Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Because they're NOT from the area, you've decided to drive a couple around in your vehicle to look at a number of homes that they're interested in. What decision do you make as to whom you place where?
How do you determine which of the two is the better one to place in which seat or does it really matter? Just on GP, does the wife go in front and husband in back, or visa versa.. or does it depend on your sex? Female R/E Agent.. so wife in front?
As a R/E Agent, how prepared do you want your prospective buyers to be when it comes to them looking at property? Are we talking about them having a "Home Buyers Checklist".. "Digital Camera".. "Laptop Computer".. "Tape Measure", etc. with them as you go from property to property, or is that going a little too overboard?
If the property being shown is non-occupied, then what's the length of time involved in the showing? Do you try to control that.. or do you leave it up to the buyer?
As far as showing the property.. would you prefer the prospective buyers pre-check out the outside of the vacant property and surrounding area before you take them around to look inside.. or would you rather they wait?
Hang in there y'all. there's a method to my question(s) madness.
Because they're NOT from the area, you've decided to drive a couple around in your vehicle to look at a number of homes that they're interested in. What decision do you make as to whom you place where?
How do you determine which of the two is the better one to place in which seat or does it really matter? Just on GP, does the wife go in front and husband in back, or visa versa.. or does it depend on your sex? Female R/E Agent.. so wife in front?
As we are walking toward my car, I hit the remote to unlock it. I then open the drivers door to get in, and let them decide who sits where.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Country Cowboy
As a R/E Agent, how prepared do you want your prospective buyers to be when it comes to them looking at property? Are we talking about them having a "Home Buyers Checklist".. "Digital Camera".. "Laptop Computer".. "Tape Measure", etc. with them as you go from property to property, or is that going a little too overboard?
I make sure they have a copy of each listing, as well as a copy of the "needs & wants" lists that we have made. I suggest that they make notes on the back side of each listing as we are viewing the house, so they can be sure the notes are with the right house info. I tell them in advance that they can bring a camera if they want, or use mine. Especially for first time viewing, it's not about the little details of each house; it's about deciding if the house meets the majar criteria, and "feels" like a house in which they could live. Second visits are for closer detailed looks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Country Cowboy
If the property being shown is non-occupied, then what's the length of time involved in the showing? Do you try to control that.. or do you leave it up to the buyer?
For the average house in my market area, 15 minutes is usually plenty for a first viewing. I will "nudge" them with questions like "is there anything else we need to see here?" or "Should we head out to our next house?", but I don't push them out the door. If they really want to take a good look, that's usually an indication they really like the place and want to consider it as a serious possibility.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Country Cowboy
As far as showing the property.. would you prefer the prospective buyers pre-check out the outside of the vacant property and surrounding area before you take them around to look inside.. or would you rather they wait?
You said they were from out of the area. That being the case, I'd never suggest that they go driving around to look at the outsides without me. If, however, they will be in town a few days and WANT to go check out some neighborhoods and houses, I'll happily give them addresses & directions, along with a supply of my cards, in case they happen to "run into" a seller or sellers agent. I'd prefer to be there with them, however, when they reject a house or a neighborhood, so I can see what it is they are rejecting. If possible, I want to know what to not bother sending to them in the future.
Great answers Bill. I don't tell anyone where to sit if they are riding with me. I take my cue from the clients and offer advice & guidance where appropriate.
As the husband and breadwinner, I sit in back and keep silent when looking at houses. I am not being sexist. This is part of our strategy. We plan ahead of time to fit the stereotype. My wife sits in front and chats up the agent while I pretend to doze. I rarely say anything to the agent, not much more than an occasional grunt in response to a question. We prefer that the agent knows as little as possible about us and our ability to pay for property. Normally, I am quite talkative. I research the properties we look at ahead of time. We usually know whether we will make an offer before we look at the property with the agent. I make the final decision with my wife's input, of course. Usually, we make our first offer our best and only offer. The agents are usually a bit off balance. We have given as little as one hour for the seller to accept our offer. The only thing we negotiate on is details like closing dates, etc. Never price. If the seller doesn't bite, we move on. There are lots and lots of houses for sale. Especially now. We have bought and sold five houses in 30 years. We are renting and just now getting interested in looking again.
It's been shown time and time again that the person who picks the front seat is the decision maker. It's fun to see if it will be him or her... Only a couple of times in my 10 years has the backseat person made the decision.
Not necessarily true ! I am short and hubby is 6'3, I always let him get in the front seat, more leg room. But I make the decision...I thought all wives did?
You put the infant in the child seat and let the others decide where to sit. The person that picks the front seat may or may not be the decision maker, it may just be the person that has a physical requirement that dictates the front seat.
As the husband and breadwinner, I sit in back and keep silent when looking at houses. I am not being sexist. This is part of our strategy. We plan ahead of time to fit the stereotype. My wife sits in front and chats up the agent while I pretend to doze. I rarely say anything to the agent, not much more than an occasional grunt in response to a question. We prefer that the agent knows as little as possible about us and our ability to pay for property. Normally, I am quite talkative. I research the properties we look at ahead of time. We usually know whether we will make an offer before we look at the property with the agent. I make the final decision with my wife's input, of course. Usually, we make our first offer our best and only offer. The agents are usually a bit off balance. We have given as little as one hour for the seller to accept our offer. The only thing we negotiate on is details like closing dates, etc. Never price. If the seller doesn't bite, we move on. There are lots and lots of houses for sale. Especially now. We have bought and sold five houses in 30 years. We are renting and just now getting interested in looking again.
I let the clients choose who sits where, if they have done their research ahead of time all the better. However, I'm not sure if keeping the agent in the dark as stated above helps the buyer at all. There are people who think they know more than you do about real estate because they buy 5-6 homes in the last thirty years, eventually you'll be involved in 1-2 transactions per month (hopefully) and the knowlege you'll accrue will be far beyond the normal home buyer. If they understand that you're the professional they'll ask for your advice. If you feel your buyer doesn't trust you enough to keep you in the loop and allow you to be on the same page, it's not a good fit. You have to be on the same team as your client, how can you work in their best interest if there's a "us and them" type of attitude from the get-go? You can't.
As agents we must ask questions, lots of questions from the beginning. Different clients will take different amounts of time, let them make those decisions.
Last edited by TheyCallMeDerek; 09-02-2010 at 08:32 AM..
The first thing I do is ask them if they want to caravan, ride in my pickup, or all go in their vehicle, and that I am completely comfortable with whatever preference they have. As for who sits where, that would be up to the adults in question, I would think. It varies, depending on the sizes of the people in question, where the most leg room is in the vehicle we're in, whether one party wants to drive (if we're going in their vehicle) and the other wants to sit in back and watch and have me up front to navigate or vice versa. Who sits where, though, is really not even a serious question in the overall scheme of things.
As for knowing as little about them as possible, what I need to know is what are they preapproved for so that we are not looking at properties that they will not be able to purchase. Actually, more than that, I need to know if they are comfortable spending what they are preapproved for or do they want to spend less than that. I also need to know what they're looking for, and why - that is, the goals that they are trying to achieve with a new home, as sometimes there's a house that doesn't exactly meet the specifics that they've set out but that would achieve those goals as well as or better than the house they describe, and if they are all about keeping their cards close to the chest, they'll miss out on what might have been the perfect home for them. Having that information determines how well I'm able to do my job for them, so it is simply foolish to play a game with an agent that you are asking to represent your interests that hampers them being able to do so.
What I provide for showing is a copy of the MLS information on the property (for taking notes on and to serve as a reminder about the characteristics of each property), printed directions (if we're going in separate vehicles - if not, I have my own copy with me showing the quickest route from house to house), and a map that shows all of the properties in relation to each other and other points of interest in the area. Plus, if they are from out of the area, on the first trip, general information on the area and activities they've indicated to me they are interested in (golf courses or boarding stables, say) so that they can see where those are located in relation to the properties we're looking at. And, occasionally, a phone book (the yellow pages are always useful, I've found, when moving to a new area - you can look up the things you're most likely to want to find and see how available they are). Most every buyer client I've had has had a phone with them, but I always have mine along anyway, in case they don't and want a shot of a particular feature they want to remember. For newcomers to the area interested in horses (had this just yesterday), I provided a list of boarding stables in the area and also feed stores - they'll be receiving a list of equine veterinarians and farriers later once we zero in on the actual area they'll be buying in.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
