How do you deal with sellers going through a divorce (and get the listing)?

#1. Get into a conversation with both of them. Ask for the other spouse’s contact information and reach out to them to see how you can help. Or, do a three-way conference call with both of them present. No matter your track record or how close you are to one of them, it’s the first agent that gets into a conversation with the husband and the wife and makes them both feel comfortable that gets the listing. 

#2. Identify the motivation of both parties. 

1. Who’s living in the house right now?
2. Do they want to save the marriage? Does one of them want to keep the house?
3. Who’s currently making the house payments? How is the money going to be split between them? If one is getting more than the other, that will affect the other’s motivation to sell.

#3. Never take sides. Reassure the other spouse that you don’t know well that you’ll represent them both fairly.

#4. Get them both to agree on one thing: selling their house for the most money in the least amount of time

#5. Stay in 3-way communication. Throughout the entire process, keep both parties informed. You can do group text, group chat, or group email. 

Here are 3 Emergency Steps to take to help your business thrive in the face of the current economic crisis & real estate market shift. 

1. Accept reality. Although your business did well last year, this is not the time to be complacent. You have to persevere because what’s coming up is going to be worse than the Great Recession of 2008.
2. Focus on building relationships. In times of crisis, people will only listen to someone they trust. Do not convince people to buy or sell. Now is the time to connect, build relationships, and earn their trust by letting them know that you’re out there to help them make a decision that’s in their best interest.
3. Communicate certainty. With every conversation you have, you must communicate certainty. But first create certainty within yourself. Know what's happening in your market, and then you become a resource person. When you show up with absolute certainty, people will listen and follow you. 

With interest rates going up, is this a good time to buy? 

YES, if at least one of these applies:

1. The buyer wants a place to live and plans to stay for 5-10 years. 
2. You’re in a market where buying is cheaper than renting.
3. You as the agent can help the buyer negotiate the best terms and price. You can negotiate to have the mortgage company buy down their interest rate (with seller concessions) 

What to do with a lead or prospect that wants to wait:

1. Identify their motivation. The most important thing is to identify their reason for wanting to buy a house 
2. Be the problem solver. If their problem is high interest rates, give them several options (i.e. you can negotiate to have the seller do a concession to buy down your interest rate, figure out ways to make it as good a deal or better than if they had bought 6 months ago.
3. Keep building the relationship. Shoot straight with them, so you earn their trust. And stay Top of Mind with them, so when the time comes that they’re ready to buy, they will reach out to you.