5 Questions You Can’t Afford NOT to Ask Sellers

By: Jovan Hackley

Few things derail a transaction faster than “seller surprises.” Before you reach the final stretch, there are a few key questions you can’t afford to skip if you’re interested in actually getting your commission.

1. Where’s the Real Finish Line?

Finding your seller’s real “finish line,” the one after closing, is key to helping price, market, and move a home with the least resistance. Ultimately, serious sellers have a motivator or something beyond closing that’s driving them to move on.

Unlocking this sometimes hidden motivation will help you make sure you don’t end up in never-ending negotiations or stuck being the only person actually interested in a sale.

2. What’s the Home Improvement Plan?

There’s no camera angle or filters for making water damage or missing tiles look appealing. To keep condition from killing your marketing efforts, ask up front what your sellers’ plans are for staging and preparing the home for sale.

If they don’t have any, that’s your moment to suggest the improvements you know will help the home move.

3. Have You Made Any Enemies?

Whether they’re disgruntled neighbors or an unpaid association, you need to know about any audience that could threaten the deal. Ask early about any disputes about fences, dues, pending liens, or any “forgotten” things that need to be resolved that may not show up on a title search.

4. What’s Your Bat Signal?

Closing will never happen if you can’t connect with sellers fast. Like the citizens of Gotham, you need to know how to, and who else can, get in touch with your sellers in a flash.

Whether it’s for a last-minute showing or pre-closing to-dos, establish an emergency communication plan to connect when the deals on the line.

5. How Do I Earn Your Recommendation?

Too often we get the question, “When do I ask for a recommendation?” Why not do it up front? Showing that you’re working for more than a commission check is a great way to build rapport and alert clients early that you want their words of approval once the deal is done. If you don’t ask for recommendations, you don’t get them—and today’s missed reference equals tomorrow’s missed dollars.

These are five questions we think you can’t afford to not ask.