3 Little White Lies That Are OK to tell when selling property
Just to be clear on the onset, we do not
advocate for deceiving potential buyers. To become a trusted real estate agent,
you need to be 100% honest about anything that would impact the purchase decision
if the buyer knows it exists. Don’t run on a buyer beware status. In fact, we
already have a great article on importance of being trustworthy.
Important read: Guide
to creating trust as a real estate agent.
We are only discussing some details where
spilling the beans may not be in your best interest. These details that you can
skip are innocuous and you can gloss over them while being honest and
respectful to your potential buyers.
No 1: Why a property
is being sold.
We have all been faced with this question on
why the owner is selling. The owner could be selling due to their personal
problems and it’s not a good idea to tell everyone what those problems are.
Maybe the owner is unable to pay loans and risks being auctioned. Do you tell
all potential buyers of this fact? No. Instead, gloss over this question
respectfully.
Remember, hinting that the seller is having
financial problems could make
you look desperate to sell, and buyers could use it to their advantage by
giving you low offers.
No 2: Number of offers
received.
Customers want to know if there has been
interest on the property. Whether it’s a house you have put up for sale or are
dealing with plots for sale, you will encounter this question. How do you
handle it? The truth may be this is the first customer you are taking to view
the house, so you haven’t received any offers. You do not gain by admitting
that your property for sale hasn’t seen much or that you are yet to receive
even a single serious buyer.
When a potential buyer asks me if I have any
other serious offers, I usually respond with, ‘We’ve had quite lot of interest and
are expecting an offer soon” Says Martin. “I consider this not to be a lie just
staying loyal, to the seller.”
It’s okay to indicate that the house or
apartment for sale is generating a lot of interest and you think it won’t be in
the market for long. This could be true as you may not be the only agent
selling and other agents could be close to closing the deal.
6 Tips to Help You Become the Best Real Estate Agent in Kenya
No3. Level of
experience you have in real estate
Every customer wants to work with an
experienced real estate agent. If you are just starting out, this is not a
detail you want to throw out there. If a customer becomes aware that you are
starting out, they may move and start looking for a different agent. However,
do not pretend to be more experienced than you are by trying to show off.
Customers can detect this from a mile off.
Try to draw the customer from your lack of
experience to other qualities like your drive or dedication. The customer
should know that since you do not have a lot of clients, you will dedicate more
time to them. With fewer customers, communicate to them more often, something
more experienced real estate agents skip out.
And don’t stop at accepting that you are not
experienced. Find ways to network with other real estate agents.
Must Read: Networking
Tips for Real Estate Agents.
Conclusion
People are naturally cautious of real estate
agents as some have gained a bad reputation for being unethical, and others
tell lies to get the deal done. To succeed you need to remain honest with your
clients and other real estate agents. Real estate agents who lie to make a sale
risks being found out and there are reputation and legal consequences of this.
Some areas that you need to be truly honest as
an agent include disclosures of property conditions, ownership details and any
material facts on the property.
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Premier Agent helps you succeed as a real estate agent in Kenya