Your source for expert information on housing in South Dakota

Helping Your Client to the Close: A Real Estate Agent How-To

HelpingYourClientToTheClose.jpg

Clients can come in all forms when it comes to real estate knowledge – so when it comes to agents serving buyers to their utmost abilities, it’s the real estate agent’s responsibility to inform, guide and respond to client questions.

Here are just a few words of advice for agents in handling clients, experienced or otherwise.

Be open and honest

Your clients will have a lot of questions, particularly if they’re first-timers. And, frankly, they should. For your part, you should make sure to be as open and honest as you can be about the process, about particular properties and about whether or not your clients are getting the best possible deal under the circumstances. It also means you should offer your genuine advice when you feel the counter-offering has reached its limit and it’s time to accept an offer or move on.

Know your – and others’ – stuff

Even though it’s the lender’s job to get your client’s finances in order for the home purchase, it helps if you know about the stipulations and benefits of housing assistance in your area. If your client asks questions about it, you’ll be able to answer intelligently and build trust in your client-agent relationship.

Recommend an inspector

Your breadth of experience in the local real estate market means that you have connections and colleagues your clients don’t. If you know of a reliable, affordable inspector, consider offering tips or advice to your clients. After all, if they’re first-timers they’ve likely never dealt with a home inspector before and thus have zero experience in determining what makes one better than another.

Prep them for closing

Make sure you explain to your client how closing day will work. Suggest they take a full or partial day off from work to ensure everything is taken care of thoroughly and appropriately. While some closings can move quickly, others might be a bit more involved, so level-set with your buyers ahead of time. And even if elements of closing seem obvious to you, make sure you pass this information on. For example, provide a list of identifying documents that will be needed as well as methods of payment.

 

Make sure your clients are armed with the knowledge they need to confidently march toward their closing dates – an informed client is the only client.

Topics: Insider

Subscribe to Our Housing Newsletter

Recent Posts

Free Home Buyers Guide Download