Brandon Nelson
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Why Followers Make the Best Buyers
First time home-buyers usually fall into one of two categories:
1) Leaders. These buyers have watched some reality real estate TV shows, read some columns or blogs that make sweeping, generalized statements about the entire market the country — if not the world — over, and come into the buying process fully believing that anyone who pays anywhere near full price for a house is simple throwing money away! The leaders are necessarily “low-ballers” like our friend Debbie Downer, but there’ll be snowflakes in July before they offer more than 90% of list price for a house.
2) Followers. These buyers have take the approach of “Be Here Now” and they ask their agent, their lender, their friends who’ve bought before them, and anyone else whose opinion has highly-probable value (beyond just selling commercial airtime), lots and lots of questions about what’s happening in the market. And they listen. They realize that good houses at good prices sell very quickly in Bellingham. Perhaps they miss out on one or two by coming in too soft when a listing is new, but they quickly figure out that it’s competitive out there, and in relatively short order, they become a home owner.
Most buyers I’ve worked with fall into the latter category, though I occasionally watch a “leader” lead himself straight back to the life of tenancy to “Wait for the market to cool off.” Hey, it’s their right.
If you’re uncomfortable with the “leader” and “follower” labels above, consider replacing them with “talker” and “listener”, respectively. It pays to be a good listener when you’re shopping for a home.
