You've no doubt heard much about the ACTIONS recommended to appeal to a home buyer- staging, new paint as needed, handyman work, clutter gone. Very important to the process. Remember, though- that is often the SECOND (albeit most important) person to consider.
Sometimes, the prospective buyer is my client. The result of
this is an initial narrowing down via MLSLI (the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island). As it is a preliminary search initially to get a "feel" for what the buyer might desire, it is incumbent upon me to provide nice homes so that the buyers trust my judgement.
Tonight, I searched the mlsli, and have selected a few properties to add to a list that is being emailed to the client. The properties have been viewed only in pictures, so let's start there. In the interest of time, properties without multiple photos generally get a cursory glance, but are revisited after seeing homes of interest that have multiple photos. Because there is a fair amount of inventory, if my list is complete before the revisit, it will be reconsidered after we've seen houses that have shown me MORE- it's much easier to narrow down with photos.
Another consideration is the exterior photo. You've heard it
before, but it really does MATTER in the initial stages of a search. It again provides me with the opportunity to take an initial meeting with someone and complement it with properties that, at least from the outside, offer some kind of charm. When I'm in a certain price range, with only photos to go by, the limitations are obvious. Unfortunately, looking at all of the houses on an initial visit with a buyer is not realistic (or wise). As a result, anything with less than an average street appearance may fall off the
list; a house with a cared-for look will be at the top.
The next step is setting up a "preview" of the selected homes, to determine if I missed something important. This comes from having once, early in my career, brought people that desired a lush yard to a perfect home that had nothing but rocks, little pebbles, landscaping both front and back. Not good.
The preview part involves taking a look at showing restrictions. If I have a few extra houses on the list, the first tossed from the initial appointment with the buyer will be those that have stringent and limited showing ability. Remember, we have (at this initial meeting) limited time to develop a mutual decision about whether we will be comfortable with one another, the buyer and I. Hassles with showings create an issue that often doesn't need to be present- I value their time, with limited opportunity to prove
it.
The initial preview will be short and painless- just a quick look around, making mental notes about what to talk about with the buyer. Knowing the property to the extent of having seen it is a huge help. There is also a real effort, always, to value the time of the seller and be prompt- this could be the seller that will provide the house for my buyer.
While most sellers have a good feel for what a buyer is looking for, know that
there are additional considerations when you are selling a home on the North Fork of Long Island. Hopefully, this provides some information on what goes through the head of a buyer's agent- and assists you in understanding the process just a little bit better.
When a good fit between the buyers, the market, and ourselves occurs, additional properties will be presented as needed. Rather than offer any limiting factors, after our initial meeting I will have a good indication of what to
search for, should the buyer not make a decision during our initial visit. The criteria may be adjusted, and at that point...THE SEARCH IS ON!
