Buyers Should Have Manners Too !
When you get real estate agents together they can tell some amusing and amazing stories about buyers they have worked with over the years. Some have even written entire books on the subject. However amusing the stories may be now, more than likely they weren't quite as funny when they were happening.
You always hear recomendations for the sellers, but seldom is there anything mentioned about buyers. Occasionally out of necessity a seller will need to be home during a showing. This can spell trouble if you are working with an onry buyer.
True story~ I was working with a young couple a few years ago on what would be their first home purchase. To say the least they didn't get along well and that came through loud and clear with every home that we toured. The husband would go into high gear if the seller(s) were home. He would be loud and obnoxious, making horrible comments about the home (always just loud enough for the owner to hear in the next room !). In turn the wife would go off on him, correcting him like you might a mean dog. Before you knew it they would have the air turned blue with very foul language and leave the home fighting.
The wife was lots of fun to show homes to and we would preview several homes, before narrowing it down to her select choices. She new their needs and wants and was careful not to waste the husband's time on anything that didn't meet their criteria. No matter what they looked at he would fuss and spew out his "opinions" about everything he could find. This would then start the entire cycle all over again. Not only did we subject multiple sellers to his mouth, but to top it all off their terrible fights.
I finally had to have a long talk with them in the office and it helped for two showings. When it started again I just had to set my foot down and needless to say they got mad. I later learned that every agent in town had worked with them over a three year period.
Buyers please be considerate of the sellers. They don't deserve this kind of treatment. Try to remember that in most cases, this is their home. The average sellers feel like "if it is good enough for us, it should be good enough for them".