It is pretty typical to meet buyers at open houses, but I wonder how many agents realize that these encounters are really job interviews?
Next week my buyers will close on their new home, and I think their story is worth telling.
I met my buyers at an open house back in February. I could tell by their questions they were serious and qualified buyers. I stayed in touch with them, but not aggressively. What I didn't know was they were making a list of potential buyer agents from their open house interviews. Pretty smart!
In September, when they were ready to hire an agent, they narrowed their list to 10 (they told me they visited 100+ open houses over a 6-month period!). They interviewed everyone by phone, and narrowed the list to 4, whom they would interview in person.
I cleared the hurdle of the phone interview. Being a naturally competitive person, I loved the idea that I would get a chance to show that I have the right stuff to be the best buyer-agent. I was impressed that these FIRST TIME BUYERS had taken the process so seriously. I wanted to be their agent!
I was the first person they interviewed. I showed them my power-point presentation on buyer agency. I showed them a folder from another transaction in which I represented the buyer, so they could tangibly see all the information they would receive when they chose to work with me. I pulled up deed research, Google research on the owners, MLS stats, net sheets, and much more so they could see how I would work to make sure they got the best possible deal.
After all that...they didn't choose me!? They called to tell me that I was the first runner-up. I was more disappointed in that call than I would have been losing a multi-million $ walk in! I had really pulled out all the stops and was crushed they felt someone else would do a better job.
A week later the phone rang. It was my buyers calling with the most flattering piece of news perhaps I've had in my entire real estate career! They told me they had fired the other realtor and wanted to know if I would accept them as clients. What they said was, "every time our realtor answered a question we found ourselves asking "what would Margo say about this?" and then we realized we were with the wrong realtor!"
These buyers brought out the best in me as a realtor, and I thank them for that! I took great pride in giving my all to prove to they made the right choice.
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