Belief is a funny thing.
Some people believe in the Loch Ness Monster. Some believe in the Easter Bunny (not many under six, to be fair). Others believe in Father Christmas (they’re not wrong!).
And, judging by what’s landing on doormats up and down the country, certain estate agents are very keen for sellers to believe they have a buyer, ready and waiting to snap up their home.
Over the last few weeks, my EAN inbox has received photos of near-identical comp slips.
Different town, different branch, different name signed at the bottom. Same wording: “I believe I have a buyer for your home. Please give me a call.” They are printed in a way that makes them look handwritten, almost personalised (to the best of my knowledge, they’re not).
I’m not naming the agency, as many others take this marketing approach. The tactic is the story.
One agency writing to homeowners listed with another isn’t wrong in itself; it’s prospecting, and, done with genuine intent, it can be welcome and help the seller.
But the question is, do all these agencies really have ready buyers? I’m not saying they do, and I’m not saying they don’t.
I believe there are five ways estate agents can educate sellers about this marketing tactic.
Feel free to share these with your sellers.
One. “Believe” is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
Belief isn’t a buyer. A real buyer has a name, a budget, a position, and a date they viewed the area. Ask for those details. If what comes back is a softer version of the “I believe” line, you have your answer.
Two. The “personal” handwritten note is a marketing template.
Same wording, same handwriting, same friendly sign-off across multiple branches. That isn’t three managers having the same idea on the same morning. It’s a centralised campaign designed to look spontaneous. If marketing has to be made to look personal, nine times out of ten it isn’t.
Three. A real buyer match doesn’t arrive on a comp slip.
It arrives by a phone call from one agent to another. The reason these slips land on your doormat rather than your agent’s desk isn’t that there’s a buyer to introduce. It’s that there’s an instruction to win.
Four. The small print can set you up for two fees on one sale.
Several of these buyer-ready slips contain small-print wording to the effect of: “If our buyer completes on the purchase of your home, we require our normal fee from you, the seller, on completion.” Now read that against your sole agency contract. Engaging a second agent during your contract term, or its tail period (the window after your contract ends during which the original agent can still claim a fee), can leave you liable for two fees on the same sale. The slips I have seen don’t warn the seller of that possibility.
Five. You’re already paying for representation. Use it.
If a slip like this drops on your mat, don’t ring the number on it. Ring the agent you’ve instructed. Send them a photo and ask, “Have any of your other clients had the same one?” The more sellers who report identical slips, the clearer it becomes that “the buyer” wasn’t specific at all.
If you’ve had one through your door, send us a photo. We’re collecting them, weird hobby, granted.
Cheers,
Jerry
