When a buyer wants to see too many homes, you may find yourself scheduling showing after showing without feeling like you’re getting any closer to finding the right property.
This happens, especially with buyers who are early in their search. They may still be figuring out what they like, what they can afford, or which neighborhoods make sense for them.
Seeing several homes isn’t necessarily a problem. But if you’ve shown 15 properties and the buyer is still sending you everything that pops up in their search, it may be time for another conversation.
Find Out What They’re Learning
After a few showings, don’t just ask, “What did you think?”… Get a little more specific.
Ask which home they’ve liked the most so far and why. Ask what they’ve seen that they definitely don’t want. You can also ask whether anything they originally wanted has become less important after seeing homes in person. Their answers can tell you quite a bit.
A buyer who started out wanting four bedrooms may realize three is enough if the living space is larger. Someone who insisted on a pool may decide they’d rather have a bigger backyard.
Use what you’re learning to make the next round of showings better.
Go Back to the Original Search
Take another look at the search criteria you set up when you first started working together. Does it still match what the buyer is telling you?
After seeing a few homes, you may need to change your price range, location, size, age, or features.
You can sit down with the buyer and make those changes together.
That also gives you a chance to ask, “Based on what we’ve seen so far, what are the three things you really don’t want to give up?”
Now you have something more useful to work with than a long list of everything they would like to have.
Look at the Listings Before Scheduling
Your buyer may send you ten homes they found online, but that doesn’t mean you need to immediately schedule ten showings. Pull them up in the MLS first.
One may already be pending. Another might have a feature the buyer has already told you they don’t want. A property may be outside the area you are considering. The listing information may answer a question you would have asked upon arrival.
Go through the choices with your buyer and narrow them down before setting appointments.
You may end up with four homes that are actually worth seeing instead of spending an entire Saturday driving to ten.
Pay Attention to Repeated Reactions
After several showings, you’ll probably start hearing some of the same comments.
- “This kitchen is too small.”
- “I don’t like how close the houses are.”
- “This is farther from work than I thought.”
- “The bedrooms are too small.”
Those comments are useful.
If the buyer has said three times that they don’t like a certain type of floor plan, there’s probably no reason to keep showing it to them. The same goes for neighborhoods, property conditions, lot sizes, and other things that keep coming up.
Make a note of those reactions and use them when you’re reviewing new listings.
Sometimes the Buyer Doesn’t Know Yet
Not every buyer is going to have a clear picture of what they want when you first meet them. Some people need to walk through a few homes before things start to click… and that’s okay.
Early showings can help you learn about the buyer just as much as they help the buyer learn about the market. The problem is when you’re several weeks into the search, and neither of you is using what you’ve learned.
At that point, another conversation can help. You might ask, “We’ve seen quite a few homes now. Is there something you’re waiting to see that we haven’t found yet?”
Their answer may point you in a completely different direction.
Talk About the Budget Again
Sometimes buyers keep looking because the homes they’re seeing don’t match what they pictured for their budget.
If that’s happening, talk about it.
Pull up a few recent listings or sales. Show them what homes in their price range look like. Focus on the areas they are considering.
They may decide to change locations, adjust some of their must-haves, or talk with their lender about their options.
Questions about qualification, loan programs, or changing financing should go to the lender. You can help the buyer understand what they see in the local housing market.
Don’t Rush Them Into a Decision
After showing a lot of homes, it can be frustrating when the buyer still isn’t ready to make an offer.
Don’t let that frustration turn into pressure.
Buying a home is a major decision, and the buyer needs to be comfortable with it. Your job isn’t to convince them to buy one just because you’ve already spent several weekends showing properties.
Instead, figure out why the search isn’t working.
Maybe the criteria are too broad. Maybe their expectations don’t match their budget. Or maybe they simply haven’t found a home they want to buy yet.
Knowing which one you’re dealing with will help you decide what to do next.
You’ll Get Better at This With Experience
Working with buyers is something you’ll learn by doing. After you work with more clients, you will get better at asking questions. You will spot patterns during showings. You will know when to sit down and rethink the search.
You can also learn a lot from other agents, your broker, and real estate instructors who have worked with buyers themselves.
Continuing your education at LEAP Real Estate Academy in Orlando lets you learn from experts. They have handled many of the same situations you may face with clients.
You may not be able to stop a buyer from wanting to see every house that catches their attention. But you can help them use each showing to get a little closer to figuring out what they really want.
Continue your real estate education with LEAP and keep building the skills you’ll use with buyers every day.
