Dear Ms. REALTOR®,

Haha- If you love someone set them free, if its meant to be they'll return...

I'd set them up on an auto email search after that trip. And suggest that if they see something they really - really like, contact me, and i'll get them in to see it.

If they call or email you back it may have been well worth it.

If you never hear from them again, well, they've become someone else's headache.

Find the rookie agent in your office and tell them you want to help them get started in their new career and out of the goodness of your heart you are willing to refer (for 25%) these clients to him/her. Then sit back and watch the fun.

But seriously,

If I have hard to handle clients that just don't know what they want I will sit down with them and try to reason with them and explain the house they are looking for does not exist. That they will have to compromise on their wants and needs. If that does not work, explain to them that you can not help them at this time and just let them go. You are probably wasting your time and could spend it better with buyers who are ready and willing to buy.

Nope, not unless you want to set up the auto email search from the start or sit down with them and go over their wants and needs. Of which the latter is probably going to be too late, and you'll be on the road in no time flat.

Your scenario parallels the buyers thay know far more about the real estate market than the realtors that have been monitoring and working in it for years. Fortunatley the internet has reduced this a little, but it's still part of the job.

I would not spend too much time on them.  I agree with George you can always set them free for a referral fee.  Part of it is a good interview and coaching them on reality.  I ask them what is the most important features that they can't live without and what could they live with.  

Sharon, great post!  When buyers get too picky I tend to show them more expensive homes.  It tells the buyers that they can have the perfect home, if they show me the money.  Once they see the tag on the 40 acre home in a gated community close to downtown, they tend to compromise...  

Sending a Referral is also a great way to delegate the pain.  

Ha ha ha I have had lots of chuckles reading your comments on this one.  I am new to this community of Point2 Agents and you guys are just great!  I was out of the biz for almost a year, took a full time job when I had to due to NO biz .  I am back trying to grease the wheels again and saying my daily affirmations.." I have a thriving real estate business in Tucson, Clients are kind and gentle loving souls, they love me, I love them.." " I get lots of referrals from the out of state Point2 Agents, I give them lots of referrals, all agents are kind and gentle souls, I love them, they love me.".. Seriously, I am so happy to find this web company and this group.  Sandra in Tucson

This business would be great if it weren't for people :) I had a picky pair once, they never bought. His wife called to look at a house they had looked at before. He shows up and says he can't remember what he didn't like about the place. I told him I was surprised they wanted to look again, because I couldn't remember anything he DID like about the place. I am not usually so curt, but I carried it off with a laugh so they didn't pick up on it. He even complained because the light in the dining room hung too low, I explained to him that usually people have a dining room table in the center of the dr so he wouldn't be hitting his head on that fixture. Nothing was ever going to work because he use to build homes. I finally told him he needed to build his own home, buttered him up a bit because of his outstanding talent and never heard from him again. He never bought, never built.  Must of just been out for an ego boost.... I gave him what he needed I guess.

:)

I'm sure we have all been there. I actually sit them both down, look at them and ask them one question:

What is the most important thing for you to have in a home?

And then I am silent. I take notes, I watch them nag each other for a while, and then before it gets to out of control I butt in and say, "So your looking for (insert what they said)" and am silent again. If it's completely contradictory I kinda give them the 'are you serious' tone of voice and look. From there I guide them through. Sometimes what they really want DOESN'T exist in their price range, so I bring up the data base and show them. Then we broaden the criteria together until there are a few suitable homes to show them.

The trick is trying to get them to understand, and making them believe they are choosing the right home for them. Not being forced into “what the salesman wants to show them.” Some times it takes 20-30 homes before they find the one.

I worked with a young man for a year and a half, e-mailed him a number of listing, and then one day called him up and said "I found it, it was listed today, it will be sold today (it was listed for 90% market value), and I need you to see it today!" He reluctantly agreed and his eyes bugged out because he couldn't believe I was right. He wrote the offer, got the financing, and bought it. He has since referred me several other clients and when I see him around town introduces me as “his Realtor.” So stick with it, you never know if your spinning your wheels or about to hit a gold mine till your through it.

If every transaction was a cake walk everyone could do what we do...

ROFL - That's great!!

Okay, here's our most recent.  Got a lead via our website wanting Ocean Front with several bay garage because he has several vintage corvettes.  He needs something in the next few months. That's all the info provided in the first email.

Well, that sounds pretty good to us.  After all, even a small ocean front condo with no garage starts at about $950K so we figure he will be looking at a minimum of 1.5 million for what he needs... but first, we need more information.  You know the drill - how many bedrooms; minimum square feet; lot size; other rooms needed, etc.  And, oh yeah, what is your price range by the way.

Answer:  I'm willing to spend up to $200,000 for the right house.

Aaaaaarggggghhhhhhhh!  Needless to say, we do not sell ocean front property one closet at a time, so there was little we could do to help him. LOL  

Oh well..... Next?!

Oh what fun and amusement these "picky" clients bring to our daily lives.  What would we do without them.  I rarely have an open house without smiling to myself as one couple or another walks around house looking for everything that is not in the house!  

If you have any of these clients that want to purchase in  Massachusetts, send them my way - and I'll deal with them - an Irish smile goes along way.

Cheers!

Try it this way.

Sit them down and ask what their time frame is to purchase NOT THEIR PRICE RANGE. If they are not in a hurry, suggest that new construction is the way to go to get exactly what they want.

If they need something quickly or don't want to build, sit them down at the PC ask them to give me a list of the things they BOTH agree on for the INTERIOR OF THE HOME. This could take 10 to 20 minutes to settle on Formal Dining Room, Master Bedroom on 1st floor, Fireplace in the Family Room, and a few other features. After inputting their info let's say 312 homes come up that match.

DO NOT ASK THEM THEIR PRICE RANGE YET!

Next EXTERIOR OF THE HOME. What do they agree on? Fenced yard, patio, mature landscaping, 1/2 acre or larger, gated community? Maybe another 10 to 20 minutes, and we are now down to 40 homes.

Then ask them if there is anything else they can think of before we talk about price. They add that they need a home that was built no more than 5 years ago. You input that search info and the MLS search says tells you..............9 homes to choose from.

OK, now you ask "What top price you want  me to search up to? They say no more than $300,000, and this is the perfect opportunity to explain that in today's market you should be able to save them up to $25,000 by working as their Buyer's Agent, right? So search up to $325,000 with their permission.

NOW YOU HIT THE SEARCH BUTTON and let them see all the homes that match. Then you say, "OK do you have a preference in these homes or do you want to see BOTH of them?"

Sign em up to your Buyer Agency Agreement and bring their Bank Approval Letter along with the offer sheet so you can write it up. There are only 2 homes to choose from and they are in a bit of a hurry right?

What? They don't want to sign an agency agreement?

What? They don't have the Bank Letter yet?

"Well, I have enjoyed the time we have spent together today, and you now know how I can save you time and money. I do hope we can get together again soon when you are ready to move forward."

Less than an hour has gone by and no gas wasted. NEXT!

Buyers are liars and sellers are too.  

You have to qualify your buyers and sellers before you spend time, burn gasoline, or spend money.  If they won't answer detailed questions about what they need versus what they want, about financing and credit, and about timing, you should refer them to another realtor or just say, "I'm sorry I know of no properties that will meet your requirements at this time."

Bill Cosby said, "I don't know the way to become rich, but I do know the way to become poor is by trying to please everybody."

I think a large part of dealing with headache buyers is the interview. I'll spend as much time as I need emailing them listings (even the cancelled and expireds if it comes to that) until they both decide on their top 10 and tell me why they picked these ones. I'll also make ceratain I've got them approved with a lender I trust (all the mom& pop places are causing a lot of havoc here in the NW) and will educate them on the reality of what they can afford. Once I've identified the commonalities of the properties they like and the price range they can afford, I'm much better armed when it's time to hit the road with them.

Using this technique, I've never had to show a buyer more than 10 homes before they make a decision. I have lost a couple buyers as well, but that's been uncommon and I frankly didn't feel that I was the best agent for them anyway (I really don't care about what their late grandma's cat thinks of a home).

I've also been really fortunate that even the ones I've lost have sent me referrals.

These posts are great. Thank you all for sharing. Also, don't forget one of the first things taught in sales seminars, establish who in the family is the decision maker.  Good luck to you all.