I sell houses in Minneapolis and the seven county area. I work with buyers and sellers. Many people know I am a Realtor, so the first thing they say to me when we meet is, "So how is the real estate market?" My answer is that it is frustrating as there are so many fence sitters. I want to shout from the mountain, "Do Not Sit On the Fence!"
Sellers get so very frustrated as a buyer will see their house. Then they will come see it again. This is called lathering the seller up. He is ready to bite on an offer. The offer does not come. The feedback comes back that the buyer really, really likes the house. They are going to add it to their "list."
What is this list? How many houses can a buyer hold on a list? I tell my buyer they can keep one house at the end of the day when we are looking at houses. If they are only going to buy one house, then why having 5 houses on a list and then keep adding to it. If you have just one house on a list and then you play the game, "Beat that House," you will meet with success. A good sales person says A or B. You will never get closure if you offer A B C D. The choices are too great.
Buyers will say, "This is a big decision and I have to be sure." My answer is get serious. How long do you really think you will live in this house? Is there a perfect house? Even if your budget were higher, would you be able to find all the things you really want in a house?
Realtors stop being a consultant and start being a sales person. I know that sounds awful. You will appear pushy. They might not like you. Yet again, you might help them really buy a house which is the goal they started out with when they first met the Realtor. All sellers think the agent is showing their house to sell it. How upset they would be if they knew they just spent the last 30 minutes getting the house ready, pawning the kids off on neighbors, and then driving around for an hour with the hound dog in the car, to learn you are just exploring the world of houses with them. Sellers think Realtors select a house that falls into the profile of what the buyer wants. They would have their bubble burst if they found out why agents really show their house.
We can get the real estate market on more solid ground if Realtors showing houses took more control. They need to stop being tour guides and be the driver of the real estate bus. You might be surprised how many more referrals you will get from a buyer who lets you be the Realtor. They will not be so weary of the whole buying experience if us Realtors go back to our job.
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