I was out showing houses yesterday with some real motivated buyers. A couple of items caught my attention during these showings.
As we entered the first property my buyer asked me about the price. For the neighborhood he felt it was a bit high. My response was "not really, this custom built home is not like some of the others." A short time after entering I heard the comment "the pictures do not do justice to this house!"
Pictures are important.
I have been in many listings where the photos made the property look better but this was a first for me. Pictures can work both ways.
The next property was a bit newer. Coincidentally the listing agent was conducting an open house. While my buyers were looking I made small talk with the hosting agent. (I don't bird-dog my buyers). I asked simple questions.
First, who was the builder? There were multiple builders in this gated community. Some were custom builders while others used cookie cutter plans. The agent's response...I don't know.
I then asked a simple question about the age of the house. Again the agent did not know the answer. Nor did the agent know the answer about homeowner association fees.
The agent did know the answer to how long they had been an agent... not very long.
Product knowledge is key. Neighborhood knowledge is crucial. There is even more to an open house than just having the front door open.
By the way, my buyers did put an offer in on the first house.
Comments (6)Subscribe to CommentsComment