"So This Is the Kitchen?"

I have a philosophy about being a Realtor® ... NO ONE EVER SOLD A HOUSE.

But Ron, you say, I just sold a house last week. I can show you where MLS has it's status as sold, so you're wrong.

Let me ask you, did you sell it, or did you set the stage for someone to become interested in buying it? We as Realtors® are marketers, not salesmen. The old days when agents were the gatekeepers to what was for sale are long gone. In those days, people walked into the office looking for a home, so the agent would pull out "the book" and essentially guide them to some choices. They were then supposed to make a decision, so to some extent they were sold on what was available to them.

Nowadays, if they even bother to come to the office they have a first edition printing of what they want to see, but usually they contact the agent before that point. So we now market our listings to attract prospective buyers to the home, not the office.

With that said, why would you take up there time with a running narrative about the physical attributes of the home once you get them inside. I love the ones who say "and this is the kitchen" (you can probably tell because of the oven, the sink, and the stove). "Now we move to the bathroom" (which features a tub and commode). No kidding ... I expected the commode to be in the garage!

The late sales trainer Doug Edwards made a living by saying "when you ask the closing question ... SHUT UP!!!" Nothing will be gained if you continue to talk before the buyer responds. In the case of a home, it asks the closing question ... "do you want to buy me?" The buyer should be focused on soaking in the features of the home, not listening to your trivial banter, so SHUT UP!!! Let he or she concentrate on what they like, and if they ask a question you may answer it.

The home sells itself ... you just create the stage for it.