Every negotiation is a bit of a tango. Price is usually the biggest motivator for a seller, but once you're in escrow, the terms of a deal can matter just as much, and things can get sticky fast.
The advice I give my buyers most often: don't let a hard negotiation change how you feel about the house. It's easy to sour on a place when the other side is being difficult, but the emotion isn't the point. You're negotiating for the house, not for the seller or their agent. Know your limits, protect yourself, and be willing to walk, but make that call based on the house and the deal, not on who irritated you along the way.
No house checks every box, and I tell my buyers that if a place hits about eighty percent of their list, especially the parts that are hard or impossible to change, it's worth taking seriously. Location, lot size, the block, natural light, and layout are fixed. Paint, flooring, countertops, and landscaping are not. There's almost always a compromise somewhere, and knowing which ones you can live with is half the work.
In no particular order, a few homes worth a look right now: 2299 Gloaming Way in Beverly Crest, 1964 Thayer Avenue in Westwood, 3542 Butler Avenue and 3540 Maplewood Avenue in Mar Vista, 4554 Wortser Avenue in Studio City, 18057 Medley Drive in Encino, 19541 Greenbriar Drive and 4711 Hermano Drive in Tarzana, 14348 Roblar Place in Sherman Oaks, 9031 Wonderland Park Avenue and 8876 Lookout Mountain Avenue in Sunset Strip-Hollywood Hills West, 5746 McDonie Avenue in Woodland Hills, 715 Nowita Place in Venice, and 11237 Braddock Drive in Culver City's Park West.
One of my favorite things about Los Angeles real estate is the architectural history hiding in plain sight. R.M. Schindler is one of the architects who shaped California modernism, and if you love architecture, or just like looking at beautifully strange houses, his work is worth a closer look.