The Buyer Process and How to Tell You Made a Mistake
Taking care in Researching and getting to Know your Agent
🎲 Random Encounters With Realtors: Useful vs. Useless
There are two types of encounters buyers have with agents:
Random and Useless
Random and Useful
And the difference can define your entire experience of buying a home. Now remember everything starts random, but it is what you do with the next moment that matters.
🚪 Random and Useless
You meet an agent by chance — at an open house, on Zillow, maybe even just driving by. They don’t know you. They don’t know your life, your budget, or your goals.
But before you know it, they’ve shoved a Buyer Broker Agreement across the table — the kind that locks you in, no release, no escape. That might be your first sign….but there could be other ways to figure it out. Sometimes you figure it out on the first date…sometimes it may take a few dates to know its right or it is completely wrong. Either way. Buyer clients should have the universal right to cancel a buyer broker agreement. They are NOT universally cancellable in Florida. The Broker has to agree. Crazy!!!
Now you’re tied to someone whose main qualification is: they were standing there when you walked in.
These agents often:
Don’t listen. How can you figure that out? Subscribe and follow the next articles on Agent Selection
Don’t qualify your needs. Easy…..If you see 30 homes with an agent….move on….they are either not listening ….or it is possible you are the issue and they will walk away.
Don’t have the skill to solve pain or unlock pleasure in the search. This is the art. Few possess this artistic skill.
But they sure do need a paycheck. Candidly avoid these realtors. Find the top producers in the market and interview those. There are really about 100 consistently top producing teams and agents on 30a. You won’t like em all because personalities have to mesh but if you are fishing in those waters…..you are probably starting off better than average!
This is the random and useless encounter. And it happens more than you think. You end up with a part timer dabbling in the business or hoping for the best without a clear process.
🔑 Random and Useful
On the other hand, there are the pros. The top 100. You might also meet them by chance — at a showing, a referral, or a coffee shop. In fact, you are going to meet them by chance. But the difference is what happens next. These encounters are uniquely different and special. You feel it.
The pro doesn’t shove paper in front of you. The pro says:
“Let me understand your life first as you also understand me and my life”
“Let’s figure out whether we even like working together.”
“I’ll earn your trust before I ask for your signature.”
This is the random and useful encounter. Because it’s not about luck — it’s about skill, integrity, and patience. Yes everything is random but again it is the next moment that matters. If you are looking for the next moment to be the moment to learn more…then lean into that. Seek the next moment.
🌱 The Randomness of Life
Here’s the thing: all of life is at least initially random.
I met my wife in a random way — and life worked out perfectly. But it worked out because of what we did after that moment.
It’s the same in real estate. Meeting an agent is always random in some way. What happens next is what matters.
Did you really work it out with that agent? Or did you just settle? Do not settle. My team has unwound more than a few mistakes that other agents made because of poor service. Find service. That is a mindset. It is philanthropic at its core.
🤔 The Question No One Asks
Here’s what baffles me: why don’t buyers care more about the skill of their agent?
You’re about to make the largest purchase of your life. You wouldn’t pick a doctor or lawyer this way — “Well, she happened to answer the phone, so I’m stuck.”
It sure would be tough to be going into surgery and here the doctor say “which scalpel should I use on this one?” Same with agents. Contracts, forms and conversations are strategic. If they are just filling out paperwork then you may want to rethink that.
But that’s what too many people do with real estate. They stumble into an agent, get paper shoved under their nose, and then spend the next 6 months tied to someone they don’t even like. They may even buy something and maybe it wasn’t the best choice. Yes the people you select will influence the choices…and the better they listen and are able to connect to you….the better the choice.
✅ Takeaway
Random and useless encounters leave you stuck with the wrong person.
Random and useful encounters earn trust and build momentum toward the right home.
Clients need to care more. It’s time to work harder at making the right choices — because chance may bring you to an agent, but choice determines if they deserve to guide you home.
👉 And that’s where the Ninja Buyer Process comes in — the next article. We’ll break down how great agents take those random encounters and turn them into trust, clarity, and results… while the bad ones just keep throwing spaghetti at the wall.
Very true! However, many agents lack follow through and good communication skills. So I look for those qualities before signing anything.