“Pro Pro Per Pla” — A Cautious Buyer’s Motto, and It’s not Latin!

Or, the Bane of Existence for a Buyer's Agent...

Or, as one of our consultants says, "Four Disorderly Steps to Reaching a Non-Decision!"

So let's look at this so called Cautious Buyer's Motto:

1.  PROcrastinate - The buyers want to see everything that's for sale in a certain price range; they're talking investment.  You probe them for more, but theyre young and they hang on the price.  You're thinking, "Please, I don't want to hang with you."

Now it's time to look over all their options with the property and wonder aloud if they're getting taken in the current market.  You're wondering, "Why would I show investors properties that would be a bad deal for them?"  My ethics mean something to me and I'd want them as permanent clients, especially at their age!

Then they mention there is this other realtor the man has been talking with and that he had given him some properties to look at  - this news hits you after you've been with them for almost three days.  (What about our exclusive buyer-broker agreement - oops, forgot!  Still, you won't say anything about their ethics even though they led you to believe you were their only realtor).  They'll get back to you tomorrow...

2.  PROgnosticate - Oh yes, they're back and it's time to let you know you are the "best" realtor.  Yippee, ah, but it's not time to celebrate but time to calculate.  The buyers want you to help them analyze the value of the potential investment.  They want to know what their return is going to be in a year; remember, you're the best (well if I'm so good why did I forget the buyer-broker agreement?)!  You're thinking, "A year?  This market won't budge for at least 24 months."

Okay, they back off a bit on calculating their profit and now want you to produce a crystal ball to forecast the impact on their potential investment of the new freeway that's going in across the valley.  You think to yourself, "Okay, but the freeway's 10 miles away, and will not be done for 10 years." 

They're still in the game; another inning has passed, and it's time for the next pitch, but they step out of the batter's box, throw up their hands and call "Time out!"

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