As we know, today’s home seller may not always be forthcoming and honest about their motivation and timeline.  The more information you can gather, the more you can tailor your presentation to their hot buttons. When asking questions, proceed gently and use your question softeners to ensure it doesn’t sound like an interrogation and always“acknowledge and approve” their answers to encourage them to open up and share even more.

Question softeners: 

“I’m curious…”
“Tell me…”
“May I ask…”
“I was wondering…”  

Acknowledge And Approve:  

“Great” 
“Terrific” 
“Excellent” 
“Good for you” 
“Really” 
“That’s exciting” 
“Perfect”
“I can appreciate that” 
“Really” 
“You’re kidding”  

Seller Questions:

*some of these are perfect to ask as you are setting the appointment on the phone

1. “Tell me, by when would you like your home sold to the right buyer?”  

2. “May I ask, what is important about that time frame?”  

3. “Are there any options other than selling that you are considering?”  

4. “What challenges might you have if the property happened to take a bit longer to sell than we anticipate?”  

5. “Are you planning to meet with more than one agent?”  

6. “What are your expectations of the professional agent you will select?”  

7. “How will you determine who is the right agent for you to hire?”  

8. “Is there anything special that you would like to have me prepare for our meeting?”  

9. “If you felt 100% confident that I was the right agent for you would you still need to conduct your interviews?”  

10. “Based on that, with your permission, I would like to be the last to meet with you because I believe I can be most helpful in the reviewing of all of the information and data you will have collected so far.”  

11. I’m curious, what, if any, major concerns do you have about the process?”  

12. “What type of research online or other have you done to look at values and market conditions?”  

13. “What are your thoughts about the current market?”  

14. “What is the number based on your research and the current market you were hoping to list for?”  

15. “If by chance you determined the market would not support that price what would you want to do?”  

16. “Can you tell me a little bit about your last experience buying or selling a home?”  

17. “Will there be any other advisors who will be involved in the decision making process?”  

18. “What are the features that you will miss most about the home, or the most significant improvements and benefits of living in the area that I should showcase in the marketing?”  

19. “What, if anything, do you feel a buyer might try to use against us?”  

20. “Do you have an interest in staging or upgrading the property to potentially net a higher price or do you prefer to sell it as is?”  

21. “For me to exceed your service expectations what frequency and method of communication do you need from me, and is there anything else.

If you want more guidance on how to grow your luxury real estate practice, you can learn more about the Institute’s training options here.