Saturday, September 5, 2009

0 comments Saturday, September 05, 2009

Adventures in Real Estate: Couple Dynamics

Posted by Maia - Filed under , ,
I dealt with two different sets of couples today when I went out to bring my clients on site tripping. I was highly amused at them and learned a lot about couple dynamics while selling.

Note: Both men were seafarers whose wives work here in the Philippines.

The first couple, the Engineer, were an older couple who was looking for an investment in Manila and a place to stay whenever they are around town. The man was a 2nd Engineer who earned quite a hefty sum. They were looking for at least a 2 Bedroom ( but ideally 3BR) around Bacoor/Imus area. Now, I brought them to Crown Asia properties and watched as the woman bounced and oohed and ahhed around the properties wanting for more. The man held back, watched and looked at the furnishings as well as asked for specifications of lot plans, and other material details. He was more into quality rather than quantity -and seemed intent to find a place that would make his wife happy.

The man was quiet, watching his wife and asking practical questions such as: "What kind of material is used on the walls? How safe is the area? How far is it from the main road?" Etc. Etc. While the wife asked more on how big the rooms are, what kind of motif it was and she looked at location, ambiance and was easily impressed by beautiful interiors.

I brought them around,watching their reactions as we went from site to site checking out each model home. Finally, we brought them to Amara, a Ready for Occupancy unit near the entrance of Ponticelli, corner lot and near the guard house. It was valued at around 5million. The woman looked like she struck gold and kept on saying how much she loved the location and how much she loved the layout and the structure of the house.

The man checked out the windows, the sockets the walls, everything. He seemed to like the property as well - but as it is well over his budget, he abstained. The woman kept on making comments on how easy it is to find, how accessible and how safe the area was. He didnt even look at her. It was like he really didn't want to be there -yet he was there and he was really interested in looking for property. (Lets hope he really is)

They were a little more aloof, more like "Tourist buyers" and I think since they have the means to buy, theyre not really in a hurry to do so. I let them leave with only a hope that one of the properties interested them.

The second couple, the Oilers were a younger couple who was looking for a low cost home to restart their life in. This time, there was no haggling or talking to needed, just a little persuasion. They have researched their options very well, they know their budget and they know exactly where they want to live ( My ideal kind of clients). They also needed this house urgently as they wanted to stop renting the house they were living in.

We met and we began our search. Now, the first project we went to was a Camella Project with a few different options - a duplex, single detached, and more. so we checked out each model and found the duplex very appealing.

The man was just like Mr. Engineer who checked out the technicalities, while wife - was very interested in layout, practicality, ambiance, accessibility and design. It was actually more fun talking to them. They were asking more serious payment questions as they were seriously going to buy.

Our friendly site manager, was pleased with their decisiveness and urged us to get going to the office to make a reservation. We almost did. Until I stopped and turned around to tell them to weigh their options before making an impulse buy. We turned around and checked out the Profriends project nearby (their first choice) and found several open units we liked.

The first was lovely, it was near the farm and was a corner lot, the rest were mid-lots but had space. They were mostly impressed by the home layout and the rooms. Plus, since the price was just right, they decided that this was it. Now, we are just hoping for a close within the week. :)

With this couple, it was apparent that they knew what they wanted. The man kept on asking the wife if this is what she really wanted. She was going to make the final decision, though the man was firm that budget-wise, there was a limit. It was only a matter of choosing the right lot for them. They joked, made fun and talked. I had fun watching them as they toured their new home.

I think with these two the similarities stopped at being seafarers and both needing to seek approval from their wives for the property. Meanwhile, Mrs. Engineer was more pushy --while Mrs. Oiler was more decisive and firm. It was easy to sell to both - though :) of course , its all up to them now.

I had a good day on the site. Im hoping for a better one soon!

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