Let’s not overcomplicate this, shall we? Communication is king.

Let’s not overcomplicate this, shall we?  Communication is king, even over cash.              

IMHO, communication is king even over cash.  After all, would you send cash to someone without actually communicating first?  Even the scammers in other parts of the world that send random e-mail about inheritances communicate!

Which brings me to an interesting conversation I had recently.  A gentleman contacted us about a property we have just listed and asked to see the house.  Great another showing!  (not the first)  He apparently refused to let the existing listing agent know if he was financing the property or not.  (Communication issue number one)  The Buyer wanted to set up an appointment so I being closer to the property gave this Buyer a call at his request.  He also did not want to work with an agent due to additional people being involved.  Hmm, unusual but ok.

Upon getting him on the phone, he expressed his interest again.  Confirmed he did not have an agent and that’s ok.  He was very interested in the property and so like a good responsible Seller I ask the question, ‘how soon can you close on this?’ knowing he refused to answer how he was going to pay for the property.  The response made me smile. 

‘Let’s discuss that after I see the property.’   (Communication issue number two).  So as a Seller, what are the odds that I will see him and this property at this point?  I planned to visit the property anyway so I did not mind meeting him however under normal circumstances, this would have been a ‘sorry, I am not traveling to this property without knowing you actually have the ability to purchase it’. 

To add more humor to the story, our listing agent gets a call the following day stating that ‘an agent was planning to go show him the property.’  (Communication issue number three potentially)  Perhaps the communication overhead wasn’t such a bad idea?

This story is not isolated I know and plays out all over our market repeatedly.  Most Sellers I know generally are not too interested in showing properties to people that a) don’t communicate fully up front their ability to purchase and b) paint a varied picture up front lacking clarity.

We believe as Buyers and Sellers, communication is truly king.  People do business with people they like and trust.  Communication is a HUGE part of that.  So let’s not overcomplicate this, shall we?

Interested in your feedback and how you handle these situations?  Would love to hear from you!

P.S.  Who knows, maybe they will buy the house!