Listen before selecting
A property enquiry often describes a solution imagined by the client, rather than their actual need. Start with intended use: living there, visiting occasionally or considering a rental. Next, ask what triggered the project and when it needs to be completed. Let the client describe a typical day or stay. This description reveals constraints that a neighbourhood name alone cannot express.
The method in practice
Conduct the discovery in three stages. First ask what triggered the project: a life change, personal use, an investment, or a combination of uses. Then explore a practical week in the future property: who stays there, how often, who handles maintenance, and which tasks must remain simple? Finally, distinguish requirements from preferences. In a fictitious riad, 'hosting relatives' might require several independent spaces, whilst 'visiting twice a year' primarily raises remote management considerations. Record these two uses separately. Do not suggest a neighbourhood yet: an address does not automatically solve an operational requirement. Your deliverable is a search brief where each criterion can be linked to a statement from the client.
Fictional example
A client requests a riad. They primarily wish to host family for a few weeks a year and avoid heavy management. The property type remains a option to evaluate against this intended use.
Ask an open question, listen to the answer, then explore a single point at a time.
Building the search parameters
Distinguish between the overall budget and the asking price of the property. List the items to be costed with competent advisors: acquisition, building work, equipment, financing and maintenance. No standard percentage replaces these checks. Then separate non-negotiables, preferences and unknown factors. A useful criterion can be verified during a search or a viewing.
The method in practice
Build a project budget rather than a single price limit. Distinguish between the quoted amount, available funds, planned financing, and total cost yet to be estimated. Ask which works and equipment are included in the budget. The timeline must include the desired date of use and the milestones that could condition it. Fictitious example: the client wishes to use the property in six months' time, but has not yet costed the renovation. Note this dependency rather than assuming that any acquisition must be concluded immediately. For each unknown, assign a contact person and a specific question. The advisor organises the information; the bank confirms financing terms, and the relevant professionals assess the works and formalities.
Fictional example
“Pleasant” is too vague. “Two separate bedrooms and usable outdoor space” allows you to filter options and ask specific questions.
Note what is confirmed and what needs to be costed, without turning an estimate into a validated budget.
Obtain a validated restatement
End the interview with a brief summary: usage, timeline, budget to be confirmed and three priority criteria. Ask the client to correct your understanding. Then explain your next step and agree on a point of contact. This confirmation avoids presenting ten properties based on a misunderstanding. If priorities change, update the summary rather than keeping two contradictory versions.
The method in practice
Produce a four-line summary: project, essentials, negotiable points, open questions. Have it read aloud: 'What have I misunderstood or missed?' This question is preferable to a closed confirmation that merely invites a 'yes'. Conclude with a limited action: receiving a document, checking a route, reviewing two options. If the client changes a priority, record the date of this change in the file. During a second search, you will be able to explain why the selection changed. A good summary also allows for a negative conclusion: no current property satisfies the essentials. Proposing to continue the search is then a professional outcome, not a failed meeting.
Fictional example
‘You are looking for an easy-to-maintain pied-à-terre with two bedrooms. We still need to clarify the overall budget and acceptable commute times. Is that correct?’
Have the client confirm their needs before advocating a property address.
Your practical application work
Prepare the follow-up to an initial meeting: a client wants a pied-à-terre in Marrakech, is hesitating between an apartment and a riad, and has not yet costed the renovation work.
- The three questions I ask
- My restatement of the client's needs
- The proposed next step