Home Buyers are Liars | David Barr Realtor | agentbrandbuilder.com

I've been making a lot of changes to how I do business. I recently posted about "no free information", when it comes to giving away what I know about my local real estate market to random callers (a lot of them newly licensed Realtors who don't disclose their status). Another change is requiring potential buyers sign a representation agreement.

When it comes to buyers, the old saying in the headline of this post remains true.

In a recent example, a buyer, who "has friends" that bought a home in a particular part of my territory, wanted me to pick him up at his hotel (no rental car), and take him to several new home communities. While we're discussing the game plan for his visit, he says he wants some time on his last day here to go to some other communities on his own.

Major red flag. No way Jose.

If you don't know, new home builders are more and more strict about agents bringing buyers on their first visit. Darn, that pesky procuring cause concept in real estate!

You have to get into the mindset that your time and expertise have value. Buyers will pick your brain, use that information, combine that with whatever information they think they can find online, and try to go it alone. How are you going to feel if you've spent 2 or 3 days with a buyer, and find out they went to a builder alone and wrote a contract?

Lock down that potential buyer with a representation agreement. By the way, the buyer in this example, hasn't signed the agreement yet. No problem, I have lots of other things to do with that time.

Get to work.