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Too bad!
It just happened again. I’m sitting on an open house, and a couple walks in; immediately I can sense that their desire to see the house has overridden their non-desire to speak with a REALTOR® inside the house. They clearly don’t want to talk to me, don’t want to sign in, are looking around, not making eye contact. I’m welcoming but trying to not get in their way. I ask if they found their way to the open from directional signs or from advertising, and they do answer me. The wife heads downstairs as I ask the husband if they have been to many open houses today (a few, apparently). He says he’s had about enough of opens, trying to look beyond what’s there to what could be there to meet their needs. I’d love to encourage the conversation, but he’s still not making eye contact. I say, “I understand” about the time the wife hits the top of the steps to declare that the house is too small for them. They do explain why, and as I point them in the direction of some slightly larger homes, they are backing toward the door, ready to escape. They say they appreciate the suggestion and take off.
Now, some agents would hold them verbally hostage, force a business card in their hand, make them take a brochure they didn’t want. I know that I gave them an opportunity to talk to me further about their needs, but they obviously didn’t want to. (They may already be working with another agent, they didn’t say.) As they shut the door behind them, I couldn’t help but think, “Too bad!”
Too bad that they wouldn’t let me help them. Too bad that they didn’t ask the questions that they needed to ask. Too bad that they wouldn’t put the expertise of a professional to work for them. For whatever reason, it seems like many buyers don’t recognize how much help an agent can be in recommending a property, a neighborhood, a home design that might work for them. I could have suggested which townhomes they could focus on that would have given them enough room for a grand piano on the lower level, and an entrance for students, because I know my market well enough to know which homes inside each community have the proper elevation to allow for a walkout downstairs.
How do you engage a customer that doesn’t want to be engaged? Are they just doomed to struggle on their own until they get frustrated enough with the process to ask for help? I’d hate to think that those buyers are going to end up traveling from open house to open house until they hit upon one that works for them, only to possibly be preyed upon by an agent willing to take advantage of their lack of consumer education about agency and representation. (I’m not knocking dual representation, but if the buyer doesn’t understand the rights they are signing away it’s a problem for everyone.)
As REALTORS®, are we not explaining effectively what we can bring to the transaction that a buyer would find valuable? Buyers need to know that their buyer’s agent will hold their information confidential, and look out for their interests above all else. That we will listen to their needs and help them find the best city, neighborhood, and home that suits them. That we will negotiate fiercely on their behalf to help them get the best deal. That we will put knowledge and experience to work as they progress through the loan process, the inspection process, and the closing itself. The goal is for the transaction to feel so smooth that the client doesn’t realize all the hard work the buyer’s agent has put in to make it that way.
So for the couple that came through my open house that didn’t give me the chance: I’m sorry that I didn’t get to show you how I could help. I sincerely hope that you are working with a good buyers agent that will guide you to the home of your dreams. And if you aren’t working with one yet, please consider doing so…a buyer’s agent will be able to help you more than you realize.
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Congrats on your first post at VARBuzz.
And you are absolutely right, buyers don’t know what we can do for them. (becareful too when sitting open houses.) That was some odd behavior.
Heather - you are so right! I was speaking with a buyer today after showing property and discussing strategies for negotiating in this market. He really had no idea we do that!!!!
Tina in Virginia
> Too bad that they wouldn’t let me help them. Too bad that they didn’t ask the questions that they needed to ask. Too bad that they wouldn’t put the expertise of a professional to work for them. For whatever reason, it seems like many buyers don’t recognize how much help an agent can be in recommending a property, a neighborhood, a home design that might work for them.
Heather — I agree completely. I have often struggled with this, as my default response to the agent-averse open house attendee is to let them have their way, as opposed to badgering them. Yet the reality that they are potentially missing out on getting valuable help in their process makes me wonder whether I should be doing something different.
I’d be curious to hear if anyone takes the opposite approach, and latches on to each open house prospect and doesn’t let go until they have seen the value of a buyers agent. :)
Congrats on the post, Heather! Really enjoyed this one, this is one that I’ve struggled with a lot.
Scott, I don’t badger. I don’t want to be badgered when I’m shopping, and I take that approach at an open house. I introduce myself, give them a 60-second commercial about the house, hand them a flyer and then tell them “I’ll be over here if you have any questions”. I’ll usually walk around the house just to make sure any visitors know I’m there, and as a security precaution, but it’s a pretty hands-off process. If I can get information from them, great, but I’m not going to push any more than they’re going to allow. I’ll use that information to contact them twice after the open house, in a very soft way, and then I consider it dead and move on.
It is always a bit unnerving when you get a looker who won’t engage in any type of conversation. It makes me wonder what they are afraid of? Have they been badgered by to many pushy salesman? But I have seen plenty of agents who won’t let go of a prospect when they walk in the door even when they have their own agent with them. You just want to scream “back off” but still they follow you around the house explaining every nook and cranny.
>It is always a bit unnerving when you get a
>looker who won’t engage in any type of conversation.
I can answer this, and I’m not a REALTOR®, so my perspective might be different.
Simply put, I don’t completely trust the REALTOR® in the house. He or she is the seller’s agent, and has a vested interest in getting me to buy. I have to take anything s/he says with a grain of salt, so it’s easier to simply check out the house and — if I have some specific factual questions — then I might engage in conversation.
Here’s an analogy. When you buy a new car, the dealer has those beautiful brochures for each model, singing its praises. I’ll flip through one just to look at the options available, but it’s clearly a marketing piece. If it says something like “silky-smooth transmission” it really means nothing; I have to drive it. (On the other hand, the actual specs are useful — engine size, etc.)
Similarly, I wouldn’t expect to get useful information from the REALTOR® in a house other than the facts. (Wouldn’t *expect* — that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t get them. There are lots of great REALTORS® who would give me great info, but I don’t know how to spot them.)
Finally, think of the old jokes about marketing spin. The appliances aren’t old, they’re “classic.” The windows are “traditional,” not leaky. And so on.
One of the best questions I’ve heard for a seller or a seller’s agent is, “What’s are the worst things about the house?” But aside from that answer, I expect to get most of my information from my agent and my research.
Several years ago I had distant friends who I knew were looking for a home. I approached them “softly” to help, but did not get any response. I later learned that every Sunday they would be out looking at houses and visiting all the opens, this probably went on for 6 months +. Then one day out of the blue they called me and said: “Pavel, we want to see this one house… can you show it to us?” I did and we wrote an offer right then…after competing with a few other offers (property was priced very well) the house was theirs. What I learned from that experience is that some people need to be in control. Especially if they are not in a hurry…they want to take their time… process things on their own… and Sunday open houses are a perfect tool for them (and listing agents provide this tool free of charge :) When the buyers are ready to make a decision, they employ a Buyer’s agent to take them to the finish line.
“You know ma’am, isn’t it great you don’t need me to find homes anymore? It saves me a lot of time too.
Are you receiving a weekly list of the open houses for larger homes and new listings–it’s the best way to be in charge of your home search which is what you want isn’t it?
Great it’s hands-off and just gets emailed to you each week, which email address do you want it mailed to–work or personal–most people like the new listings and open houses mailed to their work address so they don’t miss it.”
And Andrew, perhaps 50% of Arlington Virginia open houses are not being held open by the listing agent who is the only agent with a real obligation to the Seller.
Ahhh…open houses. They not only don’t sell homes in today’s day and age (at least in Northern VA), they cause you to say “Too bad”.
I say “Too bad that I wasn’t spending those 4 hours on previewing the market and making myself a more knowledgeable Realtor or focusing on my online marketing to get buyers that may actually buy the property I have listed”. But that’s just me…
One thing that you really hit on in this post is that consumers do not like to be sold “hard”. They do want to be sold, but in a way that makes them feel that they have control of the situation and that you actually care about their interests.
Oh wait…is that “selling” or is that being a decent human being?
[...] Heather Elias is an agent in Loudoun and maintains a real estate blog at LoCoMusings.com. Her first post to VARbuzz is about buyers who don’t want to be talked to. [...]