Measure Twice, Cut Once! - Things My Father Taught Me, Part I
When I was a boy, I used to watch my father on weekends at his work bench in our garage. I always wanted to help, and as I got older, he let me. Nothing dangerous, but I got pretty good with a hammer and nails. Eventually, in my early teens, I was actually pretty handy and could build just about anything.
Would you buy my creations from Crate and Barrel? Probably not. But I still have some book shelves and an entertainment center that I built over 20 years ago. And guess what? They are in almost the exact same condition! My dad taught me a lot about the type of materials you use for certain projects, and that building something sturdy can't be rushed. All good lessons that I'm just now starting to fully understand.
But maybe the most important lesson that came from these little building sessions was the idea to "Measure twice, but cut once". Seems obvious enough, right? But you'd be surprised how many people cut, and cut, and cut.... and cut! Still not perfect, but close enough. Well that's not how I was taught, and I now understand why.
"Touching story, Rob, but how does this relate to real estate", you're wondering. SIMPLE!
I was speaking with another Realtor the other day who was complaining that they had to take their clients back for a second viewing. COMPLAINING about a second viewing! I had so many problems with this statement that I didn't know where to begin. So I think I said, "yeah, bummer"... or something to that effect.
Let me tell you why this was not only something NOT to complain about, but instead, something to celebrate!
1) In my personal experience, most of the time when a buyer wants a second or even third viewing, they are seriously considering writing an offer, and more often than not, WILL WRITE AN OFFER.
2) These are smart buyers! They're not thinking about flipping this property. They're looking at this as a long term investment, which they should, and seeing it again will help answer questions they've thought of since the 1st viewing.
3) Unless the property is 2 hours away, how is this any different from showing them a different property? Only this property, you know they're actually interested in.
I know some of you will bring up commissions, and yes, we do work on commission. The commission comes from selling homes, and this buyer is obviously a serious buyer, hence, you've just increased your chance of getting a commission. All true, but not really the point of the story (thanks though :-)
These buyers are measuring twice, and you should encourage it. They need your help so that they only have to cut once. Don't worry, it's unlikely that this is the last home they'll buy. Maybe you'll be fortunate enough to help them "cut" again some day.
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