And The Buyer Said , "We Can Skip This One ... "

Buyers do often have their own list of homes gathered from the Internet.  After I go through their list to make sure the property is still active (often it is not) I look to see when these didn't come up in the search I have set up for them.  I do suggest they drive the neighborhood, understand whether the house backs up to a street, train track or anything else they have indicated doesn't match their criteria.  Driving the neighborhood is the best option.  Due to steering laws we need to be careful what we are telling them about the neighborhood.  

Hey Michele!  

Great post.  I have been coached and I coach my buyers agents to let the client make the decision.  Especially here in South Florida where it is a melting pot of people from different backgrounds.

Although if I EVER hear the word 'interesting' it's usually a 'no go' :)

Have a fantastic Wednesday!

If you're showing homes in the neighborhood they've requested, then I wouldn't pass it by. I've had buyers decide they didn't want to see a home once outside the door but I say, "well, we're already here and the owners have been sitting on the couch waiting for us, so let's just go through it quickly." You never know. As far as I'm concerned - what some people will love and what some people will hate is the biggest unknown until you've gotten to know them much better.

I have them drive the area if at all possible. Here I end up with a lot of retirement relocation so they are not as familiar but I still point them in the right direction and gently say "go forward..." They are pretty smart! 

Have not worked with the buyers much in recent years. Needs lots of patience and hand holding.....

With the technology most look on their own, often skip the original realtor go direct to listing agent. 

Buyer agents are few and fewer these days in our area,

Agreed - I can make a shack look almost as nice as the Taj Mahal!  Problem for me is that sending buyers out in my large, rural area means they may get lost and frustrated.

Michele, I'm working with buyers that relocated from Minnesota. While they have been here for six months now ... and yes, we have been looking at home the entire time, when they want to see a particular home I will remind them that we have been to that area and they did not like it. 

We actually saw homes last weekend and the comment was that home was worse than lipstick on a pig.  The MLS photos and the photos on the flyer were not photos of the house we toured.  That's another story.

I would hope, think, wish, that all buyers would drive around a bit and get a general idea of where they'd want to be.  

     Listing photos are a blessing and a curse.  They can help a Buyer decide quickly whether or not "this is a possible; let's see it", or the pictures can be photo-shopped to the point of false and misleading advertising.

Michele, I do the same thing. More often than not, when the buyers see the area and the house they drop it from the list. I love selling in the Internet age, but it can be deceiving. I had a showing today that was a bust because the photos were better than the house, but the buyers were sure that was the one. Next.

I have actually had the conversation with them about whether or not they would consider a home with electrical towers, railroad tracks and those types of things.

It is sometimes not fair to "skip" based on photo's. If I strongly felt that way, I was able to persuade buyers to look anyway.

If I arrive at a home with buyers in tow, and they want to skip a house due to the curb appeal (lack of), I will ask them to give me five minutes if the home is occupied. If it's vacant I will gladly skip it. 

Yes, I will let a prospective buyer know of homes they choose which I believe would be a bad fit.  If they still want to see them, that's fine, I'll show it to them.

I wouldn't tell the buyer anything before pulling up. What might be a presumed issue, may not be for them. (We've seen that happen just recently.)