The property market in Malaysia is competitive amidst the slow market, and the property buyer knowing this fact does not help as it makes some of them more difficult. Requests for below bank valuation price tags and more freebies are common among some of the more typical demands, and handling these types of clients can be difficult.
Below are some of the common situations faced by sales agents, and some of the ways on how to handle them.
The Bargain Hunter
Many property buyers put their night market bargaining skills to the test here, when looking for a property to purchase. They will scour the market for the best bargains, set up appointments to view all of them, select the one that most appeals to them and drive a hard bargain for the property.
Among the gimmicks they will attempt is to try contacting the property owner directly, or ask the agent for a better discount by offering to pay an additional “commission” for getting the buyer a better price.
How to deal with this client
For the properties that were viewed and deemed unworthy, the agent would have wasted their time here. But the final agent with the keys to the desired property may be able to get the sale if they stand firm.
They will need to educate the buyer on the property value in the area, and the prices that were previously paid for purchases in the neighbourhood. Places where these info can be gotten are at the National Property Information Centre (NAPIC). If an agreement is met, make sure to get it down in writing as soon as possible to ensure that the buyer sticks to it.
The Dominant Talker
Sometimes you will get clients who are determined to keep talking, from the salient points to the unnecessary. They will tell you what type of property they want, how many rooms, how big the kitchen must be – all the to the type of sink they want in the kitchen, the age of the kitchen cabinet and the colour of the toilet tiles.
How to deal with this client
These types of clients are not necessarily bad, they just have many concerns that they wish to get off their chest. There are often much underlying meaning beneath their words. Listen to them, let them finish talking – they will eventually end somewhere.
Once they have finished pouring their concerns out onto you, address their concerns one by one so that they know you understand their concerns, and that you care. The clients’ concerns are often baseless, but obviously mean much to them; so do not take them lightly. Take care of their feelings, and you will most probably be highly recommended by these clients to others even if the deal does not go through.
Disrespectful Buyers
And every so often you will get a client who thinks that they can mistreat their peers just because they are the ones holding the cash. They will bring their entire family to view the property, spouse, parents, wailing brood of children and more. Their children may run over the entire property with their shoes on and test the beds by jumping on them, while the adults look down their noses at the property.
How to deal with this client
While it may often be tempting to put these people in their place, it will not be good for your reputation; and may destroy a potential sale. Nevertheless, if the family goes out of hand, stopping them from damaging the property may prove more crucial.
In these cases, the only way is a direct approach. Do not reprimand any misdemeanours from the children directly, instead firmly tell the adults that they will have to be responsible for any damage inflicted on the property.
The Mind Changer
Every so often, property agents will come across clients who will try to put everything into verbal agreements only and refuse to put anything down in writing. Examples of these include buyers agreeing to purchase the property at a certain price and then later telling the agent that they are actually looking for a lower price tag.
How to deal with this client
The moment a client agrees with a price, tell them that you need to put it down in writing to protect their best interests. A way to do this is to tell them that the price may increase according to market price, so it would be in their best interest to lock down the agreed selling price first.
Difficult clients are always a given in the property market, especially within the challenging property agent scene. Share with us below some of the more difficult situations that you yourself may have faced before, and how you dealt with it.
Diane Foo Eu Lynn, Senior Content Specialist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact her about this or other stories email diane@propertyguru.com.my
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