Agents: Give Your Buyers the Goldilocks Treatment
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If you’re a smart Realtor working with buyers, you’ll be even pickier than your buyers are about what they buy. You’ll let them be fickle and fidgety. You’ll give them plenty of time.
Example:
You’ve spent the last six months showing Goldie full-floor, top-floor Victorian condos with exclusive use parking and located within 10 blocks of Dolores Park. During that time – in addition to the properties that met every criteria – you’ve brought to Goldie’s attention notable listings that are missing one or two must-haves. These include:
A condo located a half block from the park but built in the 1930s instead of the late 1890s. Full of charming architectural details, just not Victorian ones.
The best Victorian you’ve seen in 20 years but it has no garage. Located on a quiet block with plenty of street parking.
A two-level 1896 condo – the lower of two – with its primary bedroom on the lower level. No noise transfer from above thereby meeting the wish for peaceful sleep.
Goldie rejects ALL these alternatives.
So when Goldie calls, texts and emails excitedly to find out when you can show her the just-listed Nob Hill tenancy-in-common unit in a circa 1960s building with no parking and no possibility of adding parking, you might be inclined to feel irritated.
Yet you’ll give Goldie the Goldilocks treatment. You’ll indulge her as she samples and rejects various porridges – whether made of oatmeal, rice, barley or buckwheat groats. You’ll listen with curiosity as she asks detailed questions about the Avocado Omelet, the Swedish Pancakes, the 5-Spice Tofu stir-fry, the Carrot Cake smoothie, the Belgian waffle and the Mushroom Miso soup.
You’ll give her all the respect an adult deserves, and all the while you will “hold” her like a child. You’ll understand that she’s allowed to change her mind, and not think clearly, and not actually know what she wants.
That’s what it’s all about for buyers. Getting it just right.
If Goldie needs to see 100 homes before she buys the 101st, then you patiently arrange for her to see 100 homes. Of course, you can try to reduce your weary involvement by sending her to open houses or having an assistant or colleague do some of the showings. But – if you’re smart – you will not impose some Mike Ferry-ish deadline. You won’t say, “Are you prepared to make an offer this weekend on one of the five properties we’re about to see, or else?”
You’ll remember that this is not about making a sale without honoring the relationship and that – bottom line – this is a much bigger deal for Goldie than it will ever be for you.
Give ‘em the Goldilocks treatment and next thing you know your clients will be introducing you to all their monied pals – Red “Riding” Hood and her grandmother with the country estate, Ms. S. White and the (seven!) highly-successful Dwarf brothers, Rapunzel and her stepmom (who’s an influencer in the wiccan world), and even Mr. and Mrs. Bear.
Photo Credit: micheile dot com
Author and RealEstateTherapy curator Cynthia Cummins has been devoted to homeowners and homebuyers for three decades and counting. Visit KindredSFhomes.com for more information on San Francisco real estate.
