My Home Finder Search - What Buyers Want Us To Do

Fortunatley, I do get a lot of buyers that fill out my Home Finder Search Form on my multiple websites.  Most of the forms are filled out  with enough information so I can create a search and get them on the automated e-mail system my MLS provides. 

But every once in a while I'll get some requests that I just can't complete.  A lot of people want a big backyard but there are no search parameters for that.  Even if a lot might seem a good size it still depends on how the house is set on the lot.  We do have houses here and there that have all front yard and very little in back.  These are older homes and I don't understand why any of these were built this way but it is what it is.  So buyers have to check out each listing individually by photos or driving by.

Some buyers request a large kitchen (not something we can search) or request a certain square footage.  Believe it or not,  in my area we rarely have the square footage filled in as it is not required in the Northern IL MLS.  The only way most of us add the square feet of a home is if it's newer construction and the seller remembers what it is.  So we can't search for that (we can, but we'd have very few properties come up).

The biggest problem I get is when prospects don't fill out the "Area" portion of the form properly.  They'll put "all" or "Cook County" or "Chicago," etc.  First off, our MLS is huge and with many of the searches we would get 1,000's of properties come up.  Our MLS will only send out 300 e-mails per search.  The reality is that even if a buyer likes having a big choice,  300 is way too many homes for the average buyer to consider.  More than that is ridiculous.

Many times I have to explain to prospects that I cannot choose their areas for them as it could be considered steering.  Once I explain it they usually understand.  But there are many who do not reply back when they give me too generalized search data, especially dealing with the area. 

I recently got a request from my newly revamped Chicago Suburbs Real Estate site that was filled out fine until the "Area" section again.  She filled in "greatschools.com rating of 9 or 10 requred."  I replied that she would have to give me exact town names or zip codes for me to complete the search.  I haven't heard back.  She also replied "No" to have you been pre-qualified.  Many of the search requests are like that.

Some agents might have spent hours on the Greatschools site trying to get this information.  Sure, I want a good buyer lead, too.  But I expect the buyer to know a little about where they want to live.  I do not take a prospect seriously if they cannot figure that one out.

I understand that many prospects are not truly ready to buy yet and that's why many have not been pre-qualified.  That's fine, I can help them with that when they are ready.  But they also need to give me a viable search request that I can fulfill.

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