Most of us know this from his first post in this thread, and are only throwing out the platitudes in an attempt to appear empathetic.

I want the seller to know how empathetic I am.Seller Answer: “He said it would be about 10 percent total, six percent for him and four percent for the other costs.â€REI Statement: “He said it would cost 10 percent, outstanding.â€REI Statement: “I am going to write the four percent on the yellow pad.â€As long as the seller is in reality land, somewhere above two percent for seller costs, I will not object to their answer.

Be empathetic but remember you are there to do a job.

Where you are not insulting their intelligence, but you're also making it clear that you are sitting there with the intention of making a profit, and hoping that what you offer will also be something that they will be comfortable with.Most people can smell a hard-sell or a "technique" from a mile away.I've never done what you're doing, but I can be empathetic with the people you would be approaching. 

I studied law and the owner I worked for also had a membership to the CA Apartment Association, but the Nolo books are hands-down much better than the Apt Association's forms and explain the law in a way that's easy to understand.I learned that you can be really empathetic to tenants without compromising profits. 

There could be costs there to consider and if tenants might be uncooperative regarding letting contractors fix things that can't be put off until they move.If they're tenants who pay their rent every month, I found most tenants aren't difficult to deal with as long as you are truly empathetic to their needs as a tenant.

being empathetic i said well its ok, i am sure more then most are one step away from that these days. 

Sure, it sucks and it's a tough spot for them and I am empathetic towards their situation.

You call it letting people take advantage of you, I call it being empathetic and working with people.

Some people are just too empathetic for the management side of the business though.