Since the beginning of this year, I have wasted my share of time with people who looked, talked and seemed like they were real buyers, but they were not.
As I think back on what I did wrong, most of it was the way that I "qualified" them. It was all about that show-me-the-money thing, and they were certainly able to do that.
What I should have focused my attention on all three of the conditions necessary to have the real deal for a buyer. They must be ready, able and willing to buy. I was focused on able, and not paying enough attention to the "ready" and "willing" part of the equation.
Now, I am looking for more signs that, if I can find them the perfect place, they are likely to actually buy it.
What to do?
I think that we need to begin with a consultative meeting with our prospective buyers where we let them talk and where we really listen to what they say. Why are they buying? What are their concerns?
Jeff Dowler wrote a great post, Carlsbad Buyer Responsibilities where he communicates clearly what he expects of his buyers. While we are all trying to tell our buyers what we will do to help them find a new home, it is equally important that they understand that our expectation is that once we find them one or more great places, that they will indeed make a reasonable offer.
Real buyers are few and far between, which makes it all too tempting for us to embrace the not quite real ones when they show up at our Open Houses or in our emails.
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