Real Estate Agents, Realtors, and Salesmen
(Page 5 of 8)
May/June 1974
by Les Scher
THESE LINES ARE ALWAYS GOOD FOR A LAUGH
RELATED CONTENT
FEEDBACK ON? ""REAL ESTATE AGENTS, REALTORS, AND SALESMAN March/April 1975 As a broker and realtor,...
DON'T FORGET YOUR EXTENSION AGENT! January/February 1976 [ When you need back-to-the-land advice an...
FEED BACK ON.. ""Real Estate Agents,Realtors, and Salesmen"" September/October 1974
...
Rainwater Environmental Alliance for Learning (REAL) School Gardens, with the help of a grant from ...
"I'll let you in on a secret about the seller."
"I'm going to show you something nobody else has seen."
"The land is really worth more than the seller is asking."
"So far, nobody else has seen this property."
"If I had the money, I'd buy this piece myself."
"Look, a lot of people are interested in this property, so you better make up your mind quickly."
THE BROKER'S PSYCHOLOGY
After dealing with countless real estate agents I have found two standard psychological approaches used in selling country property. The first I call the "Welcome to the country, smile, and don't worry about a thing" approach and the second is the "Why are you trying to complicate the deal by asking all those questions?" approach.
"WELCOME TO THE COUNTRY, SMILE, AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT A THING"
The rural land dealer exudes this attitude. The first thing you notice is his informal, unbusinesslike appearance. But don't let the absence of a necktie mislead you into thinking he is necessarily more "down-home" and honest than slick, high-pressure city agents. Coming from the city, you will be easily soothed by the country vibrations. The agent will try to make you feel completely at ease and will assure you he can help you find a nice piece of land. If he can convince you that he has nothing but your interests in mind, he hopes that you won't question anything he tells you.
An interesting new touch to the land sales business is the use of young "hip" salesmen employed by many brokers to "relate to" young people who come in looking for land. They have long hair and some will try to get you stoned, with the expectation that then you will automatically trust them. Be extremely careful of these "house hippies." The worst land I have seen was shown to me by "hip" young salesmen who knew absolutely nothing about real estate.
Similar tactics are used on a larger scale by developers who fly customers to their subdivisions for the weekend, provide free meals and drinks, let them ride horses and go swimming, and then make a big sales pitch. These sales gimmicks are part of the same approach, which could also be called "buttering up the buyer."
"WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO COMPLICATE THE DEAL BY ASKING ALL THOSE QUESTIONS?"
This approach is extremely effective, particularly when used with buyers who know little about what they are doing. Nobody wants to sound stupid. Thus when a buyer asks too many questions, the real estate agent gives him a look that implies: "What's the matter, are you stupid or something?" Agents dislike anyone who asks a lot of questions, especially lawyers who "complicate deals with all kinds of trivial conditions." The broker would have you believe that buying land is simply a process of finding a parcel that looks good to you and paying your money. The rest is just "paperwork." This is exemplified by the common statement made by brokers that the Deposit Receipt is just a receipt for some money and only one of many forms the buyer will get. Little does the buyer know that once the Deposit Receipt is signed by both parties, it becomes the binding contract for the land purchase.
Page:
<< Previous 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 | 5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
Next >>
