Thread: Very new to real estate....do I need a 4 dr car?

lol. I guess you can pull it off. Keep in mind that image is everything. Buying a car is really your decison to make. A question to maybe ask yourself would be: Would you buy a house off a guy driving you around on a scooter or would you buy a house off a guy who owns a mercedes?

Stick with the 2 door. Nobody wants to put people in their car anyway. if you do, then you have to talk to them.

I'm packing my 4dr in for a 2dr convertible.

I have both a 2 door and a 4 door car. I tend to use the 2 door when I am meeting with sellers. If I know I am going out with a few buyers during the day I will usually take my 4 door. You can stick with the 2 door just have your clients meet you wherever you go.

if your buyer doesn't have a car they can follow you in... are you sure they can afford the house? (this only applies to rual areas ) Buyers are usually happy to follow you just about anywhere. Naturally they would like to talk about you, your listings, or whatever without you there. You can sell them while at the property or in your office. If it's a single person... take them in the 2 seater.

My first 6 months in sales, all of my buyers followed my '94 protege, dents and all.

You need them in your car with you so that you can build your relationship together. It always bothers me when the client follows me. Plus I feel rushed when we get to the property to bring them up to speed on the area and the house.

Where are your clients coming from? Friends? Family? Local Strangers? Out of town strangers?

What price range are you serving?




If its mostly friends or family, you can drive a 1984 Yugo and they'd likely still do business with you.


On the other hand, when you make the move to the general public with strangers - particularly out of town strangers, they are very UNLIKELY to think wandering around in a town they are unfamiliar with, trying to follow you through traffic lights, etc is a cool idea. I'm quite certain they would prefer that you drive them around, and point out some of the local highlights.
Plus, it gives you time to build a relationship with them.



Now, I'm not advocating you go out and buy a buick or anything.

There are a lot of "cheap" sporty 4 door cars for a person starting out. You can look at something nice like a used 4 door BMW M3 (just an example - there are LOTS of choices).

You can pick up a 1997 M3 4 door for $8-10,000 +/-.
(4 door M3s weren't available in 1996 - which is why I picked the year 1997.)
If you take a step down to the 1997 328i Sport, you can probably get it in the $5-7,000 +/- range.

It would serve the dual role of something you enjoy driving as a bachelor - and give you some ability to service your clients if the need arose.


My 2 cents.

There are definitely 2 schools of thought on this. When I practiced
traditional real estate years ago, I was taken advantage of several
times. A lot of people will waste your time.
The successful agents I encounter in NC do not chauffeur the public.
They meet them. If someone is serious about buying, they will meet
you at the property.
Once again though, there is no "one size fits all". Do what works.
Best wishes.

I think you really need to determine where your business is mostly coming from.

If its locals, meeting them at the various properties and following you is usually no problem.

If you are doing a lot of relocations, most persons I've dealt with, would be very uncomfortable/stressed trying to keep up through traffic lights following you through unfamiliar surroundings.

Figure where your business is coming from, and that will tell you what you need to do.

My two cents.