Commercial Real Estate Agent Leads – Inspection Tips and Opportunities

After you qualify a tenant or a property buyer to inspect a listing with you, the inspection process can lead to many other things.  Ask plenty of questions as you inspect the listed property to see the ‘bigger picture’ behind the inspecting party, and that is what they are looking for and when they need it.

I should go a bit further here and say that some people will ‘hold back’ in what they tell you at first enquiry; you will easily see that fact when you are talking or meeting with them.  If that is the case then you should also hold back on some of the finer detail relating to the property and the enquiry.

Selected ‘questions and answers’ will help you understand the buyer or tenant and take you further into an opportunity with a property sale or lease.  Those questions will also let you maintain control of a potential property opportunity.  Those questions will help you ‘discard’ time wasting people that have no ability to act on a property matter.  Protect your time and protect your listings; that’s the rule.

Here are some questions to help you get started with this great source of market intelligence:

• Where are they coming from?
• Do they own or occupy property elsewhere?
• What are the critical factors in finding a property locally?
• What improvements do they need in the chosen property?
• What have they looked at elsewhere?
• Who have they spoken with?
• How did they find you or what marketing material caused them to call you?
• What is their budget?
• Do they need finance or have they already sourced that?
• What do they know about rents and prices locally?
• How can you contact them in the future?
• How many people are involved in the property decision?  Who are they?

I have seen and heard far too many agents and brokers tell the ‘whole story’ about a property across the telephone or in a meeting, without firstly having a full ‘qualification and informational’ conversation.  After the other person gets what they want they simply ‘disappear’ never to be heard of again.

So my message here is this; when you get an enquiry across the telephone on in any other situation, the key focus is to get all the facts and qualify the other person first.  Only after you do that should you provide more information about the property, and only then should you arrange an inspection.  It’s good business practice.  Top agents ask well-crafted questions; learn the skills.