What do you think of when you hear the term “kicker.” Most people would say FOOTBALL. However, in the real estate world, the term “kicker” has a whole new meaning. The “kicker” is what most of us would deem a tire kicker. The “kicker” is a potential client that is gonna waste your time, run you ragged, and waste your gas-only to buy or sell nothing. Hence, you lose time and money for the “kicker.” It doesn’t take you long to tell a “kicker” from the serious. You eventually learn not to waste your time and money for nothing.
Being in the real estate market, I have had my fair share of “kickers.” I will share one interesting personal experience with a “kicker” that I had. I will not use names. Several years ago(early in my real estate career) an elderly gentlemen called into my home office. I was the agent taking calls at that time, so I spoke to him. He expressed a serious, urgent interest in purchasing a property. He swore that he had already secured a loan pre-approval(he left it at home). He said he had a home to sell, but had secured a loan without needing to sell it. Anyway, I wasn’t able to verify the loan, but he had a credible military history. I was a little naive and chose to believe him. Being early in my career I failed to realize that not all clients tell the “whole” truth.
I showed this gentleman multiple properties week after week. Every time I found something perfect for him, he would decide on a different area. He somehow found my home phone number. He began calling me at home after hours (wanting to talk not specifically about real estate). To begin with, I didn’t think much about it. After about two months, I decided it was enough. I told him I had invested a lot of time showing him many properties. I asked him what the problem was. He miraculously decided he wasn’t really serious, had no loan approval, and also had a house to sell. Go figure!
I realized this older gentleman really had nothing else to do. However, I did. I learned early on in my career about the “kicker.” These are the ones you don’t want to waste your time, money, and energy on. Chalk that one up to a badly needed lesson learned.