Have you ever had the opportunity to list a property, only for the sellers to say, “I don’t want a For Sale sign” or, “I don’t want home opens”? During my career, this was something I experienced a number of times, so I understand that this type of reaction can be very frustrating. It can lead to you feeling like you need to justify why seller should have them, sometimes resulting in a Mexican standoff, and ultimately costing you the business.
We all know that selling a property is better and easier with a sign and home opens, however, it is not the end of the world and definitely not the most important thing when selling a property. Rather, remove that objection by saying, “If I showed you a way that I can sell your property without using a For Sale sign or home, will you be happy to list with me?” They will most likely then say yes. Most sellers just want to be heard and respected, this is how you build TRUST. You’re then free to list the property and if it doesn’t sell you can revisit the situation with the sign and home opens later.
When the time is right, the best way to address these topics is to simply ask, “so what was the reason you didn’t want a For Sale sign?” They will usually have an explanation such as not wanting the neighbours or someone else to know they are moving. Most of the time you will find it to be a ridiculous reason that they feel very strongly about.
How to deal with someone who doesn’t want a sign:
At this point you could say, “I totally understand, but now that we have tried selling without the sign or home opens without being successful, can I suggest that we try a sign in order to open the property to people who don’t know the property is for sale?” You can then explain how people passing the property are usually the ones who know others living in the area. This works to create word of mouth, resulting in people talking about the property, encouraging more enquires and possibly resulting in a sale. At the end of the day though, even after you’ve outlined the positives of having a sign, the decision is ultimately with the seller.
How to deal with someone who doesn’t want home opens:
If seller is against doing home opens, you first need to explain how home opens work.
“Home opens are designed get as many people through the property in order to help buyers fall in love with it. You cannot sell a secret and even if the neighbors do come through, which is what you are concerned about, it works in your best interest. The more people walking through your property, the better. If one of those people is a potential buyer, they don’t know who the neighbors are, so they see them as the competition. This can create impulsive buying or lead to buyers making a decision.
Sometimes though, it’s not about emptying your boot onto the table and trying to overwhelm the sellers, it is simply about listening to what is actually freaking them out and then removing that issue. Once you have done this, then you can focus on getting the business and educating them later.
The same goes for if you are completely convinced with one method of sale or another, be it auction, tender, or a pricing strategy. If you push this upon the seller it only works against you. Sometimes sellers don’t want to be educated as they have strong beliefs in their own strategies. If you find out what that strategy is, it’s a home run. How do we do that? Simply by asking “do you have a preferred method of sale?” The great thing about selling strategies is that if one strategy does not work, you can just move onto the next one until you get the sale.
To find out more about building trust and rapport with sellers and buyers, or to discover my 5 Stage Selling Strategy, make sure you register for the upcoming FREE half-day Real Estate Brilliance webinar. I look forward to seeing you on screen.
