I don't know if you know what a secret shopper is, but it is a person that is paid, usually by the owner, to go in to a store or restaurant, pretend to be a customer and evaluate the service, and if a restaurant, the food.
I got a call the other day from a potential buyer for one of my listings and they asked the usual questions that buyers ask when they are shopping for a home. Of course, I asked them questions as well, just to get a feel if they were serious.
I got all her information before proceeding, but after that, this is how the conversation went.
The first question they asked me is how many bedrooms it had and, of course, I asked them how many they were looking for? They said, "4" and I said, "Great, you are in luck, this one happens to have four bedrooms."
The next question was, "How many baths does it have?" Of course, I asked, "How many would you like?" They answered "at least 2" and I told them, "Wow, we may have found your dream home, this one comes with 2 and a half!"
Then they asked, "OK, How many square feet does it have?" I said, "With the way things are going, I'm guessing just more than you are needing, but let's find out, shall we? So what is the minimum size home you are looking for?" She said, "2000 sqft." I then said, "This is your day, this is the largest home in the sub-division and it has 2154 sqft, but I have a question for you, if you don't mind me asking?"
She said, "Shoot!" I said, "Have you talked to a mortgage broker or bank loan officer yet?" She said, "No, should I?" I told her all the reasons she should do this before really getting serious about finding a home to buy. (Credit errors, may not qualify) I told her I didn't want to see any buyer get their hopes up and then get crushed with a "NO" it just hurts to much and usually after a person hears a "NO" it is another 2 years before they try again.
She said, "WOW, I didn't know that!" She then asked if the seller would consider taking less for the property than they were asking. I told her that I really couldn't answer that, as I just don't know and that isn't for me to decide. I am the agent, but my job is to present any and all offers and then it is for the seller to decided if they should take it or not. It would be like having a seller that asked about you "Will the buyer pay more?" I just don't know.
She was very grateful and I gave her three phone numbers for different mortgage brokers that I knew and suggested she give them a call and see what they could do for her and that I would call her in a week and check in. Then once she has the pre-approval that maybe we could go check out the house that she called in on.
That was the end...or so I thought! Three days later I got a call from the seller, saying "Thank you Todd for reassuring me of my choice in real estate agents!" "What do you mean?" I asked. She then said, "Three days ago, on the advice of a friend that most real estate agents would throw you under a bus for a deal, I was told I should have a fake buyer call you and see if you would throw me under the bus. I had a friend call and pretend to be a buyer and the main question she was to ask was, "Will the seller take less for the property?" and she did. You answered the way I was hoping you would with "I don't know, that isn't for me to decide" and I wanted to thank you for proving my friend wrong and making me realize I made the right choice in an agent that wants to make it a win-win and be fair to everyone involved by just telling the truth!"
I have to admit that made me feel pretty good, that is, until I realized that I didn't really have a buyer who was ready to go and get a home! Oh, well! So never throw your buyers or sellers under the bus, as the person you may be talking to may work for them!
Todd Clark - broker
Kastings & Associates
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)622-8739
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