Prince Charming or the Invisible Man?

I am working with a woman right now who I will call Diane.  She started out asking to see only one house.  Then she called the next day and asked to see another.  The third day I suggested we block some time out on Saturday (today) to see several all at once.

Her fiancé is out of the country on business and has instructed her to locate a home to purchase.  He will be paying cash.  Price range is $300,000 - $500,000.  The average price range in Fishers and Carmel, the areas I work,  is $175,000 - $225,000, so this will be a good payday for me.

My policy normally is to show a potential buyer one time before requiring some sort of pre-approval or proof of funds. After we have bonded and I have had a chance to sniff them out, I can normally spot a bogus buyer a mile away.

Diane told me a lot about herself today.  She is about 50 years old, raised her two children herself and has held the same job for over 30 years.  Her life has not been a bed of roses. She has not had a lot of relationships because she wanted to raise her kids and not have interference.

 We looked at seven homes today and identified two potential homes for 'John' to see when he comes at the end of the month.  As I was taking Diane back to her car, I asked how she and John had met.  She met him on an online dating service.  I am okay with that as many of my friends and relatives have had huge success even marrying people met online.

I asked if he too was originally from Indianapolis.  “Oh, no.  He has never been here,” she replied.  “Well how many times have you seen him face to face?” I asked.  “Never,” she replied.

Needless to say, we will be slowing down on the house hunting.  I am switching to defensive mode protecting my own time and interests, but also looking out for Diane.  John may be for real, but if not, he may have met his match.  I do not want to offend Diane so I will step lightly, but I will be getting information from ‘John’ before wasting more time and in the process, I will be watching out for Diane.