I've been calling and emailing sellers trying to work a CoopAssignment deal.

I have agreed on multiple occasions with multiple sellers to come over to their place to sign the paperwork so that we can start offering their house as a L/O. EVERY single time, they call me to reschedule, again, and again (each time I tell them that it's no problem) then they don't even return my calls when I try to follow up with them to set another time.

Also, when emailing sellers I often get this:
Them ~ "Yea....i'd be interested in selling the house as a rent2own, just have them come over and take a look at the house and tell me whether they like it or not."

Me ~ "That's great news. But before they come over to look at your house, we have to sign a few papers which allow me to have them come over and look at it."

Them ~ "You need not send me any paperwork unless the people agree to the terms and like the home / location, etc."

Me ~ "Well...if we can agree on the terms you need to get, then it will be easier for them to see if this is a house they can feel comfortable affording. And.....unfortunately I'm not allowed to have them check out your house until we sign some papers. I wouldn't want anyone to accuse you and I of Brokering without a license. It doesn't look good on the ole' resume (or something funny to take the edge off)"

Them ~ "YOU'RE A SCAM!"

Me ~

I get this with the majority of people I talk to. I'm being more warm and fuzzy, I've cut back on the "being more professional" thing, and I've just been talking to them like a normal person trying to help them out. I even say, if they ask, that the papers I'm going to send over have been looked at by an Attorney so they are legit.

I realize that these people are NOT truly motivated and I should move on, but geez..... is everyone else getting this on a regular basis? Thanks.

Darin, I'm surprised to hear this is happening on a continual basis. Occasionally, yes. But as often as you describe, well, that's unusual in my experience.
First, stop talking about signing paperwork. Sounds intimidating to some people. How about saying something like, approve the agreement instead? I don't know if that will make a big difference, but it's a habit I got into years ago and I recommend it.
You hit on another factor at play here. And that is building a "relationship" with these folks. If we come on too strong without any human interaction, so to speak, the level of trust we need to get the paperwork signed, uh, agreement approved, just isn't there.
And, as you also said, you may not be dealing with someone who is motivated enough to work with. Their attitude may be, "Sure. I'll do this. But on my terms and timeframe". If that's their attitude, nothing any of us say would change their mind.

MC.... I like it! "Approve the agreement" does sound a little less intimidating and less "business-like".

I'm doing better job on building relationships too. Anything I can do to eliminate the "big bad investor versus the helpless homeowner" theme definitely works for me.

One of the things I've learned from this whole process, as well, is how to deal with criticism. Instead of getting defensive, I'm learning how to ignore it or to smile and say Thank you for your time. You've teached us all how to be a little more thick-skinned when dealing with buyers and sellers. Every NO! or unaccepted offer is getting me closer to my goals. Thanks!

Darin

Darin, I'm getting that a lot, too. People are really on the defensive right now. Plus, nobody seems to trust anymore. If you're offering to help them, they're worried they might get rolled. Then again, with all the scammers out there I can't blame them for being cautious.

I've been staying in touch with these people, mostly random chit chat, just to soften their defenses. It only takes a few minutes out of my day, I get to have an actual discussion (my 4-month old generally doesn't have much to contribute), and I raise my chances of landing a deal. One of these people, who two months ago worried I was scamming them, emailed me two referrals last weekend. If you can keep the conversation going, I recommend it.

I use to get some more than average flakes. But what has helped me is focusing on there needs and really beat it into them, and let them beg me to come over. Of course I also tell them that I am a real estate agent that does lease options and that has gotten the door open.

Sales tip:

If you go in hungry then you are going to get the drippings. But if you starve them they will hound you until you get over there to pencil it off.

I like that, Jonathan. Have the attitude that they us you more than we need them. Not to compare you to him, but this is one of the approaches Bernie Madoff took with this investors. He would steadfastly refuse to take their funds, working them for a few months. The investors would continue to increase the amount they wanted to invest with him, until he finally "relented" and agreed to do them a favor and accept their measly $10M. At that point, the investor figured they pulled one off and would tell their friends, who then contacted Bernie and the process rolled on. . .

Bernie Madoff? Lets talk about the President. It has been the mantra since he took office. I am not trying to get in a political battle. But look how he sells the stuff. It is on both sides of the govie.

Madoff? Obama? How about a little closer to home. My wife, and I would guess wives in general, are the masters of this. I ask "What's wrong?" Every married guy here knows the answer: "Nothing." Passive-aggression at its finest. Pretty soon I'm begging her to tell me. Why do I suddenly need to know so bad? Because she has lured me into thinking that it will greatly affect my life (which it probably will). I know it's not quite the same, but it's a different version of the same technique. Mothers are really good at this, too.

Hehe. I suspect there are some secret classes taught to all women on this technique. I don't know when, I don't know where, I don't know who teaches it. But I know it's out there somewhere. . .

I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but when I give up after a seller is being difficult, it reinforces in their mind that I am in fact a scammer. It's like they've decided "he couldn't handle the tough questions so he must be a fraud".

What questions are you not answering? If you are getting objections write them down and get answers. If you don't know the answers bring them to the board. When you finish the conversation and cannot go for appointment then close the call or meeting saying that this is not for you.

I would also be interested to know what questions you're getting. In my brief experience, I've been getting the same questions over and over. I understand your point about looking like a scammer when you don't have the answers. No one likes to appear unprepared. Being ready for all the questions is just something you learn over time.

Like Rexford said, the most important thing is how you present yourself. Keep the attitude that you're in control and you're choosing to work with them. If they continue to throw up roadblocks then they're probably not motivated enough yet.

We just have to keep in mind that OUR time is valuable. This is something that I've been learning big-time lately. If they keep grilling you (as my last potential CA seller did for 1.5 hours) like it's a Senate Confirmation Hearing, then it's time to say to yourself..."if they are giving me this much grief NOW then is it going to get any better in the future when i have the deal?......Doubtful." And the fact that they almost made me miss my tee time was enough to cut the visit off short. (I shouldn't have stayed THAT long = my mistake)

Then I did just as JR mentioned. I told them that I'M not feeling too confident with THEM actually needing to lease/sell their house. I then said that it's probably better if we both agree that this isn't the best time for ME to help THEM get their house leased/sold but maybe sometime in the future we can re-visit this solution. I'm getting more confident with the fact that I AM the one who has the knowledge and I AM the one extending MY hand to THEM with a solution. If they already have it in their mind that you're trying to "hustle" them....then very little of what i'm going to say from that point forward is going to change their mind.

When I do feel like I'm not getting through to them (especially through email), I kinda take it to the next level by giving them the links to the MSNBC, FOX News, and quotes from Nationally recognized figures like the National Association of Realtors (what they consider "credible" sources) and then exit stage right. (Maybe that's a little too Passive/Agressive but it seems to work in my mind ) Being that I had analysis paralysis for sooooo long, i've accumulated tons of links, artilces, videos, etc. which I can use as backup to overcome objections. When ALL ELSE FAILS.................I bring out a giant blown up picture of Michael Carbonare and say to them....HE said it's legal!

They may have won the battle....but I've won the war with the loads of information I throw at them which backs up my credibility. (I just don't waste too much energy on it) Hopefully, sometime in the near future, I'll just say, OK...no problem....Thanks for your time and consideration.

Darin

Flip them tables, Darin. Do you want to work with them? That's been my attitude for a long, long while. I have a very low patience threshold with homeowners. If they are onboard from the beginning, we're good to go. But the moment I am asked for "credentials", or I sense hostility or negativity, I kill the deal.

I love it! Great response!!! My personal goal is find out in 5 minutes if they are motivated or not. If I sense they are, then I spend more time on the phone. My goal then becomes to get an appointment. If I sense resistance, I get off the phone as quickly as possible. My time is too valuable.

Hey Darin, I know your pain brother!

The problem you're having is very simple. They think they have the upper hand. They think you need them more than they need you. They think the dozens of calls from 'buyers' they're getting on their ad means they're real estate geniuses and their house will be sold for more than their asking in a matter of days. They don't realize it's all a whole lot of nothing...those 'buyers' aren't serious and can't qualify, all those people eating their cookies at the open house, were just nosy neighbors. etc etc. The point is reality hasn't set in, if it had, they wouldn't be running ads they would have already listed it with an agent to let them deal with all that nonsense.

Unfortunately, there is absolutely nothing you can say to change their mind. But there is something you can NOT say that might help them along. Namely..."I'm not sure if I'm interested."

How many times has it been said: Don't be a motivated buyer! They smell that desperation right through the phone/email/cologne. The only way I've ever got a deal is by acting like I couldn't care less and making them chase after me. And when they get to that point where they've decided they trust you and NEED you, then buyers and sellers alike will sign whatever you put in front of them, without even reading it. They know you're not out to scam them.

Whoa! Was that a Doug Pretorius sighting??














Good to hear from you again, Dougie. Hope all is well up your way.

Hey MC A unicorn, bigfoot and leprechauns, now you can scratch Doug off that list