As you might imagine, there’s a lot of information and detail that comes with buying – and selling – a home, especially if it’s your first time doing either. Needless to say, agents get a lot of questions.
There’s a phrase you might have heard, called “active listening” – which, simply put, involves going deeper than what the client is saying and understanding the motivation behind what they’re saying – asking questions and finding out what they’re really interested in. That way, we can offer an even more thorough and direct answer that addresses exactly what they need to know.
Some of the questions we get are pretty basic and standard; others can be a little more unusual. Sometimes we get questions we’ve never heard before, and sometimes we don’t know the answer – in which case, a proactive agent will go and find it. It’s part of the job to know the area and the community, to understand the economics of the market and what draws people to the area.
What question do you get most from buyers? How do you answer them?
“Are homes going to drop in price?”
“Overall, the Florida housing market is likely to remain strong in 2023, with continued demand for homes and steady price growth.”
– Noris Roche, REALTOR®
“What’s the area like?”
“I usually answer that question by saying that Ocala/Marion County has a lot to offer. Great restaurants, water activities, nature activities and good schools. ”
– Beckie Cantrell, REALTOR®
“How much are my closing costs going to be?”
“If the buyer is financing, I direct them to their lender. If it’s a cash deal I will do an ESTIMATED net sheet for them and specify only estimated.”
– Dawn Mahler, REALTOR®
“Why move here? What’s special about it?”
“We are 45 minutes from the Gulf and about an hour from the Atlantic, so while we can get a lot of wind and rain, thankfully we avoid large-scale hurricane impact. In fact, this area is the 8th safest place in Florida to live during a hurricane, so that’s a big plus. “
– Cynthia Mikell, REALTOR®
“What are the safe areas?”
“I can’t really answer that, but if you go to the county Sheriff’s website or the Ocala police, you can get some more information.”
– Roxanne Free, REALTOR®
Do you have a question you’d like us to Ask the Agents? Email us at Marketing@ShowcaseOcala.com and let us know! Keep an eye out for the next installment of ATA, and if your curiosity is piqued, have a look at our Ocala and Gainesville agent pages and follow us on Facebook for regular updates about what we’re all up to.
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