Showing Homes to a Buyer: What They Want to See.

By rerockstar • January 31st, 2010

I’ve this great house to show you…

When you’re buying a home, you will inevitably go through the process of viewing multiple homes with your agent. Every agent differs on how they like to show homes and every buyer wants to see specific things that another buyer many not. We know the basics of what a seller can do to make their home standout, but this post is for the buyers. I’ve had buyers who made a decision in the first five seconds (literally) of walking inside the door. I’ve had others who went back ten times to be sure. You never can tell what a buyer will think of any given home until they let you know. Every agent has a different method to showing homes to buyers; this is a bit about my way.

Upon entering the home, I let the buyer lead the way. Most of this is safety related and taught to every agent. It’s easy to recognize any problems quickly and not be taken off guard. You may not be a serial killer, but they do exist in the world of real estate. Kind of morbid to think about, so let’s move on.

If you watch HGTV for a minimum of two seconds of your life, you’ll probably catch the one thing I won’t do. Television personalities and real estate agents love to show a home as if the buyer has never seen a house before. “This is the kitchen.” (Really? I didn’t notice the stove.) “This is the bathroom.” (Oh. I thought they just had a toilet in the living room.) There are some rooms that need definition, but most rooms could be figured out with a little common sense and intuition. I am actually irked when an agent shows me a home in this fashion. It makes me feel like I’m not smart enough to know what’s what in a house. Perhaps that’s why they call it showing homes as the consumer needs to be shown, because they’ve never seen a home before (I promise that is sarcasm).

Note: I’ve seen this taken to the extreme too. (Standing in kitchen.) “As you can see; here’s your stove, the sink, dishwasher…” I think your average 3rd grader could figure that out on their own. Now if the house has a built in trash compactor, I wouldn’t mind you pointing that out – I’ve never owned one.

Let me show you your new home.

My theory of showing homes to a buyer is pretty simple. I get to know my clients, I get to know the things they like and don’t like by listening to them throughout the process. I make sure they see what they want to see, but give them free reign to discover what they like or don’t like about a house. You know it’s a kitchen, but when you wonder about the fridge out loud and whether it comes with the house, I’m there to give you the answer (or find out if the seller’s agent hasn’t mentioned it). This will possibly be your new home, so it’s my job to let you explore it and get the feeling that it is or it isn’t right for you.

If I see an uncommon feature or something I find particularly interesting, I will point it out, but overall, the buyer is in control of the process. Sometimes, this makes me look like a glorified key holder, but I’m busy at work as well. I’m checking for things that we would need to know if you decided to make an offer on the home. I’m looking for cracks in the walls and ceilings, pest problems, things that are broken or don’t work, things that might need replaced soon…things that may not affect you today, but could be a problem for you and your new home. Although I’m not a licensed inspector and we will have the home inspected during the active option period, I can still see some of the things that might cause us to make a note to our inspector to look into or change our offer price when we write one up.

I also spend time looking at functionality. Although I won’t have to live in the home, if you mention your plasma TV would look great on that side of the living room, I’m looking for cable and electric outlets. If they’re not where you need them for your dream vision, we need to know that, as you’re going to have to get it changed to fulfill your vision. If I’ve learned from you that you’re an amazing cook who loves the open kitchen and family room combo, I’ll be sure to point out that this one isn’t quite as open as the last one we saw. It’s my job to help you, but ultimately you make the decision and live in the house. If I don’t point out the things you might have missed or noticed, I feel I didn’t do my job. Despite that, I still don’t need to point out that the room with a stove is a kitchen.

This is why communication is important between you and I. I need to be able to see a home through your eyes. At the same time, I need to keep my real estate glasses on too…so I can catch things you may not. If I learn nothing about you, our process isn’t going to be easy. If I get to know you and your family and learn what you want to see in a home, I can help make you a happy buyer – and that’s my goal, isn’t it?

What steps do you think are important for an agent showing you a home? What do you like and dislike about the process? Anything you would do differently if the tables were turned and you were the Realtor®?

photo courtesy of caseywest

The Real Estate Consumer has changed… (dougfrancis.com)
The REALTOR’s role as a Buyer’s Agent (dougfrancis.com)
San Antonio Home Buyers – Why Many Agents Won’t Show You A Home “Right Now!” (sanantoniorealestaterockstar.com)

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Comments(3) Buyers

Comments

By Doug Francis

on February 1st, 2010 at 10:37 am

I believe that it is a team effort to find the right home to buy, and consumers need to know that their “buyer agent” is on their team! If I hear my home buyer clients talking about kitchen counter space or a place for a swing-set… then I will refine the search to properties with plenty of counter space and functional yards Really, the added value is the time saved and have better quality choices in any market.

So if there are two final properties and we have put together a strategic pros vs cons checklist, then we are doing our job.

Ever considered a Nordstrom Personal Shopper?
Doug Francis´s last blog ..Buying a Home with an Older HVAC Unit?

By rerockstar

on February 1st, 2010 at 12:21 pm

Doug – You defined two things really well here; a) it’s a team effort and b) if the agent isn’t listening to their clients, something is terribly wrong.

Listening to our clients is one of the best skills we can have. Remembering what the client feels is important to them can help save a lot of time. They’re buying a home and want it to be the one they dream of. Help them find and buy it – listening will facilitate the process.
rerockstar´s last blog ..Realtor® Speak 101: Arbitration and Mediation