I was assigned an area tour. The instructions came from the relocation department. A Florida doctor had been invited by a local hospital to interview for a position. It's just an interview with no formal offer. No contact information was provided in advance. I was to meet the nice doctor and his wife at a cafe as they would be concluding a luncheon meeting after two days of interviews with various hospital administrators. They would be ready to check out the area to see if they can imagine themselves living in the Hudson Valley.
I was to drive them past some community highlights and select about 4 homes to show them in their anticipated price range. The purpose of the area tour was to give them a sampling of life in the Hudson Valley. I was told their price range would be in the 700-800k range. No, problem. I just so happen to have been working with another doctor who has been looking for homes in that same range and I knew the inventory. So, I selected my favorites and being that I had already seen these properties I was totally prepared. Or, so I thought.
When I met this lovely couple at the cafe it was our first contact. I decided to take a moment to get to know them and then showed them the listings I had selected for them to see. That's when I found out that I was all wrong about their price range. Seems they told the HR department of the hospital that they had a house to sell in Florida that was in the 700-800k range. But, they told me at that very moment, that if they moved to New York, they wanted to stay within the 500-600k range. Just a little misunderstanding on the part of the hospital's HR department. Okay, so now what?
The appointments had already been made. I did not have a computer to check for other listings. I needed to coordinate a new last minute plan - and fast. I started thinking that we would have to incorporate a trip to my office in the middle of the area tour so I could stop off, cancel the scheduled appointments and hope for the sellers in a lower price range to accommodate my requests for last minute showings.
Then, suddenly I realized I didn't need to stop at my office after all. I didn't need a computer either. I just needed a few minutes to contact the listing agents of each of the listings that came to mind in the 500-600k price range. See, I knew the inventory and I was fortunate that they were interested in MY little town. Their focus was on MY own school district. In fact, my next door neighbor's home matched their criteria and I happen to be the listing agent for that property. Heck, I even thought this nice couple could make great neighbors. No, I don't need a computer to look up listings. Not if I know my local inventory well enough. Could I wing it? Could I fly by the seat of my pants? I was pretty sure I could.
All I had to do was excuse myself for a few minutes and return to my car where it would be easier to converse by phone. Let me step into my office! So, I called my friend/client/neighbor and pleaded with her to lift her 24 hour advance notice for potential out of town buyers who only had one day left before they leave. I was fortunate to reach each of the other listing agents for the other properties that came to mind. They all happen to be more than casual acquaintances - they were all in my Blackberry address book due to previous deals we've put together. They were thrilled that I would be showing their listings and quickly had me confirmed. I even took a few minutes to cancel the other appointments.
Ten minutes later, we were off on our area tour. Our meeting started at 3pm. We only had a few hours of daylight left. Had I stopped at my office, it would have caused me to back-track and lose valuable time. Everything came together! We had a great time in the few hours I had to get to know this couple and I think we really hit it off. But, more importantly I was able to wing it. I stayed organized and professional even when I started to feel a little frantic. I remained calm and in control. It helped tremendously that I knew the inventory and could benefit from the great relationships I have with the other agents within my community. And, I even showed them THE house. Of course, there has to be a formal job offer first and they would have to get their Florida home sold first before they could consider making an offer on a house here. But, the point is - it only took a few minutes for their criteria to register and for me to pick the right places for them to see - without the benefit of going to a computer and checking the MLS.
And, this is why it helps to know the local inventory.
I will always remember this afternoon as the day I pulled listings out of my butt head! What a great feeling, to be able to turn a confusing situation into a productive first encounter and positive experience for these potential buyers!
Comments(47)