Sound Off: How do you keep clients optimistic?

A: Explaining the home buying process and what the current market conditions are to a client at my first meeting is very important.

As we are still currently in a market that I would classify as a sellers market, I explain to the client what to expect when making an offer on a property — that it may very well be a multipleoffer situation.

How do we structure their offer to give them the best chance at getting the property? I explain the reasoning for each recommendation I give to my buyer client(s).

I reach out to the listing agent to find out how many offers they are expecting on the property, when they will look at offers and if possible what the sellers expectations are.

It is important to get a feel for what our competition will be for the property. An underwriting preapproval for the buyer clients on their financing is a must. I try to find out from the listing agent where our offer landed in the way of price and terms, so that I can share that with my buyers. We wear many hats as Realtors. One of those is coach.

I need to keep the client positive and focused on attaining their goal of home ownership with all its benefits.

Jeff LaMont, Coldwell Banker, 6507408808, jlamont@cbnorcal.com.

A: The best way to avoid multipleoffer fatigue is to win. Shy of this, it’s about knowing you have put your best foot forward. Note three elements:

Preparation: I link with a lender to go beyond preapproval, allowing us to compete with cash offers. After identifying a property, efforts shift to investigating condition so we can submit a clean bid.

Education: Throughout our search, I encourage clients to understand market rhythm by noting what homes ultimately sell for. This, combined with my expertise, helps determine bid price. Connections: As the face of the offer, my reputation is important. Assure your agent is local and respected. Stick together and nurture the relationship.

If we do these things yet the property is out of reach, we keep our chins up and move to the next one. Purchasing is a journey — you will end up exactly where you are meant to be.

Logan Link, Compass, 4153366858, logan@loganlinkhome.com.

A: While it’s never fun to lose out on a house, we always try to stress that there are often silver linings when this happens.

Hopefully, the experience will make clients better informed the next time around. Did they miss out because they were too slow seeing it or putting in an offer?

Next time, they will know to move quickly on a house that checks their boxes. Did they make an offer and the seller went with another with fewer contingencies?

That’s motivation to get financing locked down and do their diligence ahead of time on the next one. It’s always disappointing to miss out, but often those losses point buyers towards the house that really fits their needs and sometimes prompts them to reevaluate what they really want.

People often say, thank goodness we didn’t get those other houses, because we love the home we did finally get.

Paul Kitchen, Compass, 4156527285, paul@teamhatvany.com.