Buyer 101: My 3 Biggest Buyer Mistakes
Early in my career I was SO EXCITED!!! Too much so. Taking classes, going to seminars, traveling to builder conventions, the opportunities for achieving success were endless. I do admit that when it came to real life experience, I fell short, ignoring some obvious issues and common-sense boundaries.
My rose-colored glasses told me “it would work out.” Spoiler alert...it didn’t, resulting in wasted time and resources. Those experiences taught me more about buyer representation and expectations than any class ever could.
Here are the 3 biggest mistakes I made with home buyers:
A woman called and wanted to see homes in a certain price range. She asked me to meet her at her house so we could head out together. When I arrived, her husband (who had no idea I was coming) answered the door and asked who I was. I nervously joked that I was there to represent his roommate in a house purchase. Awkward doesn’t even begin to describe the situation!
That painful lesson taught me to always ask upfront: “Is there anyone else who may need to be on the paperwork or should be involved in this purchase?” I now make that a standard question before any meeting.
2. Then there was Lila. A sweet, older lady who arrived at every showing in a cloud of heavy perfume, within minutes it choked me. I stayed quiet because I didn’t want to offend her but the real issue came when she wanted to use a single gold nugget as a down payment. She was completely serious‼️
I should have addressed the perfume -and- her unrealistic expectations sooner. The whole process became painful, falling apart. Sometimes speaking up instead of smiling through a toxic haze of perfume works best.
The third mistake was working with buyers who lacked any sense of urgency. They seemed extremely motivated until realizing they were monopolizing my time by requesting to look at houses, helter-skelter. I burned a lot gas before the Buyer Broker Agreement expired. Eventually, they bought with someone else.
Now, I say, “I only work with buyers who are ready to purchase.” These days, at the end of every buyer consultation I also ask this question, “Are you ready to move forward when we find the right home?”
Getting buyers into a home has incredibly rewarding especially when expectations and respect align. Have you had any wild or painful first-time buyer experiences you’d like to share? ⬇️ Drop them in the comments below! ⬇️
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