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Real estate psychology: How your real estate agent is also a therapist

Buying a new home is an emotional affair, mostly because it reflects your style and way of living. But while deciding on the house several factors are at play and your realtors know when you like something and don't. They will show you exactly what you'll love because they can read you and will also listen to you when you are confused. They are your therapists!

Yes, it might sound weird but your real estate agent isn't just a property broker. He or she is also a psychologist who reads your every move when giving you a home tour. They can easily gauge your mood, your affinities and also those features that you especially loved about the place all through just one tactic - observation.

Real estate agents have mastered the art of observation and can tell if the buyer will go for the house or not. They say that when a customer has made up his or her mind, they will buy -come hail, come storm.

"People who bother to battle subway stoppages and blocked streets to get to you are very determined to get a deal, so that is a positive in their favor. They may be the only clients viewing that day and if the seller needs to get moving, the clients make an offer and the deal gets done," Robert Dankner of Prime Manhattan Residential told The New York Observer.

And they also use these "readings" as a way to market homes.

"I prefer viewings on a bad weather day because clients see a place at its worst, and if they like it then, we can return when things are better to really finalize their decision," Danker added.

"Here's a tell. If they linger for a long time in any one room, that's telling you that there is something about this room that's especially interesting to them," Jim Foote, broker-owner of Greenwich Custom Real Estate Services in Old Greenwich, Conn told The New York Times.

But if you thought the realtors were just shrewd businessmen to land a fast sale and make a quick buck, that's not it. In fact, there is more than meets the eye. Realtors often turn into sounding boards for customers, thus taking up the role of a real therapist for their clients.

"I have had clients arrive in a terrible mood because, say, they drove around the block for hours and couldn't find a parking space or something else occurred to make them cranky," Jessica Cohen of Douglas Elliman told the Observer.

"The clients walk in seething and can barely even see the walls of a place that is ideal for their needs. It is hugely disheartening, when as a realtor, you have worked hard to find a place that ticks all the boxes for a client. This means it's very important to be able to read their moods and give them space on a viewing if they need it. The best result is to invite them back for a second time if they are just not seeing the place clearly," Cohen added.

And the same tactics don't work with all the people. Every person has different needs and ways to decide on stuff and that sometimes exasperates the realtors. But a "good agent will help clients keep emotions in check and concentrate on finding what it is they really want," according to The National Post, which cites Eric Manherz, a Royal LePage real estate broker in Ottawa.


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