I can’t tell you how many times I have had a call or email like this: "We would like to see the home again that you showed us last week. I don't remember the address, but it is the one where we could watch sunsets from our kitchen window." It could be the one with the fireplace in the bedroom, or near the bus stop, or whatever.
Feedback like this from a buyer tells me they can picture themselves living in that home because it satisfies their emotional needs, like convenience, safety, fun, pleasure, and pride of ownership.
Multiple listing service data provides invaluable data. But it cannot provide the most important information I need to help clients find their sunset view—the prospective buyers' feelings.
It is easy for real estate brokers to become so focused on a client’s ability to pay and their urgency to buy that what they are willing to buy is overlooked.
As I work with new buyer clients I listen to the cues they give about their lifestyle, making mental note of anything that this emphasized, such as "fireplace," "backyard," "porch," "bus stop," "trees," and other items related to their desired location. I try to get a sense of how important each of these lifestyle key words are in the big picture. We have fun with the discussions and it helps narrow down which homes we’ll preview.
Sometimes, in fact often, I listen intently for the points on which the couple disagrees. One thinks having trees is very important. She thinks convenience to school is more important.
As we go through this together I learn more about their interests, common goals and emotional needs in relation to their home purchase. I believe this is an important strength of mine as a broker which has allowed me to be a top agent in Linn County for many consecutive years.
In the end, if I don’t understand and accommodate my customer, what kind of business success will I have? Not much.
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