A buyer tells you they’re ready to write an offer. Most agents hear that and go straight to the strategy call, ready to talk price and terms. I go somewhere else first. I find out if the buyer still wants the house at all.
Last week, I broke down the questions you ask to confirm a buyer is truly ready to move forward.
Today, I want to walk through what happens once they’ve said yes and you’ve scheduled the strategy call to write the contract.
There are five questions I run through on that call, in order, and each one sets up the next.
#1. Start With How They’re Feeling
The first question is the most important one on the call, and it has nothing to do with numbers.
“Hey, since we spoke last, I’ve been digging in. How are you feeling right now? Do you still want to go for this home? What are you thinking? And how are you guys holding up?”
I ask this because it brings the conversation back to emotion and human connection before I get into the nuts and bolts.
Buyers change their minds. A lot happens between a showing and a strategy call, and if I skip this question, I risk building an entire offer strategy around a buyer who has already started to cool off.
#2. Get a Real Number, Not a Polite One
Once I know they’re still engaged, I ask them to rate their interest on a scale.
“On a scale of 1 to 10, and you can’t pick seven, how much do you want the home?”
I take seven off the table on purpose. A lot of those conversations happen away from me, between partners, with parents weighing in. If I don’t ask this question directly, I’m missing my chance to find out where they really stand after they’ve had time to sit with the decision.
An eight or a nine tells me we’re in business. At that point, I can say:
“Based on the fact you told me it’s a nine, here’s the information that I found out from the listing agent.”
Then I walk through what I’ve learned, point by point.
#3. Ask What Made Them Nervous
Once they know their number, I ask about hesitation directly.
“Out of curiosity, was there anything you were wary of in terms of condition or any other features at the home that we should know going into the offer process?”
Then I stop talking. Maybe it’s the physical condition. Maybe it’s the area. I want to hear the actual answer, so I let the silence sit until they give it to me.
This question does two things: it confirms they’re still all in, and it makes sure any concern gets addressed now, while they still feel heard.
#4 & #5. Recheck the Boxes Before You Talk Price
From there, I go back through the house itself.
“So, what boxes are checked? What boxes didn’t get checked?”
This reiterates everything we’ve already talked about before I get into specifics.
Once that’s done, I ask where they land on price.
“Where do you feel most comfortable with the offer price?”
By this point, I’ve already sent comps and we’ve been talking numbers, so I can layer in what I’ve learned from the listing agent:
“What we know is they have other offers coming in. What we know is that based on the comparables, this home was very similar and sold for X.”
I also walk through the seller’s situation. There are a few details from the listing agent that shape how we write this offer:
- Why the seller is moving
- The settlement date they need
- The terms they’re going to prioritize
Then the real information starts moving.
The Five Questions, Back to Back
Here’s the full sequence I use on every one of these calls before I write an offer:
- What have you two been thinking and discussing?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you want the place?
- What did you see at the showing that you’re wary of?
- What boxes were checked? What boxes were not?
- Where do you feel most comfortable regarding the offer price?
Every one of these builds on the last. By the time I’ve asked all five, I’m not guessing what the buyer wants. They’ve told me.
Turn Their Answers Into Terms
Once I have those five answers, I can tell them exactly what it’s going to take to get the home. This is where financing enters the conversation:
“I did talk to your lender today. We’re getting a quote at 6.12%. That’s going to bring your monthly payment to $XXX.”
Then I get into inspections, especially in a competitive situation:
“Hey, regarding inspections, I know we’re in a competitive situation. Here’s the four options with inspections. Which do you feel most comfortable with? Since you told me you want the home at a level of 9/10 or 10/10, I’m clear we want to go with the more aggressive.”
Notice what’s happening here. I’m tying the inspection strategy directly back to the number they gave me earlier. The decision belongs to them, because they’re the one who told me how badly they wanted the house.
From there, I get into the tactics that actually shape the offer. Every one of those decisions, inspections, pricing, terms, whatever comes up, traces back to how the buyer answered these five questions.
Build the Relationship, Not Just the Deal
These questions build rapport, and rapport is what turns a single transaction into a client for life.
Someone who trusts you enough to answer honestly on a strategy call calls you again for the next move, and sends you the next referral.
So, stop thinking about closing this one deal. Start thinking about strengthening the relationship, so the buyer stays your client whether they get this particular home or not.
