Entry by Deb Orth

Using Consulting With Buyers

A few weeks ago, a buyer who had been looking at homes for sale by owner, was referred to me by one of my regular clients. She felt ill prepared to deal with the sellers but felt she could get a better deal if she could offer a contract where a buyer's agent commission was not a factor.

Because she was ill at ease but still wanting to find a home which included looking at FSBOs, she asked for my help. After some discussion, I agreed to work with her and got an agreement that she would allow me to show her homes that were in MLS as well as FSBO. For a retainer fee of $500, I would work with her and I told her that if she put a contract on a home either in MLS or with a FSBO who agreed to pay a commission, I would rebate the $500 to her at clsoing.

We haven't settled on anything yet, but with the investment in time and gas I've made, I'm still ahead of the game and certainly ahead of where I'd be without a consulting agreement. I probably could have charged her more, but since this was the first time I'd really put this approach into action, I under charged her.

The point of this story is that you shouldn't be afraid to get started. Just do it. No one but you knows that you're new at consulting. The client certainly doesn't so don't hesitate to use this fabulous set of tools we have to make a real difference in our own businesses but also in the lives of our buyers and sellers.


Deb

This page contains a single entry by Deb Orth published on May 11, 2007 7:35 PM.

Outsource it or Do it Yourself was the previous entry in this blog.

How I Work With Buyers is the next entry in this blog.

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