Looking for homes for my newest buyer

I got a call from a woman the other day that wants to start looking at homes in the El Paso, TX area. The first thing I asked her was why she called my office. Her answer is used to track where our clients come from. She found us on the Internet and had used RE/MAX for sales in the past.



I also told her about the real estate market in El Paso and what was driving our market right now. The military build up has had a big impact on our market but the 4 year medical school that will focused on border health and the high tech military weaponry that is being developed right now in El Paso are probably the 2 biggest impacts on El Paso's real estate market.



Once we got through the normal conversation introducing ourselves I started asking the questions that will help me find the right home for their needs. I needed to know what type of home she was looking for, how soon would they be moving, had they already talked to a loan officer to get pre approved (one of the most important ones to me), do they have to sell a home to buy this one or are they in a rental and if so when does the lease expire.



She was very helpful in her information and even offered to email me a list of her wants. That really makes my job easier so once I got that list then I could go into our Multiple Listing service and start sorting through the homes that matched her criteria. She had even sent me a list of homes that she wanted to see and that was great because she is the one picking what suits her needs instead of my trying to guess which ones are the best ones that fit.

Now all I have to do is track down the agents to check for availability. Have you ever tried to call someone and it was hours before they got back to you? Frustrating isn't it? Please answer your phones or make a point to check your messages at least every 30 minutes, in some cases it could make a difference whether you get your home sold or not!!

At my office once we make all the calls to see if they are still available my staff will then put all of the listings that I am going to show on a map so that there is no problems finding the homes as quickly as possible.

I personally call the sellers' to set an appointment (that is the way it is done in El Paso-we do not have a scheduling company in most cases) and I let them know within a 15-20 min. time frame what time I will show their home. I also let them know that if I am running early or late, I will call them( and then I do!).

Now I am ready to meet with the buyer and before we go out to look I sit down with them and explain the Information about Broker Services (letting them know who represents whom) and I go over the Buyer's Representation Agreement and explain all of the things I will do when I represent them.

If there are questions I answer them now or in the car as we are driving around looking at homes. The next step will be handled in the nest post.
Patti Olivas