With most parts of Toronto and the GTA experiencing buyer’s markets right now, we thought we’d look at the different types of buyers that we’ve encountered over the years. We’ll explain their characteristics and then share which one is our favourite – and it isn’t the one you’d expect!
Let’s get into it with our first type.
The Explorer
Does this sound like you?
I want to learn about my options and explore what is out there. I still need a lot of questions answered before I’ll know if buying is in my future and if so, when. I like the idea of having help but don’t want to lead someone on when I might not buy at all or have them put pressure on me to decide.
The Believer
Perhaps this is more your style?
I value having someone actively searching, showing, advising, and negotiating for me in my real estate purchase. I don’t have the time or the experience to do it myself and I need someone I believe in and trust to help.
The Skeptic
Or is this how you think?
I need someone to book the showings and do paperwork on an offer and I don’t really know how much additional help I need. I’ve seen or worked with other Realtors that didn’t seem to add much value and I’m skeptical about signing up with one.
You may think you know which type we prefer, but the answer is likely surprising!
Our favourite is….
We imagine you’re thinking that the only one of those buyers we like is the Believer. In fact, we find that buyer clients are pretty evenly spread most years between these three types – and that’s the way we like it!
Here’s our take on the Explorer. In most years, about a third of our buyer clients are just starting their process. Some take less time than they thought to decide, others take longer and some figure out that buying isn’t the right choice right now. We are firm believers in the idea that you can’t make good decisions without knowledge. That said, one of our biggest pet peeves is when we’re trying to gather information and then feel pressured to make a decision. Our commitment to our clients is that we will provide the information you need, at the pace you want, in order to explore buying. Whatever the end result and the timeframe, we love helping you figure this out.
Then we come to the Believer. It’s true, we’re always happy to meet a client who is a believer. All of us like when we meet people who think the work we do has value. Many of our team’s referrals come to us as believers, having heard about our agents from past clients. Working with believers means we need to make sure that we live up to expectations so that you get what you want and enjoy the experience of buying a property. Crazy concept we know!
Finally, let’s talk about the Skeptic. Part of being in a business with relatively low barriers to entry is that there are some people working as Realtors that aren’t a great representation of what we do. When someone has a bad experience with a particular profession, the next encounter they have is understandably more guarded. We’ve also been around the block a few times, so working with skeptics feels pretty comfortable. That’s probably why about a third of our clients start off not being sure if they need to hire us. One of the best feelings in our business is feedback from a client about how they didn’t realize all the things a Realtor can do to help. We love the challenge of proving to you why your agent can be a real asset in your real estate journey and we’re not afraid to do the work necessary.
Regardless of what type of buyer you are (or if you’re some exotic mix of all three types!), we’d love the chance to show you what we can do. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us so that we can start the ball rolling!
