Who's In Charge?
When you work with a couple or other partner groups of buyers or sellers, you'll discover that one person often dominates the information-gathering and decision-making process. It's important to treat all of your clients and customers with care, but learning to detect which of your buyers or sellers has the lead role in the transaction helps you convey important details to the right person.
Watching your clients as they interact with each other and with you is sometimes all it takes to determine which person will make the decision to buy or sell. When you ask a question, does one person hesitate or glance at the other to look for an answer instead of responding to you? Does one client seem to be in charge of financial matters?
Those are both common scenarios that can help you determine who is in charge, but the clues are often more subtle, and there's no magic trick to figuring out which one it is other than paying close attention as you work with your clients.
Alert
Make eye contact with each person in the transaction. If your clients bring a family member or friend along, make eye contact with that person as well. Eye contact is one way your clients gauge how important you think they are.
Sometimes one person is in charge in public but the other is in charge in private. Do not focus exclusively on the person you consider to be the decision-maker. The other person may not appear in charge but may be the one who decides not to use you if you are not giving her attention as well. Try to keep your attention as even as possible on all parties involved.
Parental Influences
The opinions of parents can influence the decisions of young singles or couples who are buying their first home. Some parents are unrealistic about the type of home a first timer can buy. This is especially true if they haven't bought or sold real estate for a while, so they tend to be overly critical of nearly every home. Your young clients might be comfortable with a fixer-upper or starter house, but the parents might discourage that because it will be “too risky” or “too much work.”
Your best approach is to educate all of your clients about the home-buying process and do your best to find them a house they love. Give them the information they need to discuss with their parents. Try not to get involved in those discussions yourself, especially if you feel they could turn into arguments.
Parents are parents forever and you're a fleeting part of the young buyer's life, but you can indeed offer a helpful and stabilizing presence if you let the buyer know he can count on you for the facts he needs.
ssential
If your clients seem very young, you should probably ask them to show you identification that verifies they are old enough to enter into a legal real estate contract. Minors can buy property, but contracts signed by minors are not enforceable.
Other Influences
Some people like to get direction from many different sources. They may depend on their parents for some ideas, but what a friend said or what they read in a newspaper article can have an impact on them as well. If their friend bought in a certain school district or bought a certain style of house, the friend may try to influence your clients as well. Sometimes well-meaning friends will give your clients poor or outdated advice. Work at building your clients' trust in your ability as a professional. Do not discount their other sources, but show them that your points are as valuable, if not more so, due to your expertise in real estate.
