Quick question : if you're paying cash, can you expect a sizable discount?
Absolutely. In most cases yes, for a quick deal, as organising a loan from scratch can take between a couple of weeks to a month or more depending on relations with you bank. If its been on the market for a while or if theres a pressing debt issue the owner is experiencing a quick cash deal can be the carrot on the stick. But yes its true, often there is no concept of time is money or opportunity cost in this country and some poles will keep an unrealistic asking price for years and then sell for peanuts when the going gets unexpectedly tough for them. So it can be frustrating sometimes but as i say its a buyers market now and plenty of great properties to go for.