It never fails. Even the best-planned home searches, based on the buyer’s criteria can result in questions about homes that we’re passing by on our home tour for the day.
They may have been very specific about their desires – must have 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths, and we definitely don’t want a swimming pool. Oh, and we don’t have the time or patience to wait out a short sale.
So, we start the tour of homes to preview and pull in front of the first stop, they can’t help but notice two or three more houses in the same neighborhood, all with for-sale signs. The dialogue ensues. “Oooh, what about that one? We love the curb appeal. And it’s for sale! Hey, why isn’t the one with the beautiful yard on our list? We like that one too!
In actuality, those houses didn’t make the short list for a reason. One is a short sale. One is pending, but there isn’t a sale pending on the sign. The other has 1 ½ baths, missing the must-have requirement of two full baths. And still another has a swimming pool, a definite problem for the toddlers.
But it’s understandable – buyers who are in the throws of a very specific and time-sensitive home search have a fear of loss. They do not want to pass by a home that could be perfect for them. The best way I’ve found to overcome that, is to come prepared with a full listing of all homes (active or pending) that meet their price range. That way, when they spot a home not on the tour list, I can easily spot the address and give them the specific reasons it didn’t make our showing list. This serves two purposes:
- First, it reduces their anxiety about what they’re ‘missing’.
- And secondly, it places confidence in them that I’m listening to what they’ve asked for and not eliminating anything that has true potential for them.
Comments (8)Subscribe to CommentsComment