Overcoming objections at the open house will help you obtain more appointments which will lead to more sales. Our goal is to help home buyers and sellers accomplish their objectives. They present objections to sales people at open houses because of fear. They are afraid that a salesperson will sell them something, that they will be talked into doing something they don't want to do. We all know that we can't do that. Our job, though, is to help the open house visitor put down their defenses and get them to open up to us. Once they open up we can help them find the path to home ownership.
Here are some common objections and a few techniques to handle them. I have a bunch more. Contact me if you are interested in learning more.
No agent thanks
Objection: “We want
to search on our own. We’d rather not
work with an agent.”
Responses:
·
Why’s that? [This is almost always a great way
to start handling an objection. It
follows the success habit of seeking first to understand. You will often discover some erroneous
assumptions.]
·
What if you know that my services, or the
services of a Realtor, wouldn’t cost you anything? [Some people might be under
the mistaken assumption that they would have to pay a Realtor out of their
pocket to help them buy a house.]
·
Just started
Objection: “Oh, well,
we’re just starting our home search,” or “we just started looking.”
Responses:
·
That’s great.
Then it looks like we’ve both got perfect timing. [Really, when should people connect with a
Realtor, at the end of their home search?]
·
Just looking/curious
Objection: “We were
just curious, so we thought we would stop and take a look.”
Responses:
·
That’s great, I’m glad you stopped. Are you thinking about buying or selling?
[assume they are curious for a reason – because they are]
·
Do you live nearby?
·
Do you own your home or are you renting?
·
Have you ever thought of selling/buying?
·
If you were to sell your home, where would you
move to? If you were to buy a home, in
what area would you want to live? What
kind of home would you want to buy?
·
Goal is to ask open ended questions to find the
source of their curiosity, and then offer to help.
Listing agent only
Objection: “We prefer
to work with the listing agent directly.”
Responses:
·
I’m curious, why do you perceive that to be an
advantage to you?
·
Have you bought property in the past directly
from the listing agent? How did your
past experience bring you to that conclusion?
·
Working w/ someone
Objection: “We are
working with an agent already.”
Responses:
·
That’s fantastic. Who are you working with? What company does that person work for?
· Hmm, I never heard of that
person before.
·
How many houses have you looked at? Have you seen any that you liked? Why didn’t you buy it?
·
How long have you been going to open
houses? Is your agent holding an open
house today? No,… how come your agent
isn’t with you?
·
Relative/friend in RE
Objection: “We have a
relative/friend in the real estate business.”
Responses:
·
That’s fantastic. Who is your relative? What company does that person work for?
·
Hmm, I never heard of that
person before.
·
How many houses have you looked at? Have you seen any that you liked? Why didn’t you buy it?
·
How long have you been going to open
houses? Is your agent holding an open
house today? No,… how come your agent
isn’t with you?
·
House to sell
Objection: “Well, we
have a house to sell first.”
Responses:
·
Perfect, I help people sell houses too.
·
Where is your house?
·
Tell me a little about it.
·
Every week at our sales meeting we network with
each other about home sellers and buyers needs.
I know you are probably not ready to put your home on the market quite
yet, but, gee, if we had a buyer that was interested in a home like yours would
you consider letting us show it?
·
No commitment
Objection: “We’re not
ready to make any commitments at this point.”
Responses:
·
Well, gee, I’m not asking for your hand in
marriage, I’m just asking you for a date.
·
Have you had a market analysis done on your home
to give you an idea of what you might be able to sell your home for and how
long it will likely take? Heck, I don’t
mind, I could do one of those for you just so you know?
·
Looking for
son/daughter or friend
Objection: “We’re
just looking for our son/daughter who’s planning to move back here from
Houston.”
Responses:
·
Wow, Houston.
What is bringing them back here?
·
When do they plan to move back?
·
Do they own a home now or are they renting?
·
How will they know the perfect house when you
find it?
·
Are they planning a trip to the area anytime
soon?
·
Gee, I wonder if I might have the opportunity to
interview for the job of their Realtor.
[This is a wild card, you never know what you are going to
get. Build rapport and hope for the
best.]
