Selling a home can be an emotional experience for clients. Besides making a major life change, some sellers may have a big reaction around parts of the home selling process. For a Realtor, this can cause tension and make a client’s home sale more difficult. Do you have all the tools you need to handle seller’s emotional objections effectively and empathetically?
In this article, we’ll cover:
- Common seller objections
- Tools to handle objections
- How to reframe objections
Common Seller Objections
Working in real estate, you’re no stranger to seller objections. They can range from understandable to outlandish, but some tend to be more common than others. These include:
Listing Price Doubts: Sometimes a seller will have an issue with the listing price of their home. They likely have a number in mind based on research they have done or friends they have spoken to. Other times the seller may want to raise the listing price due to their love for the home and the memories attached to it.
Adverse to Updates: Sellers don’t always want to put the money or time into making updates to their home. While it may increase the value or help the home sell faster, your client doesn’t see the end benefit.
Agent Commission Issues: Unfortunately, there will be times when your worth as a Realtor is challenged. A client may feel your commission is too high and that a different agent will sell the home for a lower commission.
For Sale by Owner: Your seller may want to test their luck by selling the home without the expertise of a Realtor. Why? Usually, it goes back to thinking they can avoid commission altogether and collect a bigger profit from their home sale.
Tools to Handle These Objections
The best thing you can do is get ahead of seller objections through education. The more you can offer clients (and potential clients) in the form of understanding, the less likely they will be to have objections. Here are some easy examples of educational materials for clients:
Blogs: Written content is a valuable tool in educating home sellers. You can discuss topics like market trends, easy updates to make on a budget, and all the reasons using a Realtor matters for a successful sale.
Video Series: Some people need to see things visually to fully understand them. When you educate your sellers through a video series, you’re helping them to grasp a concept in its entirety. For example, you can film the staging process of a home.
Once sellers see how much better the home looks when it’s staged, they won’t be able to argue that it isn’t worth the time and money. You may also see success in videos that breakdown how you determine a listing price or negotiate a sale.
Drip Campaign: Marketing via a drip campaign allows you to automate a series of personalized emails for certain demographics of your database. These emails can be triggered based on actions a prospective seller takes on your website or landing page. Drip campaigns can be used to welcome people to your email list, reengage leads that have gone cold, educate clients with content, and provide a call to action.
Nurture Campaign: Once your drip campaign has been successful and you’re speaking directly to the potential client, you’ll turn it into a nurture campaign. This helps you to convert the lead into someone you’re working with.
Let’s look at a drip into nurture campaign scenario:
- A potential seller visits your website to learn more about you and they join your mailing list. You want to become their listing agent, so you send them a welcome email.
- In the welcome email, you’ll include a free home selling consultation as a call to action. You see they clicked the link but didn’t sign up for a consultation.
- An email is then sent that includes more information about the consultation and a link to a guide for home sellers.
- The potential seller downloads the guide and signs up for a consultation.
- You set up a phone call with the sellers and go through the steps of the consultation.
- You follow up with a post-consultation email that provides educational content about different pricing strategies and what the next steps are.
- If you don’t hear from the clients, you’ll send another email after a set amount of time, letting them know you understand why they may be on the fence and that you’re happy to answer any questions or concerns they may have.
- When they respond, you get together for coffee to discuss their concerns, and they choose you as their listing agent!
Educational and Empathetic Reframes to Objections
Remember, objections are not something to take personally. They almost never have to do with you as a Realtor and are typically based on a lack of understanding. Here are some simple reframes to give your client in moments of doubt:
Objection: Other agents would list the home for higher.
Response: As the expert, you need to trust that I know what I’m doing.
Reframe: I hear what you’re saying and can understand why you may have some hesitancy to listing your home at this price. I’d love to show you the data for homes in your area so you can see why listing at a higher price will keep your home stagnant and can actually cost you money in the long run.
Objection: I don’t want to update my house if I’m selling it.
Response: These updates are necessary to get you full value for your home.
Reframe: It can be really frustrating to put money into your property knowing you won’t get to enjoy the changes you make. I’ve found that homes similar to yours have sold at or over asking price when staged and updated appropriately. So, while you’re putting money into it for the short-term, it will benefit you financially in the long-term. Let me show you some examples!
Objection: Other agents would take a smaller commission than you’re asking for.
Response: This is the commission I charge across the board; I won’t be budging.
Reframe: I’m glad you’ve done your research on different agents! I want you to feel secure in who you choose to work with. I’d love to give you more background on my commission structure. Everything is based on my expertise and experience. Compared to the other agents you’ve been talking to; I’ve sold X more homes and have gotten clients $X more on average. I charge based on the commitment and work I put in, going above and beyond for my clients.
Objection: I can just sell the home myself.
Response: I never recommend that for clients, but if you feel I’m not the right fit, I understand.
Reframe: I know how tempting it can be to sell your home yourself, especially in this market. I’d love to show you the data I have that shows how much more homes go for when using an agent versus selling on your own. I’d hate for you to miss out on financial gain without knowing all the facts!
As you can see, the more you can empathize with your clients and understand where they’re coming from without getting reactive, the more they’ll trust you. The emotions will simmer down, and you’ll be able to keep your sellers on course.
If you’re looking for more content like this to expand your business as a Realtor, keep in touch with the team at Churchill Mortgage. We’re always putting out relevant and educational materials. We’re also always looking to partner with Realtors who believe in putting clients first. If that’s you, let’s connect!
