Post inspection follow up scripts to improve your client prospecting

A lot of real estate training scripts focus on cold calling, market updates, winning new listings, just sold and open house updates. However, following up post open for inspection is a crucial aspect of business that can easily get left by the way-side after a busy weekend of auctions and opens.

Getting on the phone straight after your inspection sends a clear and important message to new contacts. It shows that you’re highly motivated, proactive, that you’re not afraid to take action and engage with and listen to new clients. It will also allow you to rule out those people just having a sticky beak and help you to identify the serious buyers from the disinterested.

Here are some scripts to guide your follow ups to increase engagement and lead conversion with the three different types of buyers you’ll most commonly encounter.

1. Interested buyers.

‘Hi (insert name). How did you find the inspection at (insert address)? Did it meet your expectations?’

If they say YES: 

‘Great! The features of the house are sensational. The property’s uniqueness really stems from the fact it has three bedrooms that are north facing and provides an abundance of natural light, something you can’t generally find in that price point and such a great location.’

Pause here to let the prospect start talking about the features they were impressed with and allow them time to ask a question or two about the house. After answering their question/s (if they had any) go on to:

‘As you saw at the inspection, there are a number of other parties interested, but it’s my job to gauge the interest of prospects who have shown serious consideration and have indicated it may be a place they want to purchase. Could I put you in that category?’ Allow them qualify themselves as an interested party or not.

If they’re interested:

‘Great, so what are the next steps you’d like to take? Would you like me to arrange a private inspection in the next 48 hours so you can take measurements and ensure everything is up to standard?’

This question will test if they are really interested. If they are they’ll make time to come out to another inspection ASAP.

If they say YES to you offer for a private inspection:

‘Fantastic, let me send over a Section 32 so you have one for your records, I’ll also work on getting a copy of the contract so if you do want to proceed there is no delay there. I’ll see you (insert date and time) to walk you through the home.’

2. Semi-Interested buyers (typically the most common category of buyer at opens).

Option 1-

‘Hi (insert name). How did you find the inspection at (insert address)? Did it have what you are looking for?’. At this point expect more dialogue than the response given by interested buyers. Semi-interested buyers will talk about the things that aren’t exactly right for them in the property, as they are yet to confirm or commit that it is the right home for them.

Your response:

‘I understand. We have found in this market that it is incredibly hard to find exactly what you are looking for, but the reason this home is unique is because (insert unique features. Such as proximity to shops, public transport etc.)’.

It’s important you listen carefully here to find out what specific features are missing that they need or why they’re in doubt about the property.

‘I can appreciate that you’re looking for a little more garden space, I guess it’s just about weighing up what is more important to you, the location, price or the features of the home itself. What is your desired location?’

If the home is in their desired suburb:

‘If this is where you want to be, to get something with the garden space you require will most likely cost you another (insert amount). Does that fit within your ball park budget?’

‘If you were wanting to stick to this budget, do you think it would be worth me showing you through the home again so you can look at the space and maybe see how you could amend it to suit your needs and lifestyle more?’

Unless they are very keen to see it again, don’t push it, it can end up being a tremendous waste of time for you and the client if their gut feeling is against buying the property.

From the conversation so far you’ll be able to gauge their level of interest by their tone of voice and by whether or not they push to request to see the home again. At this point finish with this statement or something similar:

‘I could show you through the home again, but I’m conscious I don’t want to waste your time. This home will get snapped up quickly, so if you’d prefer I can wait until something that more aligns with your specific needs comes onto the market. Please feel free to give me a call if you do decide you want to go through the home again or you find another home that you want me to discuss with you.’

Be very conscious of not to pushing too hard to show them through again, the opportunity cost for time is not overly high for them, but it is for you, if they’re genuinely interested let them put in the request for a second look.

Option 2-

‘Hi (insert name). I just wanted to thank you for coming along to the inspection over the weekend. You mentioned you’ve been looking for a home with your wife and young daughter, how did this go as far as meeting your needs?’. Let them talk about the pros and cons here, you will usually get a mixture of both.

‘If you had to list the most important items you need out of a home, what are they?’. Note down beds, bathrooms, location etc. that they’re looking for in case you have any other listings on the cards that may suit them better.

‘Ok. So it sounds like this home at (insert address) is pretty close if not spot on for what you are after. It has the three bedrooms, two bathrooms and the two car parks you require. What is your current position, have you made the commitment that buying is definitely a possibility over the next four to eight weeks?’. This is an imperative question, if they aren’t clear that they have decided to buy, they will have a long way to go with getting their finance arranged.

‘Just so I can manage the vendor’s expectations as well as yours, should I be keeping you in the loop if an offer gets put forward, would you want to know about it if someone was going to buy it?’. This will let you gauge their level of interest. If they say yes, then they’re an interested buyer and you need to push to show them through the home again and work on getting their finances set up.

If they’ve said YES:

‘Great. Well why don’t you have a chat to your mortgage broker, we have someone here who is more than happy to consult for our clients, free of charge. How about I set up a discussion for you in the next couple of days, and in the meantime, why don’t I show you the home again tomorrow evening.’

If they’re okay with this, then set them up to discuss their mortgage options as well as what they could do with their house, and then show them through the next day. The outcome of the next meetings will then result in classifying them as an interested or disinterested buyer. You need to move your prospects from this section of semi-interested ASAP, as they can be time killers, but can also turn into commission payers.

3. Disinterested buyers

‘Hi (insert name). Thanks for coming by (insert address). I remember you mentioned that you most likely aren’t in the market to buy just now, but I wanted to get your feedback on the home and what you thought.’. Let them list the features, benefits, what they’re looking for and they may even go into their buying timeframe.

‘Fair enough. (reiterate their positive thoughts on the home). If this property and others like it is something that could become of interest to you in the immediate to near future or when you’re looking at taking the next step please feel free to give me a call. Just before I go, if I did have a new property come on to the market, what type of home would you definitely want to hear about?’. Let them list their most desirable features in a home and what would push them to become an active buyer.

‘Great. I’ll be in touch in the not to distant future and also add you to my email list to keep you posted on the latest listings.’

If you view each call as a fresh opportunity to engage potential clients in interesting conversations, your follow up calls will be less of a chore. Regardless of the type of buyer you’re calling you’ll find that you’ll learn a lot from each potential client’s feedback. Over time and with practice you’ll quickly discern the qualified leads from the time wasters leading you to more efficient follow up calls and speedier sales.