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When I advertise my name and services all over creation including my websites, yard signs, ActiveRain etc. I do it to be found, to be recognized, to be trusted and to be THE REALTOR that gets THE CALL. So when I do get THE CALL, my primary objective is to Meet this Person Face to Face....ASAP. When the buyer calls or emails me and says “I saw a home on your website, sign, blog or whatever I would like to see it” I am not going to give them the 3rd degree are you pre-qualified drill. What I am going to do is arrange to meet them IN PERSON. I want to shake their hand, look into their eyes and stare deep into their souls...well maybe not that deep, anyway I want to get to know them, get to know who they are, and understand their story and what their goals and time-line are.
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105 Comments on Yep, I said it, I did it and I do it often!
And this is one of the many things I love about ActiveRain. I am one of "those" agents who rarely will show a house anymore unless I know the buyer is pre-qualified. You, however, have caused me to rethink this approach. You make some excellent points; so glad I came across this post!
I had a feeling this post might stir the pot a bit and apparently so. I seem to be right on target with some and completely insane with others..LOL. Hey I completely understand those that don't want to waste time on a non qualified buyer but not being qualified today does not mean they want qualify in the future. My business is about nurturing relationships and getting to know people. Chances are if I have the opportunity to meet them today I will have a better opportunity at working with them down the road. Does it always go that way..of course not but there are no guarantees anyway. We all do this business a bit differently because we are all individuals and what works for one may not for another.
Several mentioned that mandatory question are you working with a Realtor? That is whole different subject but the answer is of course yes, that is a question one must ask now.
Thanks to each of you for your great comments and input, I always enjoy seeing the big gold star too..
Thank you all!
When I first started in the business, I had a decision to make and the one I made was that it felt okay to go out the first time without a prequal - a freebie.
When you make it a standard business practice, it's easy to stick to it. If you had your house up for sale, how would you feel if agents interrupted your day, entered your house, only to show it to people who were not qualified to buy it?
Love it Q! I had someone call who was referred to me by a good client of mine. She asked quietly if she had to be prequalified to look. I said no let's start looking! She had tried other agents and nobody would show her until she went to the bank. A friend referred her to me. I started the process, showed her a few houses, got her qualified and we close in 2 weeks. Sweet!
I'm so glad you posted this, John. I do the same thing. I see showing that first home as an opportunity to get to know them. It's not the ideal situation, but I have done it many times. Most of the time it works out, and only occasionally does it turn out they can't get a loan. But, I put them in the pipeline anyway, and stay in touch. Eventually they'll be qualified to buy.
John:
Since I primary am a listing agent, I don't have many buyers. When someone calls me from my signs or website I talk with them and decide if I will show them the house they ask to see without a preapproval letter. Depends on the vibe I get from them.
Hi John,
This is a good approach as each client is different and to successful, we need to be flexible and diverse.
Congrats on this well-deserved feature!
Yes, we've all done this and while I have some hard and fast rules for qualifying new clients, I sometimes violate them based on individual situations. A face-to-face meeting means a lot so if I can get that, then almost everything else takes a back seat.
John - Like you, I'm meet with a buyer once and take them out, but after that I want them to have talked to a lender.
I thought I was the only one showing to people without a pre-qual. I agree with you. I like to meet face to face and then send them to my favorite lenders.
A feature, how surprising! You alwasy write such good stuff.
You have to do what works best for you. Personally I don't mind showing once but after that it is in their best interest to get the pre-qual to avoid emotional attachment and unrealistic expecations.
Happy Friday!!
Q Man~I feel ya, Dog!! I am much more relationship oriented. I have to build, because I never liked anyone pushing me in selling me something. And not only do I have a great lender, but he also owns property at Fishhawk Lake, along with me and the folks whom I'm touring the Lake with as potential buyers really gravitate towards that. I've worked with him and his locally owned company for so long that they have a whole file on Fishhawk Lake and the appraiser calls me all of the time.
I also don't push on the buyer's agency agreement until I write up their offer. Everyone has their own style and I prefer to read people and know when to push and when not to. It's really truly about building relationships. if they're smarmy I don't want them as neighbors, because I would have to see them and PUT UP WITH THEM and my other neighbors would never forgive me, either!!
John (QMan)- I'm not a Realtor but I have a feeling that those non qualified buyers will remember you and will call you when they're ready and qualified.
I think showing them the one home without requiring a pre-qual is fine and does build relationships. My only issue is safety. I'm just not excited to meet a stranger at a house for the first time. Them not being pre-qualified is not a biggie. (for the first showing)
Think of this tactic from the seller's perspective. Getting the house cleaned, kids loaded, and out of the house is a pain. Then the expectations of an impending offer start creeping in. "I'm sorry, but the agent decided to show your home to a fellow that just declared bankruptcy." Sort of lets the steam out of the engine.
Why not have the prospect meet at your office, and find a lender willing to answer their phone on weekends? Believe me, there are plenty out there willing to work! Getting a quick pre-approval can be done on the phone and at no cost to the prospect. If the prospect isn't willing to do this, what other reason could they want to be inside the seller's home?
At the VERY least you should disclose to the listing agent or seller that "your" buyer has not been pre-approved.
John, there have been many opinions given here and if that works for those Realtors then great...no argument here. However, my philosophy is more aligned with yours. If we truly are in a relationship building business...meeting and getting to know the consumer/customer hopefully soon to be client does not seem to be out of line. Sure, you don't want to show someone all over the county without knowing if they are even qualified to buy a home (that does no one any good), but meeting them face to face and not necessarily in your office, gives you an opportunity to build that relationship before cutting it off at "are you pre-qualified". I'm feeling the need to do a follow up or parallel post.
John... I was out with clients and missed this last week.. GREAT post. I have found time and again that new buyers love to look at my new construction homes. They are not always "ready" to buy when they call. Time and again what I have found is that they end up at the home, get prequal immediately as they have fallen in love with the "brand new" concept, and there is no turning back. If I did not show it to them, they would have gone elsewhere. When I get the calls I do ask the right questions and make sure of a few things previously. But like you, I find it an opportunity to meet them.. and see just what I can do to get them in to that house, or build them another. No meeting, and they are off to another realtor.