Posted by shawn sisco on September 08, 2009 at 07:52:13:
are all aiming at a pool of buyers similar to what Dr.B describes. I have found it worthwhile to follow up on seniors when they are considering down-sizing. Their motivation is quite different, they deliberate longer, but they also stay put longer once they have moved in.
Handling Buyer Inquiries - Posted by JackF(FL)
Posted by JackF(FL) on September 07, 2009 at 19:38:19:
We have Lonnie Deal MH’s we are selling. Many contacts are not on target for our available MHs. However, they might be a fit for our next deal. How are you all keeping track of these inquires? I have ACT! (contact management software) to track the inquiries. It seems time intensive.
PS: Ryan Needler put an outstanding bootcamp on in Morganton, NC. Joan and I say Thank You again Ryan!
Re: Handling Buyer Inquiries - Posted by JackF(FL)
Posted by JackF(FL) on September 08, 2009 at 07:52:17:
Thank you for your insights. Our process seemed to long to input, to much detail for the fleeting chance of putting these buyers in one of our units at some point in the future.
I think we were 1/2 way back to FL from the Morganton Bootcamp when we thought of this questions!
Re: Handling Buyer Inquiries - Posted by Ryan (NC)
Posted by Ryan (NC) on September 07, 2009 at 21:29:31:
I only track the folks I really want i.e. “we’ve got 2k to put down” if I don’t have a home that’ll fit them on hand I will attempt to find it quickly if possible and use an option to try to work out the deal.
When I use a buyer?s list of sorts it’s more that I normally find out exactly what they are looking for and then proceed to go find it for them and negotiate a deal around what both ends need. If it’s just a marginal type buyer that is looking for something I have coming or am looking at I’ll plug them into my cell under a label that says “wanted” and tell them to call me back in about a week and I should have a unit open that would fit their needs.
A buyers list is very powerful for the folks just getting started, you can often play match maker by knowing what several people are looking for and finding something available that you can get a good deal on. As mentioned, I find MH leads are only good for about 30 days max and many are limited to a matter of days.
Quick easy way would be to create labels in your cell ?wants handyman?, ?wants 2br? & ?wants 3br? and rotate placing numbers in the label so that you can call them back quickly and on the fly when you get a new home, it won?t give you much information but you could save their data in a matter of seconds.
I also have the local weekly hotels and several labels in my cell that say ?decline?, when I can tell over the phone that I?m not going to sell that person a home they get a label so that I?m not wasting my time with them anymore?
Ditto - Posted by Dr. B. (OH)
Posted by Dr. B. (OH) on September 07, 2009 at 21:06:47:
Jack,
I have found NO need to keep track of these folks. They are not pondering whether to buy the $150,000 house or the $180,000 house in a better school district. They are looking for a better roof over their head than the one they’ve got. Many times they want to get out from under renting an old farmhouse with $500 heating bills, a poor landlord/slumlord, mom’s basement or garage, or the little camper in the backyard.
I find the more chasing them I do, the less motivated they are to buy. The more they chase me, the more motivated they are to buy. But beware of the super-motivated ones (e.g. 3 - 6 calls and messages in one day, gotta move in tomorrow, etc). The desperados are that way for a reason.
On rare occasions I have people call me a couple of months or more after 1st contact. They were seriously saving money and reviewing their budget. Those, I like!
Steve
Re: Handling Buyer Inquiries - Posted by Tony Colella
Posted by Tony Colella on September 07, 2009 at 20:21:46:
I have found that most of my buyers (from my Lonnie deals back years ago) and the tenants that call on my rentals today all come from the same, general pool. They need affordable housing immediately.
If I were to create a tracking list of potential buyers I would do it as easy as possible (although, again I find no need for this). I would either just write their name and number down and what they are looking for next to that or maybe the same thing in excel spreadsheet.
Honestly though, if they haven’t found housing by month’s end they are usually not a good candidate anyways. Just my experience and certainly the mileage of others will vary.
Tony