When Buyers Won’t Tour Homes, Reclaim the Driver’s Seat

Pauline answers a question from an agent whose qualified buyers keep browsing listings online for months but won’t tour homes, saying it’s likely not the market or the buyers but the agent stepping back from the driver’s seat. She argues that automated alerts and waiting for clients to choose showings hands the search to buyers who can only react to photos, which are designed to attract attention and can misrepresent properties in both directions. Buyers can’t truly understand a home until they stand inside it, so eliminating options from the sofa isn’t a reliable process. Pauline advises agents to be proactive by previewing properties themselves, deciding what’s worth the buyers’ time, and calling (not texting) with a clear read and recommendation, while also resetting expectations that online photos are only the beginning.   Topics 00:00 Buyer Search Stalled 01:35 Who Drives the Search 02:24 Reclaim Expert Role 03:17 Why Photos Mislead 04:51 Be Proactive Advisor 05:10 Preview Then Call 06:22 Reset Buyer Habits 07:34 Takeaways