, and no one could tell him that it wouldnât work or had to be different, he got a clear "apples-to-apples comparison."
When I go to a studio with a kitchen floor plan and some ideas (how I would ideally like it), there is a risk that changes in materials, fronts, functions, etc., will adjust the price according to your preferences without making you fully aware of the actual details of those changes.
In the end, you might end up with a kitchen from company XY just like your neighborâs, and for the same price, yet there are technical differences or variations in the features.
I donât know the details individually, but I have been told about the "system" as such, and when I asked specific questions, I often got the expected answers.
But again, Iâm definitely not giving a blanket criticism, as that would be ridiculous and highly unfair. Still, the price often does not reflect the quality, and thatâs something to check.
I know someone personally, others might read a book on the subject, and a third person buys based on gut feelingâand all are equally happy.
And thatâs exactly the point, which is why I donât claim to have any universal truth. I do things the way it seems right for me... and sometimes it even works out.
And of course, I absolutely agree with you that itâs not about getting the best price but about feeling as comfortable as possible, including in your home.
Because he was able to specify shapes, dimensions, and surfaces precisely in advance, and no one could tell him that it wouldnât work or had to be different, he got a clear "apples-to-apples comparison."
When I go to a studio with a kitchen floor plan and some ideas (how I would ideally like it), there is a risk that changes in materials, fronts, functions, etc., will adjust the price according to your preferences without making you fully aware of the actual details of those changes.
In the end, you might end up with a kitchen from company XY just like your neighborâs, and for the same price, yet there are technical differences or variations in the features.
I donât know the details individually, but I have been told about the "system" as such, and when I asked specific questions, I often got the expected answers.
But again, Iâm definitely not giving a blanket criticism, as that would be ridiculous and highly unfair. Still, the price often does not reflect the quality, and thatâs something to check.
I know someone personally, others might read a book on the subject, and a third person buys based on gut feelingâand all are equally happy.
And thatâs exactly the point, which is why I donât claim to have any universal truth. I do things the way it seems right for me... and sometimes it even works out.
And of course, I absolutely agree with you that itâs not about getting the best price but about feeling as comfortable as possible, including in your home.
A
Alessandro7 Aug 2020 14:03pagoni2020 schrieb:
For me, itâs simple: if someone tells me âtake it or leave it,â I wonât accept it and will try to find an alternative covering or something else. I generally donât like that kind of attitude.
That might not always be the smartest approach, but itâs my way â the stubbornness of age. And what do you do if, for example, as in my case, three tilers all charge around 100âŹ/mÂČ (approximately $93 per sq ft)? Simply not using tiles is not an option.
And you canât just keep waiting forever either...
A
Alessandro7 Aug 2020 14:08pagoni2020 schrieb:
@matte1987 described it above.
Because he was able to specify shapes, dimensions, and surfaces precisely in advance, no one could tell him that something wouldnât work or had to be done differently, so he got a "like-for-like comparison."
When I go to a kitchen showroom with a floor plan and some ideas (how I would actually like to do it), there is a risk that by changing materials, fronts, functions, etc., the price will be adjusted to your expectations without making you fully aware of the actual changes in detail.
In the end, you might have a kitchen from company XY just like your neighborâs, but at the same price there are still technical differences or differences in the fittings.
I donât know the details individually, but Iâve heard about the "system" as such, and when I asked specific questions, I usually got the expected answers.
But again, Iâm definitely not making a blanket criticism, because that would be crazy and highly unfair. However, the price often does not match the quality, and that should be checked.
I know someone personally, others read a book about it, and a third just buys based on gut feeling and is just as happy.
And thatâs what it comes down to; thatâs why I donât claim to have a universal truth. I do it however seems right for me⊠and sometimes it even works out. Sorry, but even if Iâm starting out with no plan, I still go to the kitchen studio and test and examine everything. Thatâs why there is a showroom where everything is availableâfrom affordable to expensive. From the sensitivity of the surfaces to the smoothness of different pull-out systems.
Anyone who really goes and just accepts a quote without trying things out and asking questions is only to blame themselves. I wouldnât trust anyone with that muchâletâs call itânaivety.
Itâs like a car dealership offering me a car without me having seen it or taken it for a test drive first.
By now, this always follows the same pattern. I get the impression that itâs just about getting the tedious topic of the "kitchen" over with. In new builds, itâs mostly the men who deal with it. It has to go quickly; you simply need a kitchen, the floor plan is fixedâvery often 3.2 x 3.2 m (10.5 x 10.5 ft)âand an electrical plan has to be created. The kitchen should ideally be affordable, and these are the criteria:
Thatâs it.
Oh, and if possible, black. So kitchen designers sell the same thing every day when they offer Nobilia or Nolte.
Some customers come well prepared to the showroom, which probably makes it easier for both sides. Others want the list above at a certain price.
The customer doesnât know whether itâs affordable or cheap unless they compare exactly the same design. Of course, no one provides a plan freelyâI wouldnât do that either without payment.
So you have to research as much as possible yourself and compile a list of whatâs important to you. Observe your own habits in the kitchen a bit more closely and make notes about what is practical and what isnât.
But itâs also difficult to compare appliances. Many cooktops look identical. You have to set your own criteria here, too: Do I need a flush-mounted surface? Which zones do I really need? Does it have to be a downdraft extractor, etc.? Itâs not simple.
If you can accept that your own kitchen doesnât have to please everyone, you can plan a practical kitchen. For example, Matte and Climbee, who spent a long time dealing with this topic. However, these kitchens are not cheap either.
But as I said, most people buy what their neighbor, friend, or colleague has. You donât want to be different; what is trendy gets bought.
@Shiny86, why donât you show your dimensioned ground floor plan?
- handleless
- cooking island
- bar seating
- Dekton
- raised dishwasher and oven
Thatâs it.
Oh, and if possible, black. So kitchen designers sell the same thing every day when they offer Nobilia or Nolte.
Some customers come well prepared to the showroom, which probably makes it easier for both sides. Others want the list above at a certain price.
The customer doesnât know whether itâs affordable or cheap unless they compare exactly the same design. Of course, no one provides a plan freelyâI wouldnât do that either without payment.
So you have to research as much as possible yourself and compile a list of whatâs important to you. Observe your own habits in the kitchen a bit more closely and make notes about what is practical and what isnât.
But itâs also difficult to compare appliances. Many cooktops look identical. You have to set your own criteria here, too: Do I need a flush-mounted surface? Which zones do I really need? Does it have to be a downdraft extractor, etc.? Itâs not simple.
If you can accept that your own kitchen doesnât have to please everyone, you can plan a practical kitchen. For example, Matte and Climbee, who spent a long time dealing with this topic. However, these kitchens are not cheap either.
But as I said, most people buy what their neighbor, friend, or colleague has. You donât want to be different; what is trendy gets bought.
@Shiny86, why donât you show your dimensioned ground floor plan?
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