Selecting a Realtor....acid test #3

One very critical role that a professional Realtor plays is to assist the client in working through their goals and desires. While many clients start out thinking that they know what they want, I have found that when face to face with some possibilities, whether a piece of property for a buyer or an offer for a seller, the client's behavior does not seem consistent with what he or she has been saying. I believe that this discrepancy often comes from the fact that many people are motivated by their hearts and souls, and what we say is just what is in our heads. I have known many Realtors who show properties to buyers for months, if not years, to find that nothing appeals.....then, one day, the Realtor shows a property that he or she thinks is a long shot, and "that's it". Then there are the Realtors who bring an offer to their seller with the idea that the seller will be pleased; the property had been on the market for a long time and there had been no other offers. Contrary to what the Realtor thinks, the seller gets very upset with the offer and refuses to negotiate. What happened?

I suspect in both of these situations, the Realtor really did not understand what the client wanted or needed. The effective and efficient Realtor should start out each client relationship with a long list of questions, the answers to which create a rich picture of what the client really wants. If the Realtor's questions to buyers are limited to a few characteristics of the property, such as bedrooms, baths, kitchen, number of stories, budget, the Realtor is effectively working in the dark when it comes to finding a match. Most buyers have some sense of how the perfect property will make them feel, and that feeling needs to happen when the buyer first sees the property. The successful professional Realtor will have talked with the buyer early on to find out what is in the buyer's heart...and will proceed to find the property with that in mind.

So here are the key questions in this acid test:

1. Does the Realtor seem interested in spending time trying to get to know you and what you really want? How much time has the Realtor spent LISTENING to you before taking you out to see property or taking a listing on your property?

2. How does the Realtor deal with your uncertainties? Does he or she try to talk you out of your concerns or try to help you work through your concerns? Remember that seller who got upset when he got an offer? Well the Realtor did not know or take seriously the seller's concern about not having the property when his son came on weekends. So when confronted with an offer, the seller's concern about his son became overwhelming and he did not want to sell. A professional Realtor should have known about this concern at the outset and helped the client comes to grips with the concern before taking the listing.

3. Do you feel as if you have your Realtor's full attention? Is he or she interested in you a person?