An offer comes in and nobody quite knows who made it
A buyer rings with an offer. The negotiator asks the usual questions: do you have a property to sell, is it on the market, have you spoken to a broker. The buyer says yes to most of them. The negotiator writes nothing much down, rings the vendor and presents the offer as from a buyer in a good position.
Six weeks later it emerges that the buyer's own sale is not agreed, the agreement in principle was from last year and the deposit depends on a relative. The sale collapses and the vendor asks why you told them the buyer was proceedable.
Why position checks stay vague
Asking a keen buyer for proof feels like it might put them off, so negotiators ask gently and accept verbal answers. There is also no standard: each negotiator asks slightly different questions and records the answers in a different place, or in no place at all.
Proof, when it is requested, arrives as email attachments and screenshots that sit in someone's inbox rather than on the applicant record.
| Position question | What often gets recorded | What the vendor actually needs |
|---|---|---|
| Property to sell? | Yes | Is it under offer, with whom, how far along |
| Mortgage arranged? | Speaking to broker | Agreement in principle, lender, date |
| Deposit and funds | Nothing | Source and proof, as your process requires |
| Timescale | Flexible | Any fixed date, such as a tenancy ending |
What weak qualification costs you
Sales that fall through are expensive for everyone, and your fee only arrives on completion. A sale agreed with a buyer who was never in a position to proceed wastes months of marketing time, and the property comes back to the market looking stale.
There is also the relationship cost. Vendors judge the agent on the quality of the buyer you recommended. And when two offers are close, the vendor's decision depends on how well you understand each buyer's position, which is hard to show if the file is empty.
What we build to qualify buyers properly
- Position questionnaire: a short mobile-friendly form, sent at registration or when an offer is made, asking about the buyer's own sale, mortgage, deposit and timescale in plain language. You set the questions.
- Document upload: space for an agreement in principle, proof of deposit or proof of funds, stored securely and linked to the applicant, not left in an inbox.
- Chain detail: if they have a property to sell, the form asks for the agent and address so your progressor can see the chain from day one.
- Summary for the negotiator: answers and documents are turned into a short position summary, with gaps highlighted, that the negotiator can use when presenting the offer.
- CRM record: the summary and documents are attached to the applicant in your CRM, and the position status is updated so offers can be compared on the same basis.
- Expiry reminders: agreements in principle and other time-limited documents are flagged when they are getting old.
The system does not decide whether a buyer is good enough. It makes sure your negotiator and the vendor are deciding on facts that have been asked for and recorded.
How offer conversations change
When an offer comes in, the negotiator already has the buyer's position on screen, with documents. Presenting two competing offers to a vendor becomes a comparison of recorded facts rather than impressions. Your progressor inherits a file that already names the buyer's broker and the chain below.
Buyers generally respond well to a clear, simple request made the same way for everyone. It signals a professional office rather than suspicion of them in particular.
Signs this is your branch
- Offers are presented with the buyer's position described from memory.
- Agreements in principle arrive by email and are never filed on the applicant.
- You have had sales fall through because the buyer's position was not what it seemed.
- Each negotiator asks different qualifying questions.
- Your progressor starts each new sale by asking the buyer questions that should already be answered.