Mistake 7

Becoming a Victim of Conditioning

Conditioning is one of the cruelest real estate tricks. It has one purpose to convince sellers to lower their prices so that their homes can be easily sold, thus ensuring that the agents get paid.

There are two classic symptoms of conditioning. The first is when the agent praises your home before you sign and then criticises your home after you sign. The second is when the price the agent quotes you becomes much less after you sign.

Conditioning works in two stages. The first stage is the ‘Activity’ stage. This is when the agent creates lots of activity – which causes your home to be sold for a lower price. The second stage of conditioning is the ‘Crunch’. This is when pressure is applied to you to reduce your price.

Conditioning is a common real estate trick. It is taught in several real estate courses. Most sellers are no match for trained agents. They do not realise what is happening until it is too late.

Your Solution…

If you are being pressured to reduce your price, or the agent is using methods which can cause you to get a lower price, you should have the right to dismiss the agent. It is your home, you probably worked hard to buy it. You should protect its value. You must insist on the right to dismiss an agent if you are subjected to ‘conditioning’.