I really like to hear this type of advice. I think more agents should take note of it.

One of our biggest problems we face are the clients who fall under the “entitled buyer” category.

While we are always striving to provide excellent service to all of our clients, these guys make it so hard becuase it’s almost like they are playing games with us and ultimately wasting our time.

I think the key to remember is that it is vital to seperate the serious buyers from the window shoppers.

One of my all time favorites is to simple do a “match and mirror”. Knowing that people like buying from people they can relate to, I simply try to become like them. I match their voice in both pitch and speed. I even try to match their body language without appreaing like a copycat.

In selling rent-to-own homes, I am often times dealing with people who are excited about finally being able to get into a home of their own. So, I try to match their enthusiasm. Works for me!

It’s hard enough to sell houses that are priced properly let alone overpriced ones.

They would call but leave no messages. They would ask questions over and over, not remembering the answer I gave them previously. And They wanted to buy a house at such a low price they’d be practically living in it for free, even though they were able to buyer about double that amount.

Plus, they wanted to make 70-80% list price offers. I said thanks for the time, and moved on.

The Entitled Buyer is a real problem. I’ve never been good at telling people it’s not okay to call after a certain hour or whatever. I know it’s exploitative but if I really don’t want to talk to them, I know I can turn off the phones. Most of the time it’s not a problem though. I guess I need a life!

Developing techniques to recognize the Browser & the Indecisive Seller early on in the process is one of the most important things a Realtor can learn to do to save time. The problem is that you rarely know you’re dealing with one of these until the writing is on the wall, so-to-speak, and you’ve already made a major investment. Recently I’ve been brainstorming ways to get paid upfront (reimbursable if there’s a listing that goes to close) for consulting to people who I feel are wishy-washy (e.g. at risk of changing their mind about listing). It’s tricky but it can work and already has. It’s a little harder to do with buyers but can be done and should be, especially when one senses there might be a lack of commitment. Open houses are notorious for producing “professional browsers” so Realtors should be especially on their toes to ask the right questions upfront. A quick, “Are you from the neighborhood?” can help weed out these time-wasters so you can quickly move on to better prospects.