Organizing and managing a pool of buyers so that all of their needs can be serviced is often a challenging task for Realtors. Particularly for those with a broad customer base. Some suggestions below.
Categorizing and Needs Assessment
“A” prospects: Plan on purchasing a home within 30 days (Need to be contacted almost daily.)
“”B” prospects: Plan on purchasing a home within 31 – 180 days (Depending on which end of the spectrum they are on, you might contact them multiple times a week. The frequency is also dependent upon the quality of new inventory.)
“C” prospects: Plan on purchasing a home in 180 – 365 days (Unless an unusual opportunity presents itself, contacting them once per month should be sufficient.)
Imperative Questions
As is most always the case in business, the quality of the questions that you ask will go a long way in helping you assess the client’s needs. The following six are imperative for all Realtors to ask.
- If you could live anywhere in town, where would that be?
- What is lacking in your current home that is inspiring you to move?
- How soon would you like to move?
- Are you able to purchase another home without selling your present one?
- What are the three things in a home that you can’t live without?
- What is your ideal closing date?
Caution
If you are new to the business or don’t have very much of it, you should be less cautious about with whom you take the time to view homes. One of my first buyers was going through a divorce and he told me that he wasn’t going to purchase a home until it was finalized, probably sometime within the next six to twelve months. He wanted to start looking, however, immediately. Having very little experience at the time and wanting to learn as much about the business as possible, I showed him homes the very next day. He bought one our first time out. If nothing else, you will at least be better prepared to service the extremely motivated buyer when you do have one.
What other imperative questions should you ask a buyer before taking them to view homes?
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