I do not think of myself as a buyers' agent , but right now I am working with a number of buyers -- foreign buyers, local and out of state buyers, ethnical and culturally different buyers.
From the start, be it via e-mail at first or phone call I try to gather as much information as possible about their wants, needs and wish lists. I keep on asking questions, particularly as I send them properties via e-mail.
Indeed even for those buyers who are either local or come to Miami, being able to send them ahead of time the properties I have selected is a great time saver. I do this even if I am taking them out again the next day, because including a time schedule also lets them know how much time we will need.
Yet given this market with such a large inventory, the web can also be our enemy.
I have found that regardless how well I have understood my clients' requirements, how much attention I have paid to what they say or don't and applied that knowledge in selecting properties, they will always ask " what about this one or that one?" ; "what about more properties?" And the lists of homes keep coming.
So lately I have found a solution that seems to work pretty well and satisfies even the most suspicious ones.
At a certain point during the process I print out a one line of all the properties in their price range.
It includes the MLS number, the price, number of bedrooms and baths, square footage, lot size, pool or lack thereof, garage or not, and I add whether it is an unapproved short sale, an approved one (have yet to see the difference in response time) or a foreclosure. If we are talking condominiums or homeowners associations I will even add the maintenance fees.
Included in the list are naturally all the houses we have seen or are going to see shortly -- those I highlight.
If they cannot come to a decision because they believe a better deal is right around the corner, I make them another copy of the same list and mark those that are now under contract.
Am I telling them not to search on the web? Gracious no! I'm just providing you, the client, with an additional useful service. Compare your list to mine.
Did doing this involve work and time? Certainly but it is saving me a lot more than having to scrawl down a never ending list of properties they have found on Zillow, Realtor.com or any other of the websites out there.
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