These are so true! I will pass this on! Thanks.

I get calls all day long from folks looking for addresses.  They have the lamest excuses.  They want to Google it.  Or, they want to drive by and if they like it, they'll call.  Sure.  10 years ago, I believed that lie.  No more. 

Engage the caller and you'll find that they have an agent whom they can't reach by phone or their agent is out of town.  Amazing how much agents travel.  Or, worse, they'll "get an agent when they find the house they want to buy".  The services we offer is more than just a walking keypad. 

My web site is offering my services.  Simple enough. If the caller isn't interested in my services, call someone else and don't tie up my phone. 

Jim. That was some good thoughts. Thanks for sharing. Royal..

Jim. That was some good thoughts. Thanks for sharing. Royal..

Jim,

I cannot tell you how many times I get calls from people seeking work with us and all they want to know is what we use for this, how we handle that and what kind of software...etc.

I am half tempted to tell them and turn them loose - but can't really unleash them on unsuspecting Realtors out there!

Steve

Jim, very nice post, your years of experience shows, you know the saying about fooling some of the people some of the time---Bart

Jim, it doesn't take long in this business to realize most inquiries will lead nowhere....and for those of us who have picked up on these tips understand quickly how valuable our time is for those who will be serious sellers & buyers.

Jim, you always write such insightful posts. This is great information. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Have you ever noticed that the buyer who absolutely, positively has to see the home "tonight" because their agent is out of town, never ends up really seeing the home with their agent. (I always ask who their agent is.)

Or the buyer who needs to get pre-qual'd first before viewing that "one" home, nevers bothers to call a lender.

Or the potential seller you meet at the open house who doesn't yet have their home on the market because they know it will sell FASTER than it will take them to FIND the perfect home ....

The list goes on and on.

Jim - Pearls of wisdom for sure! This advice will help you (and now others) know how to not get blindsided by consumers looking to take advantage of you.

I think the buyers and sellers that do these things, do them all the time with everyone. Guess you develop an "eye" for stuff after awhile. (I'm still developing:)

Very good information.  Interesting and useful as usual.  Thanks for continuing to share what you know I learn so much! All the Best!

Kathy Fisher

Very good information.  Interesting and useful as usual.  Thanks for continuing to share what you know I learn so much! All the Best!

Kathy Fisher

Good insight - clearly learned from experience - thanks!

John Gray - McKenzie Valley Realtor

Nathan Diones  Enjoy it!

Homefinders, Real Estate in MD & VA, Lenn Harley, Broker, New & Resale Homes  Lenn I agree, that is my biggest pet peeve about callers that want more information!  Call them.  Why wastre my time? 

However, I will share with you something else that is happening here in Atlanta.  Companies that offer rebates to buyers, in small print have it that if they have to show you more than 5 homes, your rebate is only $500 as opposed to 2%!  So they actually tell the buyer to call other agents, and have them show you. If you see something you want to buy, don't call that agent back, call the other agents and they will write up the offer!  This is the latest!

Royal!  Glad you enjoyed!

Obeoman Steven Stearns  It is incredible isn't it?

BART WHITMORE REAL ESTATE CONSULTANT  There are just so many users, and time wasters out there!  The problem is that many new agents do not even know they are being used!

Elaine Reese, REALTOR® in central Ohio  Ouch I forgot about the "potential buyers" at open houses!  I stopped doing open houses when a person told me they lived in a trailer home and just like their Sundays looking at pretty homes after church and lunch!  Better than HGTV?  You bet!

Darleen McCullen, Broker-Raleigh, NC Real Estate  Thanks!  Glad you enjoyed it!

Bobby Carroll - Real Estate Marketing  Thanks Bobby!  The sad thing is there are so many time wasters!  As you get older, I wish I had those afternoons back that I missed with kids etc!

Karen Hurst ~ Real Estate Broker ~ Warwick ~ Rhode Island  I 'm still developing my intuition!

Kathy Fisher RE/MAX Unlimited Realtor Anytime!

John & Susan Gray  Only too happy to share!

Jim- so true, sadly too many agents only see what they wish, instead of reality. Thanks for reminding all of us how valuable our time is.

  What a detective you have become! I had rose tinted glasses when I first received my Realtors license. Boy! did I learn fast how people lie, just to use you for their own purposes. I am still learning the process of body language. The only point I disagree with is the riding in the car. Maybe its a regional thing. Yes, gas is expensive out here in the west coast however, most buyers like to follow in their own car for a couple of reasons. 1) so they don't have to move the car seats from car to car (2) so they can talk about you,the houses you show and not feel pressured.  Now I will study CSI

Jim- Thanks for sharing your list. I am new to Real Estate 3months truly appreciate the advice.

Billie Dalessio  Time is money!  How valuable are you?

 WINDY HIXSON / Tarbell Realtors-Riverside Ca The car thing is real!  And yes, "Buyers are liars!"

Dana Forster Realtor, A Home 4Sale Inc, Va  Anytime!  I wish someone had told me these things when I was new in real estate!

Good to see someone who is always trying to learn from their surroundings.  Awareness is the key to start obtaining success.  Good tips.

 Dave "Utah Dave" Robison - Utah Real Estate  Thanks Dave!

Good post, Jim!  I'm going to go out in a few minutes and mow my front yard!  

Great post as usual Jim.  And, I found myself nodding with each one I agreed with you on. 

Patricia Kennedy  Enjoy the day!

Bob Cumiskey  What is interesting is that most agents don't do enough deals to figure out the patterns!  We used to do about 40 deals a year at one time, now we refer out many of them...but you really have to pay attention... the public will use you and abuse you if we let them!  We have the power to stop that!

Aha!  I now know what I'll bring up at tomorrow's sales meeting!  I read various sources of industry news and try to bring something that will help our agents immediately to the meetings.  This week it's YOU!  (I've read you for years on the Re/Max message board. } Thanks

Kathy Judy LOL!  Thanks so much!

Jim Excellent list. Of course you have some very keen observations.

Jim:

Great wisdoms. Thanks so much for sharing these, I have never been one who wants to re-invent the wheel I love to learn from others.

Yep - I agree with all these points Jim.   Good reminders all...  We sometimes get so caught up in trying to make the relationship with the client that we miss the glaring danger signals they are sending us.  I for one need to focus more on these verbal and non-verbal clues to CHOOSE who we work with.  Once you have enough leads coming in to choose, choosing really gives you power in this business!  Thanks again for the great reminders.  Steve

Bill Gassett Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate  Thanks Bill...just sharing from our own personal experience!

Alan Kirkpatrick Austin Texas Real Estate  A mentor once told me "...it is great to learn from your own mistakes but wiser if you can learn from the mistakes of others!"

Steve Homer  Exactly!  You hit the nail on the head!  The secret is to generate enough leads to hand pick the best...we refer out the others.

Love this basic survival information!

 Myra Spano ~ Virginia Beach Real Estate  So do I!  LOL!  I learned a lot of it the hard way!

Jim, as usual a great post.  Informative and very interesting and thought provoking.  Thanks for all the great lessons I learn from reading your blogs.

Bob Cumiskey  Anytime!  I wish folks did this when I came in!

I love your posts. They are very entertaining and painfully true! Hopefully new agents can learn a thing or two from your posts. I know I do!

 LaNita Cates  LaNita you are very kind!  I think the easiest thing to do in training is to share real life stories.  I work and refer out to a lot of agents, and we talk everyday!  It is interesting what they say, and also what has happened to us in the past.  The first thing we have to eliminate on our road to success is time wasters, and unproductive activities.

Great tips!  I use to think- follow me and invest some of your gas money in this real estate search as well, but I have recently changed my mind!  Where were your tips when I started last year :)

I'm a fairly new agent, and I think I'll print out your post and read it again on a regular basis. I agree with one of the earlier posts about riding in the car. I think clients prefer to ride in their own car, especially the one's with kids in car seats. As a new agent (maybe this is a bad thing), I like to have a moment before and between showings to breathe and collect my thoughts. I'm sure as I get more experience, I won't feel like I need that time as much, but right now, I do. One thing I might add to the list, is if the house is in pre-foreclosure, or there are tenants in it that have to move, it's very difficult to have an easy showing. I've found that they REFUSE to leave, so you can show the house. Last Saturday, I went to show this house and the tenants were in BED, sick. Undaunted, I scheduled another showing for this Saturday, and gave them 48 hours notice, so they would have plenty of time. Fortunately they were gone, but they refuse to use a lock box, so I got a call from the tenant, upset that I hadn't put her key under the mat. I had one of those Twilight Zone moments, "Did I, or didn't I?" I apologized, headed toward the door to take her back her key, and then realized, "I put that darn thing under the mat. I was practically chanting to myself, 'Don't forget to put the key under the mat. Don't forget to put the key under the mat.'" As it turns out, her husband had taken it, but she still complained about a couple of the blinds being left open. The house was so darn dark when I got there (at 1:00pm) that you couldn't see anything. Every single blind in the house was completely shut. I got there early, before my clients,(just to make sure there was no one home again) and did the "open house" thing: turning on lights, opening the blinds, etc. Before I left, I shut all but maybe 1 or 2 of the blinds. My feeling? They don't want to move and they're going to make it as difficult as possible to sell that house. Since this is the 15th house I've shown these clients (and the second time in a couple of weeks that the people were still there when we arrived), I'm thinking to myself, "And people think Realtors don't do anything to earn their money." Wow, that was long. Guess I needed to vent. Thanks for a great post!

Dawn Workman, MBA  I've only been on Activerain for no quite 1 year and a half.

Marcia Clausen  Vent anytime it is a rough business.  I totally disagree with you about them riding behind.  You cannot sell them or close them in another car unless you are telepathic.  Real estate is all about the close.  The close is a sell based upon verb communication, interaction, facts, and overcoming the objections or impediments to a sale.  You would lose the greatest opportunity to close them by showing less homes if you knew what the buyers real motives adn hot buttons are.

Jim great post

I have experienced some of those things that I am sure many others have. Try to learn from the experience. Like a couple of other comments my experience on not having the clients ride with you has not been bad. I understand that you lose the opportunity to close. In todays age of meeting people you don't know at all - I actually like it when they follow.

My thoughts again is that it is not to your advantage.  It is your choice.