Bad blogging etiquette to promote your own post in this section.

I have a list of questions I ask to qualify a buyer to determine if I want to work with that buyer. They must be pre-approved and provide proof of funds. 

Praveen Mudwani As Richard Weeks stated, it is important to get a Buyer Broker Agreement signed and in my case a retainer. This will determine how serious they are about buying.

If they are serious they are going to sign a buyers rep agreement and they are going to get pre qualified.  Next I need to know why they want to buy, when they want to buy, and where they want to buy.  Until all that is handled we are not looking at houses.

• Cash in hand
• Pre Approved
• No contengencies in the offer.
• Large EM deposit.

 Just got a call someone wants to buy. I called around sending him to a lender that will approve that kind of housing loan near his home.  It has been a week. He says he has no time but want to view. I do not show homes until he is eligible. Text again 2X.

He is a C class buyer. 

In NYC we ask all buyers to complete the REBNY financials- which is a Statement of Net Worth that is ultimately sent in with nearly all bids. Having a pre-approval, or pre-qualification never hurts, or in the case of all cash bidders proof of funds. Many of the serious buyers will fill out the REBNY quickly once they have a sense of how fast a NY Minute really is.

Mostly I wish that buyers would just be honest. I struggle working with people that trust me enough to share their true situation.

You've covered the main ticket items.

If their lease is almost up.

I ask the same qustions you have asked.

Praveen Mudwani - the very first question must be - do you have a Realtor(r)?

Here are my 5 criteria.

Pre-approved

Realistic expectations about market

Honest, open and willing to have the tough conversations

Motivated to act within 1-3 Months (6 Months at most)

They want to work only with me and my team.

If they can afford the house.

During our first consultation I screen all buyers.

Those are good questions to ask and I also want to know what are their wants, needs, time frame and past real estate experiences. I also want to know if they are willing to have me work as their exclusive buyer's agent. That is the way I work and I don't start showing property without having that agreement signed.

I just need to see their preapproval from a lender I trust and proof of funds. 

Being pre-qualified is huge. If they went to the trouble of doing that, it means they actually might be serious. To work with any buyers, I would need a Buyer Agency agreement, required by law in CT.

totally agree with Lyn Sims comment, and wasted my time looking at your survey. Seems you do not even have a starting point for your project and certainly not a defined end goal other than WE WANT TO BE THE WIKIPEDIA OF REAL ESTATE (have no clue what that is supposed to mean). and also claim IT WILL BE LIKE HAVING YOUR OWN WEBSITE (WITHOUT THE COST OF DEVELOPMENT, HOSTING, OR MAINTENANCE). You need to define your plan to make it understandable before wasting peoples time asking for help.  Nothing constructive to add until you fix that.  I know my comments may seem harsh, and I apologize for that but I do not see clarity in your mission or question to adequately answer it any other way.

Pre-approval or proof of funds letter.

Signed Buyer Brokerage Agreement.

Non-refundable Upfront Fee / Retainer.

I prefer a pre approved buyer over a pre qualified buyer.  But if they are willing to get approval and sign a buyers rep I will sit down with them and have the conversation.  Motivation is a big factor.

Have they been approved for a mortgage?

Have they spoken to other agents?

What is their timeline to buy?

Where are they living now?

Are they ready, willing and able to buy?  If they are not all three . . . there can't be serious, IMHO.

LMAO . . . I just read your "first" post . . . hilarious!  You're going to change the real estate industry.   Best of luck to you.

A pre-approval is a must, not a pre-qual. I also want to know if they have a home to sell and if so, is it on the market yet. Do they need to sell their home to help with the purchase of the new home. What is their timeframe? If they say 2 years, a homeowner is not going to wait 2 years.

If they are approachable, reachable and cooperative, you got a potential there for doing business. The next step? Do they follow instructions?

do they have a home to sell and/or is it under agreement....

While some factors are more obvious than others (like if they've already been pre-qualified/pre-approved for a loan before they ever contact me), for me I'd say the #1 way I can tell how serious/motivated a buyer is really has to do with how involved they are in the process.  By that I mean, they read all my emails, respond to them, give me feedback... but most of all it comes down to how often THEY pick up the phone (or email me) to call or text me instead of me feeling like I'm continually following up with them even if they don't always respond in a timely manner.  I also know they're serious when I tell them a particular new listing which seems to fit all their criteria won't be on the market long (shows well, priced right) and strongly suggest they schedule to see it right away, they agree instead of the not-so-motivated buyers who want to wait until a more convenient time for them such as the weekend.  I can't tell you how often the latter has lost out on a perfectly good property for convenience sake.

How long have you been looking? What do you want in your new home? When would you like to move into your new home? Do you have loan approval yet?  Would you like me to help you find your new home?

You learn to ask questions.  Every buyer is different and every answer is different which means you ask a new kind of question.

Have they talked with a lender? That is big with me. Even if they haven't...are they now ready to do so, and also sign a buyer's agency with me. 

Richard Weeks and Kathleen Daniels covered all my basics.

You have the big ones listed already