The 15 Buyer Objections Every Real Estate Agent Hears, and What to Say to Each

Buyer objections used to be easy to ignore. You showed the house, they liked it or they didn't, and the hard conversations happened at the offer. That changed when written buyer agreements became required before touring. Now the hard conversations happen at the start, before you've built any trust, and a lot of agents don't have words for them yet.

This is the list, the fifteen that come up most in SalesGo buyer role-plays and in real consultations, from the first call to the closing table, each with a plain response. The two that decide whether you get paid, the buyer agreement and the compensation question, link to full scripts.

Same rule as the seller side: agree with something, ask a question, don't argue. Buyers are more nervous than sellers, because they're spending money rather than receiving it. Calm is the whole game.

Before you've met

1. "We're just looking."

"That's the right way to start. Can I ask what got you looking? ... Okay. And if the right one showed up next month, would you be in a position to do something about it, or is this more of a next-year thing?"

"Just looking" means "don't sell me." Fine. Ask why and when, and you'll know whether you're talking to a buyer or a browser. Both are worth your time; they get different plans.

2. "Can you just show us this one house?"

"Happy to. Before we go stand in someone's kitchen, can we grab fifteen minutes so I understand what you're looking for? Half the houses people ask to see aren't right for them, and I'd rather not waste your Saturday."

The consultation comes before the showing. Every time. Full script: buyer consultation script.

3. "We're already working with someone."

"Good, you should have someone. Can I ask how it's going? ... If it's going well, stick with them and I'll stay out of the way. If it's not, I'm happy to be a second opinion."

If they're under a signed agreement with another agent, respect it completely. If they're not, "how's it going" tells you everything.

4. "We're not pre-approved yet, we'll do that later."

"That's the first thing I'd do, before we look at anything, because it changes what we look at. It's a phone call this week. I can introduce you to two lenders I trust and you pick, or use your own. Either way, it's not something I'd skip."

Warm and non-negotiable. A buyer who won't talk to a lender isn't ready, and it's better to know now.

5. "We'll wait for prices to drop."

"They might. Can I show you the actual numbers on that, though? Here's what a house like the one you want cost two years ago, last year, and now. ... If prices drop five percent and rates go up one, your payment is about the same. If prices don't drop, you're renting another year and starting over. I'm not saying buy today. I'm saying let's make the decision on numbers instead of on a headline."

You're not predicting the market. You're showing them that "wait for prices to drop" is a bet, and putting the bet on paper.

6. "We'll wait for rates to come down."

"A lot of people are thinking that. Two things worth knowing. First, when rates drop, every buyer who's been waiting comes back at once, and the competition pushes prices up. Second, you can refinance a rate. You can't refinance the price you paid. So the question is whether you'd rather compete with everyone later or fewer people now. What does your monthly number need to be for this to work?"

Then work the number. Most "waiting for rates" buyers have never seen what the payment actually is at today's rate on a house they'd actually buy.

The buyer agreement

7. "We don't want to sign anything."

This is the big one now. Don't get defensive, and don't skip it:

"That's completely reasonable, and I'd feel the same way about signing something with someone I met twenty minutes ago. Can I explain what it is, and then you decide? ... It says I work for you, not the seller, and it spells out how I get paid. It's required before I can show you homes, and it's what lets me actually go to work on your side. If it helps, we can do it for thirty days. If I'm not the right fit, it ends, no hard feelings."

The thirty-day offer solves it most of the time. Full script with every branch: when a buyer doesn't want to sign the buyer agreement.

8. "Why should we pay you? Doesn't the seller pay?"

"Sometimes, and sometimes not, and that's the honest answer since the rules changed. Here's how it works now: my fee is in our agreement, so you always know what it is. When we make an offer, we can ask the seller to cover some or all of it, and a lot of sellers do, because it helps their house sell. If they won't, we'll know before you're committed, and we'll decide together. What I won't do is leave you guessing."

Plain, accurate, no jargon. Full script: how to explain buyer agent compensation.

9. "We'll just go through the listing agent."

"You can, and some people do. Here's the thing to know first: the listing agent works for the seller. That's their job and they're good at it. When you go through them, nobody in the transaction is working for you, on the price, the inspection, the repairs, the timeline. If saving on the fee matters more than that, it's a legitimate choice. I'd just want you to make it knowing what you're giving up."

No fear-mongering. State who works for whom and let them decide.

During the search

10. "We saw one online that's way cheaper."

"Send it to me and I'll pull it up right now. ... Okay, here's what's going on with that one. [It's under contract / it's a different school district / it's on a busy road / it's a short sale.] Want to see it anyway? Sometimes it's worth going so you can see for yourself what the price is telling you."

Never dismiss it. Look it up together. The cheap one online usually teaches the buyer more about the market than three showings do.

11. "We want to think about it."

"Of course. Can I ask what you'd be thinking about? Not to push, I just want to make sure you have what you need. Is it the price, the house itself, or just that this is moving fast? ... Okay. One thing to know: [if there's real activity] the seller has another showing tomorrow, so if you're leaning yes, let's at least talk about what an offer would look like tonight, even if you don't send it."

"Think about it" is a request for space. Give it, but find out what they're thinking about so you can help with that specific thing.

12. "We want to offer way under asking."

"We can offer whatever you want, it's your money. Let me tell you what I think happens, and then you decide. At [lowball], the seller probably doesn't counter, and we've told them we're not serious, which makes the next offer harder. At [realistic number], we're in the conversation and we can still negotiate. What matters to you more, the chance of stealing it or the chance of getting it?"

Never refuse to write the offer. Predict the outcome, let them choose, and write what they choose.

Under contract

13. "The inspection scared us. We want out."

"Okay. Let's slow down for a second before anyone decides anything. Every inspection report is scary, because the inspector's job is to list everything. Can we go through it together and sort it into three piles: things that are normal for a house this age, things we should ask the seller to fix or credit, and things that are actually dealbreakers? If there's something in the third pile, we'll walk. But let's find out if there is."

Most inspection panics are about the length of the report, not what's in it. Sort it with them.

14. "We got a better rate quote from another lender."

"Great, take it to your lender and ask them to match. If they can't, switching is fine, but let's check the timeline first, because a new lender means a new underwriting clock, and we have [N] days to close. Send me both quotes and I'll help you compare them, apples to apples."

Help them get the better rate. Protect the closing date.

15. "We're getting cold feet."

"That's normal. Almost everyone I've worked with has had this week. Can I ask what's underneath it? Is it the money, the house, or just the size of the decision? ... [Listen.] ... Here's what I'd say. Nothing about the house changed since you loved it. What changed is that it's real now. If there's a real reason to walk, I'll help you walk. If it's just that it's real, that feeling passes about a week after you move in."

Don't talk them into it. Find out whether it's a reason or a feeling, and be honest about which one you're hearing.

How to practice this

Buyer objections are a tone problem more than a script problem. Buyers can smell pressure, and everything above only works if it's said calmly.

1. Drill 7 and 8 first. The buyer agreement and the compensation question are the ones that decide whether you get paid, and they're new enough that most agents haven't said them out loud fifty times yet. Do that.
2. Practice "we're just looking" until it sounds like relief. Your response should make the buyer feel like they can relax, not like they've been caught.
3. Have your partner be a nervous buyer. Second-guessing, changing their mind, asking the same question twice. That's the real one.
4. Practice the lowball conversation with a number. "$40,000 under" is different from "way under" when you're rehearsing.

SalesGo's buyer personas include the browser, the rate-waiter, the one who won't sign, and the one with cold feet the week before closing. The coach scores whether you asked before you answered and whether you left the buyer feeling pushed. Your first role-play is free.

The method: how to practice real estate scripts.

Quick reference

Just looking: "What got you looking? If the right one showed up next month, could you act?"

Show us this one: "Fifteen minutes first so I don't waste your Saturday."

Wait for prices: "Let's make the decision on numbers, not a headline."

Wait for rates: "You can refinance a rate. You can't refinance the price."

Won't sign: "Thirty days. If I'm not the right fit, it ends."

Why pay you: "My fee's in our agreement. We ask the seller to cover it; many do. Either way, you'll know before you're committed."

Listing agent instead: "They work for the seller. Then nobody's working for you."

Think about it: "Is it the price, the house, or that it's moving fast?"

Lowball: "The chance of stealing it, or the chance of getting it?"

Inspection: "Three piles: normal, ask for a fix, dealbreaker."

Cold feet: "A reason, or a feeling? I'll help you either way."