By Sash Joveski and Andrew Gallegos, Fearless Agents at Realest.com
To run a buyer consultation, meet with your buyers before the first showing and cover five things in order. Ask about their life and why they’re moving, write down their must haves and deal breakers, confirm their money and lender, walk through the buying process and your written buyer agreement, then book the first showings before they leave. Send a short recap the same day. A good first meeting saves weeks of showings that go nowhere.
A lot of agents skip this meeting because it feels formal. They meet buyers at the first house and hope it works out. Then they show twenty homes, the buyers go quiet, and nobody is sure what went wrong. The consultation is where you find out what your buyers really need. Proverbs 20:5 says, “The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.” Your job in this meeting is to listen well enough to draw those purposes out.
What is a buyer consultation?
A buyer consultation, sometimes called a buyer presentation, is a sit-down meeting with your buyers before you tour homes together. It can happen at your office, a coffee shop or on a video call. The goal is simple. You and your buyers agree on what they want, how the process works, how you’ll work together and what happens next.
Many MLSs now require a written agreement with buyers before you tour a home with them. Follow your brokerage and MLS rules, and use only your brokerage’s current forms.
What should you do before the meeting?
- Confirm who is coming. Every person who will make the decision should be at the meeting.
- Ask about a lender. If they haven’t talked to one yet, offer to introduce them before you meet.
- Get your forms ready. Load the buyer agreement and any brokerage forms you’ll review together.
- Pull a sample search. Run a quick search in their price range and the towns they named on a home search site like Realest.com, so you can talk about real homes, not guesses.
How do you run the buyer consultation in five steps?
- Their life first. Ask what life looks like a year from now and why they’re moving now. Let them talk.
- Must haves and deal breakers. Write down their top three of each, in their own words.
- Money. Confirm their pre-approval, the monthly payment they’re comfortable with and the cash they have for the down payment and closing.
- The process. Walk them through search, showings, offer, inspection, appraisal and closing, so nothing surprises them later. Then go over the buyer agreement line by line, including how you get paid. Answer every question straight. If you don’t know an answer, say you’ll find out and follow up.
- Next step. Agree on how and when you’ll update them, by call, text or email. Then set up their saved search and book the first showings before they leave.
The Buyer Consultation in Five Moves
Listen
Their life and why they’re moving now.
Write it down
Top three must haves and deal breakers.
Money
Pre-approval, payment and cash to close.
Explain
The process and the buyer agreement.
Book it
Saved search and first showings set.
The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out. Proverbs 20:5
What can you say to open the meeting?
Keep it short and put the focus on them. Here is a simple opener you can make your own:
“Before we look at a single house, I want to understand what you really need. Tell me what life looks like a year from now. Then I’ll walk you through how this works from search to keys, and exactly how I get paid, so there are no surprises. What questions do you have before we set up your search?”
Say it out loud a few times before your next meeting. It should sound like you, not like a script. If buyers bring up worries during the meeting, our post on handling real estate objections walks through calm ways to answer.
How do you keep the consultation fair for every buyer?
Ask every buyer the same questions and give everyone the same level of service. Let buyers choose the towns and neighborhoods they want to see. Talk about the homes, not about who lives in an area. If buyers ask about schools or crime, point them to public sources so they can research and decide for themselves. Fair housing is part of serving people well.
What should you do after the meeting?
- Send a recap the same day. List their must haves, deal breakers, budget and the next showing time.
- File the signed agreement. Upload it to your brokerage’s system the same day.
- Turn on their saved search. Make sure they get new listings that match what they told you.
- Follow up the way they asked. Use the call, text or email plan you agreed on. Our post on following up without being pushy has more ideas.
Inside Fearless Training, our Buyers Presentation lesson walks through this meeting with a word-for-word script, a checklist and what to send after. Join Fearless Training for more lessons like this.
Frequently asked questions
What is a buyer consultation in real estate?
A buyer consultation is a meeting with your buyers before you tour homes together. You learn what they need, confirm their money and lender, explain the buying process and go over your written buyer agreement.
How long should a buyer consultation take?
Plan for about 45 minutes to an hour. That gives you time to listen, cover the process and the agreement, answer questions and book the first showings without rushing.
Do buyers need to sign an agreement before touring homes?
Many MLSs now require a written agreement with buyers before you tour a home with them. Check your brokerage and MLS rules, and use only your brokerage’s current forms.
What questions should I ask at a buyer consultation?
Ask what life looks like a year from now, why they are moving now, their top three must haves and deal breakers, whether they have talked to a lender and how they want you to keep in touch.
What should I send after a buyer consultation?
Send a short recap the same day with their must haves, deal breakers, budget and the next showing time. Then set up their saved search so new listings reach them right away.
Be fearless. Sash, Realest.com
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