Pulling the Trigger

For obvious reasons this is not essential to every real estate transaction, however too many people miss out on the perfect property because they drag their feet.

A real estate agent needs to begin a client-broker relationship with some prequalification questions for both parties' best interests. Agents should be asking if the buyer has spoken to a lender and how much money they have, and are comfortable to use. This doesn't have to be a personal, prying question, but rather a means to narrow down the search criteria. Agents should also ask as many questions as possible about what their clients are looking for. Sometimes, while it may come off as cheesy, asking a buyer what their "dream house" or "perfect property" would look like can get you a long way. A buyer must trust their agent to give them accurate and relevant information quickly so when the perfect property does come around they will be ready to pull the trigger (make an offer).

I've already had too many clients miss out on the perfect property for them because they were dragging their feet. The house just happened to be the first one we looked at. While they loved the house on their first visit, they didn't take any action because they didn't want to hastily make a decision, which is very understandable. What they didn't consider, even though I advised them to, is making an offer right away. It doesn't matter if the offer is full price or $50,000 low, as long as they have one on the table the house isn't going to get away from them.

Making an offer on a house is NOT a buying decision even if it looks and feels like one. A customer can back out of an offer for any reason and at no cost/risk to them. Once an offer is made, the buyer has 15 days to decide whether or not they want the house* (the inspection period). All you have to have to make an offer on a house is a prequalification or a proof of funds letter from a bank.

In short, writing an offer on something that you might be serious about is not as scary as it seems. After you write the offer, you have a minimum of 15 days to rescind the offer at no cost to you.

*In Florida