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Investing in training early in his career has helped a Melbourne-based agent reap significant rewards, recently achieving a record multimillion-dollar sale.
Claude Mery of Buxton Bentleigh sold a six-bedroom house in Victoria’s Bentleigh East for $2.3 million – a record for the suburb – prior to auction by placing an emphasis on negotiating effectively with buyers.
Having taken the initiative to undergo extensive negotiation training at the beginning of his career, Mr Mery told REB that this formed a strong foundation for his success in real estate.
He explained that the key to negotiating effectively with buyers and building a strong rapport with them is identifying and understanding their core needs.
“Most buyers that come into an area can give me a little bit of an idea on what it is that they’re looking for,” Mr Mery pointed out.
The buyer of the Bentleigh East property wanted to be close to work, and to have a swimming pool and easy access to the school his children attend, Mr Mery explained.
“He had a choice of buying something in Black Rock but, even though that was a contender, I managed to sell the benefits of this area and the location,” he said.
Mr Mery added that the key to having good conversations with buyers is honing your listening skills to understand what they truly need and find the best way to deliver that to them.
“If a buyer needs six bedrooms and we’re only offering four, I can’t do anything about it. But if we’ve got five bedrooms and they want six, and we find that there’s a formal living area that can be converted into a bedroom, that can be done,” he explained.
Mr Mery’s hard work paid off, as he was able to sell the property for over $500,000 more than the previous record.
“The last record sale was 13 Cardiff Street in Bentleigh East for $1,720,000,” he said.
[Related: How to build rapport with vendors]
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