Published June 6, 2025

The 5 Types of Buyers You Meet Before You Cry in Your Car

Written by Brittany Boyles

The 5 Types of Buyers You Meet Before You Cry in Your Car

Look, we love our buyers. We do. Helping someone find the house is why we’re in this game. But let’s be honest: some buyers will have you smiling at the showing and then crying in your car afterward while stress-eating fast food in the parking lot of a Sheetz.

If you know, you know.

Here are the 5 types of buyers every real estate agent meets at least once before they question all their life choices

The Ghoster 👻
Started out strong. Tour scheduled. Lender pre-approval in hand. Said they were ready to buy ASAP. Then? Nothing. You text. You call. You even double-check the obituaries. Nada. They vanish into thin air only to reappear 4 months later saying they bought something off Facebook Marketplace with their cousin’s best friend’s mom.

The Overthinker

“Do you think this living room will be too echo-y if we get a Labradoodle with long nails?”
“I’m not sure I like the color of the neighbor’s car.”
Insert 37 open tabs of Zillow, spreadsheets, and 4 a.m. text messages with new concerns. You’ll show them 72 homes and they’ll still wonder if the first one was actually the one.

The ‘My Mom Hates It’ Buyer

Doesn’t matter if it’s perfect. If mom, aunt, sister-in-law, or their best friend’s niece doesn’t like the backsplash—it’s a no. You start mentally including “approval committee” in the closing costs. Pro tip: You’re not just selling to your client—you’re selling to their entire extended family chat.

The DIY Designer
They’ve watched exactly 2 episodes of HGTV and are now interior design experts. Every house you show them is “a total gut job” because the paint color isn’t trending. You find yourself Googling “How to uninstall Pinterest from someone’s brain.”

The Facebook Marketplace Shopper
You’ve put together curated listings. Compiled the best options. Shown up with snacks, shoe covers, and a showing itinerary that rivals the Oscars. Then they say: “I found this place on Facebook for sale by owner. Can we just go look at that instead?”

(Cue the car crying.)

But in the end...

Despite the chaos, confusion, and occasional emotional breakdowns—we love them all. Every quirky buyer brings us one step closer to the perfect home (and a well-earned glass of wine).

Because at the end of the day, no matter how wild the journey is, there’s nothing better than handing over the keys and saying, “Welcome home.”

Got a buyer who fits one of these? Send them our way—we’ve seen it all, we handle it with heart (and humor), and we love working with our referral partners!