Margaret - with your experience, I'm sure that hearing all of the long term goals might even help you find a combination that the homebuyer might not have thought about.  Looking up homes online is great, but it's hard to search for things like "stone patio" or "in law suite".   Great information!

Hi Margaret,

Good approach for the buyer as well as yourself and or agents. Time is money not to menton the price of gas these days. Weeding out and identifying what the buyer really wants saves not only time buy much frustration.

Margaret, I like your "more than a taxi driver with the house key" approach. No one wants to waste time, yours or theres. Lots of questions help, but with many buyers as they see homes they change what their wants and needs are. That's where it gets difficult. I've concluded buyers don't know what they don't know. If they've never seen the five different styles of pools it is a real eyeopener for them.

MARGARET - I've often thought about this for myself.  Since I work with someone that actually won the lottery, I've seen what the dream home can be.  It's important to note that the dream home of today might not be the same as yesterday or tomorrow.  I find features that I like, and then see something that I like even more.  However, this is a great way for buyers to get started with targeted home search.  Good post!

Penny, with selling new homes, I'll bet this is more or less what you do... you "build" the buyers' dream home with all the options; then, if it's over their price range, you start backing down options 'til you have a new home they can afford.  It's a little more cut and dried than with resale homes!

Hal, I find this open-ended question gets the juices flowing MUCH more easily than asking what buyers are looking for in a home.  Sometimes, if you ask the second question, they've already edited their list to what they believe is doable.  It's possible I could find what they really want, if only they'd been candid.

Gary, you're right - buyers don't always know what they want, but part of that is because they don't know what's available.

I loved the way this was written... very creative!

I like that approach.  It helps to ID what they are aiming for in the future. My area is very, very expensive.  I have to really work with people on the needs vs. wants. Usually one partner wants more house while the other wants less overhead.  It helps to bring these differences into focus.  It also might help focus people on the ultimate goal....Too many obsess about what they can afford NOW and fail to recognize that getting to the dream house requires baby steps.

By keeping ultimate goals in mind really might help to focus younger people that they have to bite the bullet to get to reach their goals.

Adam, what fun!  Did you sell your lottery-winners smething really fabulous?  Do you keep in touch?

Desiree - How do you have time for the "rest" of ActiveRain while doing the M2T contest?

Ruthmarie - It's very conversational, and a fun conversation.  It always surprises me how often I go back to it, during the course of showing property.

Hi Margaret...Selling waterfront and water access property puts me in the market where people are buying their "dream" house.  It is interesting how their thoughts of what they want sometimes changes as they look and it is not always predicated on price.

I like your approach.  It helps your clients focus which helps all of you.

Kate

P.S.  Sometimes we are volunteer tour guides, not even paid taxi cab drivers.  That's part of the job.

Margaret-  what a GREAT shot off the deck!  That's enough to make me start dreaming  :)

Hmm.  Very interesting question!  If price were no object, I'd like to have something like this: 

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Old_Faithful_Inn_main_facade.jpg

Now, getting back to reality, I really like the way you approach your clients.  I'm sure you've helped many people clarify their thinking with this type of question, which will result in them making better home buying decisions.  Thank you for this tip.

I'm more than a taxi-driver with a key to get inside homes that are for sale.

Very well stated.  Your knowledge of the market is what sets you apart, and knowing how to apply that knowledge to each buyer client.

Great post!  By asking buyers this question fisrt you'll be able to get them to focus on their needs after they tell you their wants. 

Thanks, David, Georgina, Sandi, and Kathleen - I appreciate your comments, and will reciprocate when I have better access to Internet.  Probably around August 10.