Agent Advice

5 things buyers do that real estate agents hate

Private Property South Africa
Tahir Desai |
5 things buyers do that real estate agents hate

Ah, the joys of being an estate agent! It’s a tough job at the best of times but some buyers make an already difficult job impossible.

Here are 5 things that home buyers do that drive estate agents crazy:

View the house 5 times without making an offer

It’s normal for a home buyer to view a property once then possibly return with someone for a second viewing. However, some buyers will return to the property multiple times with a variety of people from their spouse, to their interior decorator, to their yoga instructor. And after getting an opinion from everyone on their contact list, they decide not to make an offer.

Make ridiculously low offers

Some buyers are determined to bag a bargain so they try their luck by making crazy offers. If a property is on for R1 million, this buyer will typically offer R600, 000 and then add “cash!” as if this will close the deal.These low offers are a waste of time for everyone concerned. The seller is not going to give his property away at a ridiculously low price and the agent is going to have a hard time taking this buyer seriously again.

Not having their finances in order

Real estate agents are busy people and their time is valuable. They want to know that it is worth spending time with a buyer. If the buyer is not pre-approved for a home loan, the agent doesn’t have a lot of incentive to help them. The agent does not want to waste their time showing home after home to a buyer that might ultimately not be able to afford one.

Calling at all hours of the day and night

Estate agents work long hours so their free time is precious. Clients who do not respect this and expect the agent to be on call 24/7 can drive even the most even tempered agent to distraction.

Being a know-it-all

Probably the most frustrating type of buyer for an agent to deal with is the know-it-all. This buyer is a self-proclaimed expert on every facet of property from house prices, to the property market, to property law. The expertise of the agent is dismissed because this buyer always knows better.

Dealing with these 5 types of buyer is frustrating for an agent. Some of the issues can be alleviated by properly screening the buyer before showing them property and by setting ground rules at the start. With the others, long suffering agents can do nothing else but grin and bear it.

What are some of the things that buyers do that you hate?

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