THE MENTOR

SERIES II
STUDENT
WORKBOOK

(800) 822-4221
 APPENDIX

The Right Questions

1. Motivation Must you sell first or buy first?
Are you working with a real estate agent now?
Open vs. Closed Questions What locations are you considering?
OPEN CLOSED
What type of home are you looking for?
Who Do
What Are What is your phone number?
When Is My name is ____, what is yours?
Where Could Seek areas of discontent
Why Would Are you tired of looking at ads?
How Will Have you been getting too many or too few returned phone
Tell me about... Have calls on available properties?
Describe... Any Who helped you purchase your last home?
Explain that... Can Have you missed seeing any homes before they sold?
Elaborate... Did
Where are you looking? Is this the area you want?
Ask for an appointment, follow-up
I would like to visit with you. When could we meet?
When do you...? Do you need to move soon?
I could save you a lot of time. Would you like some help?
Convert reasons and features to emotions
I can provide you immediate access to new listings.
Of all the things you’re trying to accomplish in this move,
which is the most important? Did you know it’s possible to access all the homes for sale
while working with only one real estate agent?
Why is that your favorite room?
Would you be interested in having an agent represent you in
Recall the home in which you were raised. What were some of this process?
your favorite parts of it?
Describe the feelings your new home would give you.
Respond to: “We don’t want to give our name.”
May I ask why?
How will you use that feature?
Have you had a bad experience in the past?
How will that make you feel?
If you knew I’d only contact you with quality homes, would
What do you consider to be the opposite of that (feature, style, that be OK?
etc.) and how does that make you feel?
If I had the perfect home would you want to be notified?
What would you give up to get the most important feature?
Respond to: “We just want to drive by.”
Reflect and follow-up If you don’t like it, what will you do?
Let me summarize what you’ve said so far. Is that accurate? Would you like to drive by some others?
Let me see if I understand what you’re saying. Would you have purchased your present home from a drive-by?
That’s interesting; tell me more about that. (Yes) Then obviously the exterior is most important.
Please elaborate on that. (No) Then you may wish to inspect the inside.
Tell me more.
2a. Referrals
2. Telephone Techniques Questions to your contacts
The opening call Is this a good time to call or shall I call later?
We sure appreciate your inquiry. What attracted you to this home? I have a business reason for calling today. May I ask for your help?
How many homes do you think you’ve called on so far? Would you want your friends to receive the same level of
If this home doesn't work for you, would you like to hear of others? service I provided you?
How is your house hunting going? In your opinion, which of your friends, associates, etc. do you
feel will be the next to move?
What other homes have you circled?
Who do you know who’s outgrowing their home?
My name is ____. What is yours?
Who has indicated an interest in moving to this area?
Determine urgency and analyze needs
How soon do you need to move?
Questions for the referred person
I was just talking to _________ and they suggested that I
How long have you been looking? contact you and introduce myself.
How many homes have you seen? How long have you been in your home?
Have you seen anything you’ve liked? How much longer do you plan to stay in your present home?
(Liked) Why didn’t you buy it? What situations do you anticipate which may cause you to
If I knew of a home, would you want to know about it? consider moving?
If you found a home this week, what would you do? In your opinion, which of your friends, associates, etc. will be
Where are you living now? the next to move?
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The Mentor Series II® Student Workbook
3. Open Houses
Greeting
What attracted you to this home?
Did you see our ad or did you drive by and see the sign?
May I show you or would you prefer to see it on your own?
Determine buyer’s situation
How soon do you need to move?
How long have you been looking?
If you found a home that met your needs, what would you do?
What is your present housing situation?
Probe for discontent or the need to work
with an agent
At what stage are you in your buying process?
What are you looking for that you haven’t found?
Have you been able to see all the available homes?
Have you discussed purchasing and financing arrangements
with an agent?
Would you like some help?
Ask for an appointment
What time could we get together and visit later today?
I have access to information on hundreds of homes. May we get
together and visit for a while after the open house?
I’m available right after the open house. May I stop by then?
4. FSBOs
Call for an appointment
My name is ____. I’m calling to introduce myself. (Stop and
wait.) Is this a good time or shall I call later?
Would it be OK if I stopped by to visit?
I’d like to see your home. May I stop by at ____?
Questions for the first visit and/or property tour
Why are you selling?
Where are you moving?
How soon do you need to be settled?
What is your asking price?
How did you arrive at that price?
How are you attempting to attract buyers?
How many prospects have you had?
What seems to be working for you?
What results have you had so far?
Have you had any written offers?
Were they financially and emotionally ready to buy?
When you followed up, what was their response?
If you were to list, how would you choose the agent?
Move towards a close or another appointment
Why did you decide to sell it yourself rather than list with a real
estate agent?
How long will you attempt to sell it yourself before you
consider a real estate agent?
If your buyer had a home to sell, would you want them to sell
For Sale By Owner or use an agent?
In the event you do use a real estate agent, would you like to
see my marketing plan?
May I stop by in a couple of days?
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5. Expired Listings
Call for an appointment
My name is __. I noticed that your listing had expired.
Have you relisted your home yet?
Where are you moving?
Would you still like to sell?
I would like to see it. Will you be home late this afternoon?
May I stop by and see your home at that time?
Respond to: “Why do you want to see it?”
There are only three reasons for an expired listing; perhaps I
can help determine which one it is.
Respond to: “We’re not ready to list.”
I understand that. At this time I’d only like to see your home.
Is ___ o’clock all right?
Would it be all right if I stopped by to see it anyway?
Respond to: “Do you have a buyer?“
A prospect isn’t a buyer until they’ve seen your home and made
an offer. If I have a prospect, may I show it to them?
Without seeing your home I don’t know. May I stop by?
Respond to: “Where were you when it was listed?!”
We all have a mutual agreement to respect your privacy during
the term of the listing.
Seller qualifying questions
Why do you think it didn’t sell?
How do you think your home was priced?
Was it in saleable condition?
Marketing questions about previous listing
How did you feel about the other company’s marketing?
How many ads did they run? How many open houses?
What was the response from the ads and open houses?
What kind of flyers were created for your home?
How many showings did they have?
Did you receive any written offers?
What more do you expect a salesperson to do?
6. Seller Counseling
Pre-listing
How did you hear of me?
What prompted your call?
How soon do you want to place your home on the market?
What other companies are you interviewing?
Do you have a friend in the business?
What price range do you feel your home is in?
What improvements have you made to your home?
Rapport
Before we tour your home, I’d like to sit and visit with you.
May we use this table?
What are the main things you’d like me to cover today?
Tell me about yourself and your family?
What do you like to do in your leisure time?
Reasons and motivations for moving
How long have you thought about selling?
Why have you chosen to move now?
Why is that an important time to move?
What are your plans after the property sells?
Have you located another home yet?

How do you feel about this move?
How does the rest of your family feel about this move?
What do you see as the biggest benefit/drawback of this move?
Urgency
How soon would you like to move?
Why is that an important time to move?
What would happen if it didn’t sell?
How would your plans be affected if you moved earlier/later?
If we found a buyer, how soon could you give possession?
Opinion of value
(See Tape 9 questions)
Previous experience in real estate transactions
How long have you lived in this home?
Tell me about your experiences in buying and selling real estate.
How many homes have you owned?
Have you ever sold a home before?
Experiences with other real estate agents
Have you used a real estate agent before?
How have your past experiences been?
Do you have a friend in the business that you are considering?
If you already have a friend in the business, is there any chance
you’d consider listing with me?
Expectations of a real estate agent
What is your main reason for considering a real estate agent?
Of all the services a real estate agent provides, which do you
consider to be the most important?
What do you feel are the most important factors in selecting
an agent?
Property and technical information
We will need to disclose to the buyer anything that isn’t
functioning. What items are in need of attention?
What problems are you currently having with anything in your
home, such as roof, basement, heating, electrical,
plumbing, wiring, etc.?
7. Listing Presentation
Trial closing
How do you feel about our marketing plan?
Are you comfortable with what I’ve covered so far?
Closing
How soon would you be ready to show your home?
When could I have the first open house?
May I have an extra key for the lockbox?
I’d love to go to work for you. Is Sunday OK for an open house?
Servicing and marketing
How would you describe the characteristics of your
neighborhood?
What special situations should I be aware of when marketing
your home?
How effective do you think classified advertising is in selling a
specific home?
Who do you know in your circle of acquaintances who might
be interested in buying this home?
8. Resistance, Objections
Acknowledge
So what you’re saying is...
It sounds like that’s an important issue to you.
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Appendix
OK, we’ll keep that in mind.
Isolate
If it weren’t for that, then how do you feel...?
If we could resolve that issue, then would you be interested?
Question
If you did purchase this home anyway, what would you do
about that?
Tell me why that is an issue.
Answer the objection
What were the things that you didn’t like in the last home you
bought?
Why did you buy it?
9. Pricing
Opinion of value
What have other homes in your area been selling for?
How do they compare to yours?
What price were you thinking of asking for your home?
How did you arrive at that price?
How did you determine the value of this home when you
bought it?
Did you compare it to others at the time?
How many other homes did you see in addition to this one?
What home in this area do you feel is most like yours?
How do you think an asking price should be established?
Selecting an agent
What criteria will you use to select your real estate agent?
On what will you base your listing decision, services,
marketing plan or listing price?
What will you do if you get three different price opinions?
What will you do if you think I’m the best agent, but I don’t
have the highest price?
Would you pay more than market value for a home just because
an agent believed it was worth it?
Seeing a properly priced home
Have you ever walked into a home that you knew was priced
right? Were you more excited about buying it or making a
low offer?
Discontent from previous home not selling
How long was your last home on the market?
What was that experience like for you?
How long do you want it on the market this time?
Improvements and cost
What improvements did you make to this home?
At that time were you planning to stay or move?
If you’d known then that you were going to move now, would
you still have made those improvements? Why not?
Were your improvements made for enjoyment or resale?
If you had inherited this home, that is, paid nothing for it, what
would you try to get for it today?
Direction of the market
Do you feel that our market is rising, staying even or falling?
Do you feel we’re in a “buyers” market or “sellers” market?
Previous appraisal
Regarding the previous appraisal made on your home, when
was it done and for what purpose?
Financial requirements for purchase
Are you aware of the financial requirements to purchase your
home at that price?
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What percentage of the local market do you think falls into this
income bracket?
Respond to: “We need the money”
May I ask, why do you need that amount?
If you are unable to net that amount, what will you do?
Would you pay more for a home if you knew an owner really
needed the money?
Respond to: “Does it hurt to try it for a while?”
When do you think the majority of buyers see a home for sale?
At what point in the marketing period do you think owners
receive the best offers?
After you see an overpriced home, what is your reaction to the
next one if it’s priced right?
How long would you wait before you lowered the price?
Buying up in a down market
If you had sold at the peak of the market, would you have
bought another home? How much would you have spent?
Quick sale preparation
If I had a buyer that I knew would like your home, could I show it
to them now or would you prefer to wait a couple of weeks?
10. Buyer
Build rapport and obtain personal information
I’m interested in hearing about the work you do.
What do you two do in your time off?
Urgency
How soon would you like to move?
Why is that an important time to move?
How would your plans be affected if you moved (earlier/later)?
What would happen if you didn’t find a home by then?
If we found a home tonight, what would you do?
Reason
Why did you decide to move now?
What will this move accomplish for you?
Authority
What issues need to be resolved before the purchase?
Would you like to buy first or sell first?
Who else will be involved in the purchase decision?
Experience
How long have you lived in your present home?
How many homes have you owned?
Have you seen anything you liked?
(Yes) Why didn’t you buy the one you liked?
(No) What are you looking for that you haven’t found?
Location
Where would you like to live?
Where do you work?
How far from work do you want to be?
What neighborhoods interest you?
What are your school requirements?
Needs and priorities
Where do you visualize yourself spending the most time in
your new home?
Describe your lifestyle.
What items must be present in your next home?
What feature, or lack of, would immediately rule out a home?
Considering all your family members, what requirements do
they have?
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What (hobbies, leisure activities, pets, furniture) would you like
to accommodate?
Describe your favorite/worst features in your present home.
Recall the homes in which you were raised. What were your
favorite and least favorite features.
List these requirements in order of their importance.
If you had to eliminate something, what would it be?
Financial qualifying
What price range did you have in mind?
How did you decide on that amount?
The lenders will require four items of financial information:
cash, income, debt and credit. Would you like to go
through each of these now?
1. How much total cash had you planned to invest?
2. What is your annual combined gross income?
3. What type of long term obligations, such as car
payments or loan payments, do you have each month?
4. Is there anything that will show up on a credit report that
we should resolve before the loan application?
Loyalty
I would like to commit to helping you find a home. I ask only
one thing in return, and that is that you work exclusively
with me. How do you feel about that arrangement?
Prepare the buyer for purchase
What areas of the purchase agreement would you like me to
review?
The required earnest money amount is $#,###. Would you be
able to transfer it to your checking account prior to our
showings?
How long do you expect it will take to find a home?
How would you feel if we found a home the first time out?
How many homes do you think you should see?
How do you feel about paying full market value for a home?
11. Showing Homes and Closing
Showing, trial closing
Do I sense that you are interested in this home?
How do you feel about this home?
How would you feel living here?
How would you use this room?
What do you like most about this home?
Whose room would this be?
Would you like to go through the home again?
Closing
Shall I figure the payments for you?
Would you like to sit down and discuss the purchase of this
home?
When would you like to arrange for possession?
Is $5,000 earnest money still OK?
What financing would you like to use?
 Appendix

Listing Checklist
Pre-listing Checklist ■ Affiliation with national networks
7. Target marketing plan
1. Pre-listing letter ■ Describe the prospective purchaser: Age, marital status,
■ Prepare letter family situation, occupation, income, PITI, equity, savings,
2. Testimonials and references present home, present equity, financing, interests
■ List of satisfied past clients ■ Tailor a plan to reach that customer: Medium, mailing lists
■ List of transaction sides and mailings, special interest journals, neighborhoods,
■ Testimonial letters present prospects, networking, ad headlines, open houses,
■ Letter from broker advertising, personal networking system, databases of
■ Articles that support your points demographics, website, personal database coded by price
3. Productivity range, broker open houses to agents in that price range,
■ Production photo classifieds, corporate-type magazines
■ Tenure 8. (USP) Unique selling proposition, services
■ Show % of Sale Price you receive ■ Mortgage banking
■ Show % of Expirations vs. Board ■ Relocation affiliation
■ Show Days on Market vs. Board ■ Title insurance
4. Education ■ Home warranty
■ Education courses and certificates ■ Builder affiliate
■ Professional designations, credentials (GRI,CRS,LTG,etc.) ■ Distinctive Homes Division
5. Listing sequence ■ Guaranteed sale plan
■ Preparation ■ Closing services
■ Initial meeting 9. Technology
■ Determine motivation ■ Website; search by convenient parameters (show on laptop)
■ Present marketing plan ■ Voice mail and pager combination
■ Seller selects a real estate agent ■ Fax back info number
■ Establish price only after they have selected an agent ■ Computer database of clients and inquiries
10. Servicing and preparation
Listing Checklist ■ Full disclosure
■ Fair housing responsibility
1. Company information and capability ■ Agency
■ History ■ For Sale sign
■ Company size, offices, number of agents ■ Multiple Listing Service
■ Market share ■ Tour (schedule, benefits)
■ Sales map showing geographic strength ■ Open house (privacy, schedule)
■ Company % of Sale Price you receive ■ Showings (privacy, silence, lock box)
■ Company % of Expirations vs. Board ■ Communication (weekly, status)
■ Company Days on Market vs. Board ■ Progress report (showings, comments)
■ Unique factors: net gain over competition ■ Market position update
2. Service assurance money-back guarantee ■ Price adjustment
■ Points of service that we guarantee ■ Condition, marketing improvements
■ You don’t even pay me unless I do my job to your ■ Quick sale potential
satisfaction ■ Contract presentation and negotiation
■ Cancellation clause subject to performance 11. Marketing
3. Selling skills ■ Promote team effort
■ Availability: Website, HomeSource, Pager, Voice mail, E-mail ■ Ad policy and suggested copy
■ Exposure vs. Response to that exposure ■ Distribution of property information
■ Ability to convert suspects to prospects through questioning ■ Tour and meetings
■ Prequalification of buyers ■ Neighbors (tell 20 surrounding neighbors)
4. Marketing materials ■ Current prospects
■ Sample feature sheet, open house info sheet, and/or ad ■ Sphere of influence
■ Actual feature sheets prepared for this home ■ Co-op sales associates
■ Area profile ■ Special interest (plane, boat, racing, horses)
■ Information boxes ■ Lower priced homes/apartments
■ List/Sold cards ■ Special flyers, photo brochures
■ Personal brochures ■ Local businesses and organizations
■ Company brochures ■ Relocation services
5. Communication
■ Follow up feedback on showings
■ Progress reports
■ “When would you like us to call?”
6. Relocation services
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