Coping with Buyer Behavior

Buyers are great in so many ways - but sometimes can be hard to deal with. Here's how you can cope with the behavior of an undesirable buyer:

By Olivia Gosselin

Journalist, Realty Leadership.
Contributor, Forbes.

0Last updated:
November 5, 2023 8:14 pm

Buyers are a great part of real estate – they are excited to make memories in a new home, they are passionate about what they are looking for, and they are generally willing to listen to an agent’s advice… except when they’re not. Sometimes buyers can be hard to deal with, but as a real estate professional, you must know how to cope with buyer behavior and behave accordingly. Here are some examples of buyer behavior that tend to push some buttons:

1. Acting like they are the professionals.

Yes, this is probably the most frustrating one. Oh, this home doesn’t look like it was renovated just a few years ago? Well, it was. We have it in writing. In the report. It may be hard not to lose your cool when you receive comments like this, but the only thing you can do is ensure your buyer that you’re working hard to find them their dream home (and then subtly hit them with the details.)

2. Not remaining loyal.

If you’ve been an agent long, you’ve probably encountered this once or twice. You have an interested buyer who you’ve scheduled a showing with… and then you see that they’ve scheduled that exact same showing with another agent. What the heck? Sometimes, buyers simply do not know that they are not supposed to do this – they see another agent’s name on that showing and they think, “Oh, this is probably the person I should contact then.” Because of this, it is important to make sure they know from the beginning that agents typically work alone, and that all of their business needs can be assisted through you.

3. Bringing their entire extended family to a showing.

This can be especially difficult because it may sway your buyer’s decision. Sue, the woman you’re selling to, may have fallen in love with the crown moldings the second she saw them in the listing, but Grandma Jane thinks they’re tacky so now she’s second guessing herself. Make sure your buyer knows that they are buying for themselves (and whoever else may be living there) – Grandma Jane’s opinion ultimately doesn’t matter if you’ve found your dream home.