For some strange reason unknown to me, I've found that realtors have a hard time listening to their clients and customers. One of the key factors to becoming a great real estate marketer is listening and paying attention to the needs of the prospective buyers and sellers.
Real estate buyers especially know what they want. The realtor should listen closely to them and take notes. Then, only show them property that they state they are looking for. Nothing turns off a buyer faster than being shown property that is not fitting their needs.
But realtors I've worked with seem to think they know what I'm after. I've quizzed my realtor friends about this and they tell me stories about buyers that are interested in one type of home and end up falling in love and buying some house that is quite different. These realtors believe that it is best to show the potential buyer a few houses that don't fit expectations.
It could be said that buyers don't know their own minds, are fickle, or they are being somewhat misleading to the real estate agent. But the truth is, they typically select a home that is or very close to what they told their realtor that they preferred.
In the case of buying some home that was not what they were looking for, often this is because there is nothing in the area that fits their original needs. Or they realize that they can't afford what they really dream of.
I've also found real estate agents that have tried to steer me away from what I'm looking for and onto their own listings. They've lost me as a client when I realize this. The realtor should not allow their judgment to become clouded by any factor other than those that best meet the buyers' expressed interests and qualifications.
The same can be said of realtors and potential sellers of real estate. I sat with realtors that went through my house and property, jotting down notes, and then the listing was nothing like what they'd witnessed when they viewed the property.
I had a home with a wood stove in the living room as a back-up heat source to the furnace and the listing stated that the home was heated with wood. The realtor didn't listen to my answers to his questions. He saw a wood stove.
I was selling 20 acres of residential mountain property with three beautiful building sites on it. This property also had a recreational cabin on it that had full amenities. The first realtor I worked with, listed the cabin for sale (and didn't even mention the acreage). I was selling property and he was selling a house.
I kept trying to tell him that it was the propery that was valuable (Lots in a development right over the fence were going for $27500/acre) He just didn't listen. In fact, he kept telling me that my "house" was going to be hard for him to sell. And he never did catch on to what exactly I was selling.
Another trait that I've met up with in realtors is that many think that they have to constantly tell you about the quality of their agency and how they have been selling houses since the year 19XX. Their building themselves up seems to cloud their ears.
It is very important that the realtor cultivates the art of listening. One of the quickest ways to loose a client or send a buyer running to another agent is to not listen closely and act upon what you've heard the customer say.
