how do you talk to buyers on the phone?

[Judd]

Edited

[Debbie]

Me? I'd just say:

I'll be the house on such and such day and time. C'mon over and see what you think. Then, ask me what ever you want to ask then. Sounds good? Okay! Hopefully, I'll see you then! Bye-bye.

That way, I won't sound too excited. Now, if it's Jeff answering the phone.....

[Greely]

Try to line up several people 10-15 minutes apart, so that you don't waste a lot of your time. If they are not preapproved and have a letter from the Lending instutition, do not go into contract with them. Even with a preapproved letter, it could fall through. First one to show the bling, get's the house. Even with a preapproval letter from the lending institution does not necessarily mean they have the money. These lending institution's will give a letter to tie them up and play them along trying to make this work, so they get the deal. Don't get caught up in that. You spend too much money marketing a place, whether it be a rental or a sale. Make sure you have the deposit either way before you start turning people away.

[Jim Johnson]

Any special advise on handling buyers when they call? Should I hold all the screening questions until they show up?

I had someone call today and once on the phone, I was like uh-oh, I dont have a plan here. They guy seemed interested and and asked when it was available to show. I told him just about anytime since I am home finishing up the painting, etc. He told me he would talk to his wife and call me back.

I also have a habit of talking too much. Should I just keep my mouth shut and let them ask the questions?

I start every call by asking for their names spelled and a contact number for them should we be disconnected. Then you should carry a 'cheat sheet' on the home with all of the important data, bedrooms, baths, square feet, layout of home, lot size, year built, roof material, upgrades, carpet type, colors inside, and any additional items that might be asked. You might even have some numbers concerning payments depending on down payment amounts. When fielding calls I tend to try to lead the conversation with information and stay away from things like... price. I try to arrange showings as quickly as I can. If I am setting up several showings I will also run an open house to see if there are other fish in the pond nearby. It might all sound something like this...

Oh ya... the home on 1st street... great house that one is... lets see... Its a 4 bedroom home... the master is huge... with 3 bathrooms... The master has a 5 piece bath and huge closet... then a full bath that is shared by the other bedrooms and a great powder room off the kitchen. This is a great floor plan, the kitchen is amazing. I would call it a cooks kitchen, lots of space to make several dishes all at once. The kitchen overlooks a huge family room... enough space in there to play football. Right off the family room you see that huge backyard. Nice thing about it is it has a great sprinkler system...

you get the idea...
paint a picture...

[DLinOrlando]

Whenever they say the will talk to their husband/wife it is a pretty good bet you won't hear back from them. It is better to listen then to talk their ear off. Ask questions (besides the obvious name and phone number) like what sort of house do they want (are they willing to do some work on it or do they want to be able to move right in) what are they looking for in their house (#bedrooms, layout, pool?, ect) - That way if what you have is not at all what they are looking for you can keep the convo short and not waste anyones time.

If you end up taking a contract make sure you take a nice size deposit, I would want at least $1,000.00 (depending on the price of course) that way they don't back out easily. For someone who is wanting it for an investment I would want at least $5k simply because there is no emotional ties to the deal.

[GregT]

I guess my philosophy differs from most here. I don't care if more than one potential buyer is present. In fact, In the past, when more than one buyer shows up they seem to have the "auction frenzy" mentality and make their offer very close to asking price.

I hate the phone personally and prefer to look into someones eye when they ask me questions or I answer theirs.

I guess it boils down to what you're best at. If you like the phone as a tool use it, if you prefer eye to eye, do it, and if you don't like to repeat yourself, throw a home for sale party (open house) with 30 potential buyers and make a single presentation. What's best for everyone else may cost YOU money in the end if it isn't your bag.

[Dan Auito]

Great information above Juddster. I was going to chime in but Jim's post pretty much mirrors what I usually do so no sense in repeating it. You should have plenty to go on with the above info.

I will emphasize the auction atmosphere technique if you have enough interest as this usually will get you a higher offer, just make sure they can come through and take back-up names and numbers when doing so!