Seller-financed deals don’t usually fail on the math—they fail on emotions.
I recently lined up a simple seller-financing deal to sell my old Hyundai. The buyer was putting $500 down, and I was prepared to hold a note for the balance. I had already run the numbers and even calculated the rate of return to show how these small, real-world deals can work.
The deal was supposed to close yesterday.
Instead, I received an email.
The buyer backed out. Not because the deal was bad. Not because the numbers didn’t work. But because his girlfriend didn’t support the decision—and he decided to walk away and “save his money.”
And just like that, the deal was dead.
What Happened Next (And Why This Matters)
I left the car listing up on Kijiji.
Within a short period of time, I had two more emails and a phone call from other interested buyers.
That’s an important lesson right there:
When a deal falls apart, it’s often not personal—and it’s rarely permanent.
Deals collapse for reasons that have nothing to do with structure, price, or logic. Life circumstances, fear, outside opinions, and emotional pressure derail more transactions than bad spreadsheets ever will.
Why I Share These Small Deals
I like using real-life examples like this because they’re relatable.
Seller financing isn’t just for buying and selling businesses—it shows up in everyday transactions too. Cars. Equipment. Assets. The principles are the same:
Human behavior
The next time I sell this car, if the deal involves a note again, I’ll walk through the structure and calculate the return just like before—so you can see how this works in the real world, not just in theory.
Want deeper dives like this?
👉 Join my email list at DavidCBarnettList.com for early access to videos, insights, and 7 free bonus gifts.
No comments:
Post a Comment