How to Handle a Real Estate Consumer

Published by julia | Filed under Miscellaneous, Real Estate, Shout Outs

This topic may seem a bit obsolete for real estate agents, but the fact is we all need a little refresher once in a while. Here are the top 5 tips for handling a potential buyer.

•    Ask questions and a lot of them. When the real estate agent receives that first call from a potential buyer, the agent should ask as many questions as the call will allow. Keeping a call sheet by the phone with the list of questions you want to ask and a space to jot the answer is a great start to a potential buyer file.

•    The first call should include exchange of information. While you have the potential buyer on the phone, make sure to ask for their contact information. Even if they never tour a home you have listed, they will be in your contact file for future reference.

•    How active is the buyer? While you have the potential buyer on the phone make sure to ask how long their home search has been going on. This will tell you a lot about the buyer and how seasoned they are in the world of home choice. You can also ask how many homes they have toured and how many agents they have used in the past.

•    Be safe 100% of the time. When meeting a potential buyer for the first time, do NOT meet them at a private establishment or the home they are looking to tour. The first meeting needs to be on safe ground, like the real estate office.

•    Details, details, details. It is of the utmost important to ask for all the details the  potential buyer is looking for in a home. Again, having a checklist of common features right by the phone is a great way to note the needs of the buyer in a short amount of time. The forms can list all common features and provide spaces for those extra special requests.

Handling each and every potential buyer with care is essential in a buyer’s market. Just make sure to take a step back, breathe and jump right back into the real estate game like there was never a slow spot.