1. Window shoppers: Some clients will take you on a wild hunt for the perfect home, but they aren’t committed to purchasing and say they hope to buy “someday.” “Some home buyers want to see every single house that’s on the market,” even if the home doesn’t match their criteria, says Rae Wayne, a sales associate with the Bizzy Blondes team in Los Angeles. You may want to encourage these types of buyers to attend open houses so they don’t end up draining all of your valuable time.
2. Too secretive: You think of yourself and your client as a team, but the customer may not always see it that way. Some clients think they would be better off keeping certain information secret from you. For example, buyers might worry about telling you the maximum amount they’ll pay for a home, fearing that even you, their agent, will talk them into spending more than they want to.
3. Lowballers: Even if a home is priced fairly for the market, you’ll have clients who refuse to make a higher offer and won’t listen to your advice otherwise. “We understand that people want to save money,” says Lisa Cahill, an agent in St. Petersburg, Fla. “But if you make a ridiculously lowball offer, you could lose out on a home that you love.”
4. Unrealistic expectations: Clients who have a strict idea of their perfect house may be unwilling to compromise on anything. “There are compromises with everything,” Wayne told realtor.com®. “Even when people custom-build their own homes, once they move in, they realize it’s not perfect.”
5. Poor communication skills: Clients may
rely too heavily on texting to communicate during a real estate transaction. It may be a fine option for setting up a showing or asking a quick question about a house, but to discuss important issues, a phone call is better. Nancy Newquist-Nolan, a Santa Barbara, Calif.-based agent, recalls one buyer who withdrew an offer that was already accepted via text. “A few days later, they decided it was the right property and placed another offer,” Newquist-Nolan says. “Two days into escrow, they texted again and backed out.” It was a frustrating conversation that could have been handled better over the phone or face to face, she adds.
Source: “6 Secret Thoughts Real Estate Agents Have About Home Buyers – Revealed,” realtor.com® (July 17, 2017)
