How to Handle Objections in Real Estate

I am not a real estate agent. I have never held a license, I have never run a listing appointment, and I would not tell anyone how to price a house.

What I have done for most of my career is sell, and lead people who do. I managed restaurants, then ran sales and marketing for a brewery. For the past decade I have been in healthcare staffing, where I helped build Uniti Med from a startup into one of the largest healthcare staffing companies in the country. Staffing is a commission-driven relationship business. Our recruiters and account managers hear the same kinds of objections agents do, from people making one of the bigger decisions of their year.

When I speak at real estate events, I say all of that from the front. Then I teach the one method I use for every objection, because it does not care what you sell. It is called LAARC, and it was published by LeadingAge Illinois in its annual conference program. Here is how it works on the objections agents tell me they hear most.

What is the LAARC method?

LAARC is five moves, in order. Most people skip straight to the fourth one.

Listen. Let them finish. Do not build your answer while they are still talking.

Acknowledge. Say back what you heard. Acknowledging is not agreeing. “That makes sense. You want to be sure you are getting the most for the house.”

Ask. One honest question to get underneath it. Objections are like an onion. The first one you hear is rarely the real one.

Respond. Answer the concern they actually have, then stop talking.

Confirm. “Does that answer it, or is there something else on your mind?” If there is something else, go back to Listen.

That is the whole method. It slows you down by one beat at the exact moment your instinct is to talk faster. I wrote more about why that matters in Nobody Wants to Be Overcome.

How do you handle “we’ll wait until spring”?

This is a timing objection, and timing objections usually hide a reason. Listen and acknowledge first: “Spring makes sense to a lot of people. More buyers are looking.” Then ask what spring changes for them. “What would be different for you in spring?”

Sometimes the answer is real: a school year, a job start, a new house that is not ready. Respect it, agree on when you will check back, and actually call. Sometimes the answer is that they are nervous about the house not looking ready, or about where they will go next. That is a different conversation, and it is one you can help with now.

Then show both paths without pressure. What does waiting cost them in time, in carrying the house, in the move they actually want? What does going now look like? Put them side by side and let them choose. In my LOCKS framework, that is the S: Stakes. People cannot weigh a cost nobody has shown them.

How do you handle “another agent will do it for less”?

This is a price objection, and a price objection is almost never only about the number. Listen, acknowledge (“That is fair to ask about. It is a lot of money.”), then ask: “What is included in what they offered?” and, the one that matters most, “If the fee were the same, who would you want selling your house?”

If they say you, now you know what you are competing on, and you can talk plainly about what your work does for the result: the plan, the preparation, the marketing, the negotiation, the follow-through. If they say the other agent, the fee was never the real issue, and a lower one would not have won the listing anyway.

Two cautions. Do not attack the other agent. It makes you look worse, not them. And follow your brokerage’s policies and the rules where you work on how fees are discussed. For more on this one, see How to Handle Price Objections.

How do you handle “we want to list higher than that”?

A seller who wants a higher number is telling you how much the house means to them. Acknowledge that before anything else. Then ask: “What number would you need to make your next move work?” and “How did you arrive at that price?”

The answers tell you whether this is about money they need, a neighbor’s sale they heard about, or pride in the work they put into the house. Respond to that, with the information you have, and confirm they see what you see. If they still want to try their number, agree up front on what you will both watch and when you will talk again.

How do you handle “we’re going to try selling it ourselves first”?

Do not argue. Ask. “What makes you want to try it on your own?” It is often about saving the fee, sometimes about control, and sometimes about a bad experience with an agent in the past. Each one needs a different answer.

If it is about the fee, you are back to the price objection above. If it is about control, describe how they stay in charge of the decisions with you. If it is a bad past experience, ask what went wrong and listen all the way through. Whatever you hear, offer to stay useful while they try, and confirm when you will follow up. A good “not yet” is often the start of a listing.

How do you handle “let us think about it”?

This is the most polite objection there is, and one that quietly costs a lot of business. Acknowledge it (“Of course. It is a big decision.”), then ask one question: “What part are you still thinking through?”

Usually there is a specific answer: the fee, the timing, the price, or a spouse who was not at the table. Now you have a real objection you can work through LAARC. If there is truly nothing, agree on a time to talk and confirm it before you leave.

What about buyer objections?

Buyers use the same moves with different words. Three come up constantly.

“We’re going to wait for rates to come down.” Ask what the move is for and what waiting changes besides the rate: the rent they keep paying, the school year, the space they need. Lay the two paths side by side, and if waiting is right for them, say so and agree when you will check back. A good loan officer partner is worth bringing into that conversation.

“We’ll just look online for now.” Acknowledge it. Most buyers start there. Then ask what they are hoping to find and what would make them want to see something in person. Respond with one specific way you can help that a search app cannot, and confirm the next step.

“We don’t want to commit to one agent yet.” Ask what worries them about committing. It is usually trust, which in LOCKS is the C: Confidence in You. Answer that worry directly, explain plainly how working together would work, and confirm they are comfortable before you ask for anything.

Why does showing the stakes matter so much?

Because people compare your proposal to doing nothing, and most of them assume doing nothing is free. It rarely is.

Years ago, selling beer for a brewery, I was in every major store except the biggest retailer in the country. One buyer decided, so I called him over and over until he finally picked up. He asked whether I knew how many items were in his stores and whether he bought paper clips. My beer was a paper clip to him. I told him his stores did not carry it, that it was a top seller in its category, that every competitor stocked it, and that the people who loved it would drive to a competitor to buy it and do the rest of their shopping there. He said: get me your best sellers, in every store, and I want a display.

He never needed a lower price. He needed to see what saying no was costing him. Sellers and buyers are the same. When they can see both paths clearly, the decision usually makes itself. I go deeper on all five LOCKS conditions in How to Close More Deals.

How do brokerages train agents to handle objections?

Practice out loud. Most agents know what they should say. Far fewer have said it under pressure. Take the five objections your office hears most, write them on cards and run LAARC on each one in a sales meeting, one agent as the seller and one as the agent. Do it again next week. It feels awkward the first time and natural by the fourth.

Then have managing brokers and team leads listen for the moment right after the objection, because that is where listings are won or lost, and it is the easiest moment to coach. If you want it taught live at a kickoff or sales rally, that is what my sales training workshop is built for. For the general version of this skill, see How to Handle Objections Like a Pro.