Losing my buyers to inattention

Well, I asked and they said...

I worked with a young couple last year as their buyer's agent.

They qualified for a loan and had some pretty specific parameters, so we were looking for the right house. Well, we put an offer in on one house but there was some confusion as to whether the home had septic or cesspool, and the offer got rescinded. It turned out the house had septic, but by then they had decided to put off buying for awhile.

Fast forward a few months...

And yep, you guessed it: in casual conversation they mentioned buying a new home. Well, I was a bit floored - I didn't know they were looking again. I didn't know what to say because my feelings were hurt! I thought I'd done a good job for them and for the next few days I wondered often what clue I'd missed. I did congratulate them and all that ya-da ya-da, but all the time, wondering.

Several weeks have gone by.

It finally dawned on me that instead of wondering, I should just ask them! So, acting on the spur of the moment, I sent emails to them (it was about 10pm) and asked how I had let them down and assured them that I just want to be a great agent and their comments could be helpful.

Turns out, they hadn't actually made a conscious decision to go buy, just wandered in to a new construction site and got roped in by the on-site agent who told them they had to work with her. I don't know the details, but I got two big lessons from this experience!

Big Lesson 1

Keep your buyers close! I knew they were ready emotionally to buy, so I should have kept up weekly conversations about a strategy for them. I did have them on my 12 Direct campaign, but it should have been more focused and frequent.

Big Lesson 2

While they replied to my email that they had really enjoyed working with me and thought I did a fine job, I see that I really failed them! How did I not stress strongly enough that they should have always had my card with them when they visited new construction? And apparently, they had forgotten that they had signed a buyer's agency agreement with me. In fact, the other agent should have asked if they were working with an agent.

I think they are happy with their new home, and all's well that ends well. I've got some other first time home buyers that have decided to postpone purchasing. I know to keep them supplied with my cards and I know to hold them close this time :D

So if you're a buyer remember that your buyer's agent is almost always locked out of the transaction if you enter a new-home site without your agent or at least their card. And if you are working with a buyer's agent (especially a signed agreement) make sure the on-site agent knows this. While nearly all of the on-site agents are honest, they are necessarily loyal to the seller and working in the seller's best interest!