What steps has your buyer taken to prepare to buy a home? Has she been prequalified by a lender? If not, don't put her in the car until she's ready to buy. Tell your buyer that without prequalification, she's aiming at a target blindfolded. She doesn't know what she can truly afford. A prequalification letter from a lender can narrow the search field to within a few thousand dollars, saving her time and effort. Also, sellers pay more attention to prequalified buyers. Tell the buyer her offers will be competing with other buyers who are ready to buy, and that you don't believe in putting buyers at a disadvantage.

Does the buyer have a move-in deadline, such as start of the next school year, the end of a lease, or a work start date? If the buyer hasn't mentioned a timeline, find out if there is one, and if there isn't, create one! If your buyer is willing to become prequalifed by a lender, she can be locked into a low interest rate before interest rates tick up. Should interest rates tick downward, the buyer can either be preapproved for a different loan package at a lower rate, or get locked in by another lender. Either way the buyer wins, and a sense of urgency is created that will help you get the sale closed.

One of the best ways to cut to the chase is to ask your prospect to sign a buyer's representation agreement (service contract.) Oregon associate broker Adam Williams advises, "All of the sudden when they have to make a commitment, the truth comes out. Once I have a service contract in place the success ratio goes to almost 100 percent that they will make a purchase. Having a buyer under contract for me is the same as having a seller listing. The more I work it, the faster I'll get paid. It is true that I can work with only 4 or 5 buyer clients at a time but then again I don't have to wait for someone to come along and hopefully buy one of my listings. I control the buyer and my time much more effectively."

Colorado broker Rose Mary Allinger tells every buyer before she shows them any homes to make a list of what they must have no-matter-what in a home. Then she has them make a list of what they do not want "no-matter-what" in a home. Third, she tells them: "Regardless of how much the lender says you "qualify" to borrow, what is the largest payment you can make per month w/o jeopardizing your entire lifestyle?"

By helping buyers arrive at a realistic housing budget, you can also help them better understand what they can and can't afford to buy, which narrows the number of homes you have to show considerably.

Every home produces a reaction in the buyer - excitement, boredom, disgust, admiration, tenderness, coldness. What do your buyer's body language, facial expressions, and conversation tell you? A buyer might light up like a Christmas tree over a skillfully remodeled kitchen, but completely deflate when she sees the too-small master bedroom. Does that mean you don't have a sale? Not necessarily.

Start by showing the buyer no more than three homes the first time out. Then take the buyer for refreshments to discuss the homes. Tell the buyer this helps you refine her search, but it is also an opportunity to open the buyer's mind.

Would she buy that home if it were possible to expand the master at a reasonable cost? Be ready with solutions. You should know what the cost per square foot of improvements or additions are lately, because you should have a number of contractors at your beck and call that help you fix up sellers' homes for marketing. They can help buyers with move-in projects, too. Have a calculator handy to estimate the costs and how much it will add to the bottom line. If the buyer shows interest, bring the lender in to the discussion. Would it be possible to buy this home and get a home improvement loan to improve the master?

Nothing demotivates buyers faster than a home that needs repairs or updating. But the reality of the real estate market is that most housing stock is older, and homes show wear and tear - even newer ones.

The buyer may not be able to afford a new home, so in order to ease her fears about buying used, help the buyer understand that solutions are available for major and minor problems. She has no one else to turn to who has as much experience and knows the local scuttlebutt about contractors and repair services as you do. So use it! Make it your business to know who has the cheapest granite and tile in town, which contractors are the most reliable, and whether a home warranty will or won't cover that 20-year old furnace. If you are worried about liability, simply put a disclaimer on your handyman sheet that you aren't responsible for another person's work.

This is a great opportunity to show the buyer that you have thought ahead to after the sale and the buyer's well-being.