Reading Body Language

Watching and Observing

Unless your buyer is an expert in reading body language or just came off a tour playing professional poker in Las Vegas, they will probably give off many clues on their tour of your house.

Lets break some of these down Okay?

• The touch and caress

• The we could put that there

• Those lying eyes

• The “I'm not comfortable with you”

• The "I'm comfortable with you"

• The "I like you"
  

These are but a few of the signs you can watch for. I don't want you to get all bogged down with a bunch of reading body language interpretations, so I'll keep it down to what I consider the most important.

Please keep in mind that with the exception of the first two examples, these are not 100%.

For example: Someone has their arms crossed may just mean you need to turn the heat up in the house or they may be self-conscious of their weight. So be careful with your reading.

Keep in mind that when reading body language, that all cultures are not the same. Lets take a look at some of the examples above.

The Touch and Caress

When reading body language, this is one of the best indicators of interest when people tour your house and property. Mr. and Mrs. Buyer are walking through the property touching say the kitchen counter-top and running their hand slowly and purposely across it.

They may open the his and her master bedroom closet doors and caress the shelving.

What is happening here is a sense of ownership. Mr. and Mrs. Buyer are feeling at home. Don't forget, people buy houses that FEEL like home and are in their price range.

Watch for the touch and caress. It can happen anywhere on the property. The more it's done the better.

The We Could Put That There

This is another super buying or high interest signal while reading body language. This is one reason you Listen More and Talk Less. It may go something like this.

“John, Won't this room be just perfect for my office?” Or, better yet. “Well John, I could put our couch there on that side and the love-seat over there.” Mrs. Seller, “Are the drapes included, because they would match our furniture perfectly.”

You see what is happening? The buyers are placing furniture, they are taking ownership again. It FEELS right. Make sense? There is no reason why people would say these things unless there is some interest.

Those Lying Eyes

This is not 100% accurate but is more times than enough. Watch a person's eyes when they are making a statement to you.

If their eyes go to the left and probably down, they are probably trying to recall something but, if they go to the right and up, they are accessing their creative "brain" and may be telling a big old lie.

The “I'm Not Comfortable with You”

You will probably sense this one without a lot of reading body language signals, but if people are sitting with you and their arms are crossed, they probably need some reassurance.

The crossed arms are a signal of distrust in the other person. When someone is sitting in the crossed arms position, it is probably best to keep to the small talk for awhile and see if things change.

The "I'm Comfortable Now!

If a person uncrosses their arms and you see them relax with tension releasing from their body, that's a good sign. Watch the eyes. Do they appear to "smile"? Good.

The person may uncross their legs as well and have a more open stance. The person is telling you that they are much more comfortable with you and the situation. Now you can slowly open up negotiations.

The lady on the right is showing a very open stance with palms turned upwards which usually means she is very comfortable with you.

The “I Like You”

Back to the touchy, "feely!" When people are really comfortable with others, they often will touch you lightly on the hand, arm, or back. This is also part of reading body language.

A Short Bedtime Story

When I was a real estate agent in Nova Scotia Canada, I used to play a little game with buyers. Halifax is a military town, so I used to have a lot of buyers come in who were posted to the area. They would have perhaps 5 days for their buying trip so we had to get things done.

After our meet and greet and confirming the type of house they were looking for, we'd start looking at properties. I'd watch and listen. The first day we might look at 10 houses. If I didn't feel we were quite on track, I'd line up perhaps 10 more houses to view the next day.

The second day we usually met with success, but sometimes it took 3 days. Anyway, when we returned to the real estate office, or my home office, I'd make a matter-of-fact statement like, "I think you found your new home today, right?". They would look at each other and say, "Yes, but I bet you don't know which one."

I'd say, "Tell you what. I'll write the address on a piece of paper and then you tell me which house you want to offer on."

Not once, did I ever guess wrong. 100% correct. Why? Because I watched and listened.

You probably only have one house to sell, so you can't play my game. :-). Having said that, you can observe and listen, so you have an idea how interested the buyer is in your property. Why is this important? The stronger the interest, the stronger your bargaining power!

See, there was a reason for this story after all.

Here is an interesting article I found about this subject concerning Different Cultures.

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