Updated October 6, 2026. This is the agent training video on the four conversations most agents put off: the price talk, the fee talk, the repair talk, and the follow-up nobody wants to send. The video runs under nine minutes. The one-page cheat sheet and the full transcript are below so you can keep the scripts on your desk.
I made this for the agents at Bruno Fine Properties, and I’m posting it publicly because the problem is the same at every brokerage I’ve seen. We don’t lose deals because we don’t know the market. We lose them because we wait a week too long to say one uncomfortable thing.
Download the one-page cheat sheet (PDF). Print it and keep it next to the phone.
What are the four beats for handling any objection?
Every script in the video follows the same four-step objection sequence: listen, repeat and approve, ask and dig, then handle it with a summary and a conditional close. The order matters. Most agents jump to step four and skip the three steps that earn them the right to answer.
- Listen. Intently, all the way through. Let them finish.
- Repeat and approve. “So glad you brought that up. So what you’re saying is… is that right?”
- Ask, then dig. At least twice. “What about that is important to you?” “What makes you believe that?” If you need their attention: “May I tell you why that concerns me?” or “May I tell you why that may actually end up costing you money?”
- Handle it. Summarize one more time, then the conditional close: “If I can show you a way that we can solve that, would you be open to talking about it?” Yes leads to your feature and benefit. No leads to “What else is holding you back?”
The cheat sheet
Words in [brackets] are where you plug in your client’s details.
1. Pricing and price reductions
Seller wants to list too high. “I want to get you every dollar the market will pay. Can I show you what buyers actually paid for homes like yours in the last 90 days?” Walk three to five sales, then ask: “Which approach fits your timeline better?”
Set the review before listing. “If we get fewer than [number] showings in 14 days, or no offers after 21, can we agree today to sit down and look at the numbers together?”
Asking for the reduction. Lead with days on market, showings, online saves, feedback, and nearby sales. “We have three options: adjust the price, improve [item], or wait. What feels right to you?”
Coaching: never argue with their number. Always offer three options, including waiting.
2. Commission and buyer agreements
“Will you cut your commission?” “That’s a fair question. Can I ask what’s behind it? Is it the total cost of selling, or are you comparing me with another agent?”
Sell the result. Name what the fee pays for, then: “What matters most to you: the lowest fee, or the most money in your pocket at closing?”
Buyer agreement. Signed before the first showing. “It spells out what I do, how long we work together, and how I’m paid, in writing.” If they hesitate, ask which part: the length, the fee, or the commitment. Offer a shorter term, not no agreement.
Coaching: ask before you answer. Never apologize for your fee.
3. Inspection and repair fallout
Buyer panics. Sort the report into three groups: safety and major systems, expensive repairs coming soon, and normal maintenance. Discuss only the first two. Remind them why they chose the home.
Coach the request. “If we ask for 30 small items, the seller may dig in. The big item with an estimate attached keeps us reasonable and strong. Which two or three matter most?”
Telling the seller. Buyers are still excited, then the request, then: “If they walk, the next inspector likely finds the same items. Fix, credit, or counter?”
Coaching: shrink the list first. Watch the option period deadline.
4. Ghosting and stalled clients
Client went quiet (text). “I’m guessing plans may have changed, which is completely okay. Have you put the move on hold, or should I keep sending homes?” Send it once, then wait a week.
Buyer stopped touring (call). “Usually that means one of three things: the budget, the area, or the timing. Which one is it for you?” Adjust the search. Don’t restart it.
Old lead. “A lot has changed in [neighborhood]: [one real fact]. Is a move still on your radar this year, or should I check back later?”
Coaching: give permission to say “not now.” Value earns the reply.
Weekly drill (20 minutes, in pairs)
Pick one section. Role-play both sides, five minutes each, and push back hard. Debrief on one line that worked and one that felt forced. Then each of you makes one real call with that script.
Compliance: a signed buyer representation agreement before touring. No promised prices, dates, or repair outcomes. Fair housing in every conversation. Unsure? Call me before the conversation, not after.
Why do agents avoid these conversations?
Because each one risks a no. A price cut can feel like admitting the first price was wrong. The fee question feels personal. A 40-page inspection report feels like a fight waiting to happen. Silence from a client feels like rejection. The scripts above don’t remove the risk. They give you a plan for what to say, which is usually all that was missing.
Full transcript
Timestamps match the video.
Why deals die
0:00 · The Conversations Agents Avoid
Today we’re tackling the conversations most agents put off. The price talk. The fee talk. The repair talk. And the follow-up call nobody wants to make. These are the moments that decide whether a deal closes. By the end of this video, you’ll have a simple framework and twelve scripts you can use this week. Grab the one-page cheat sheet that goes with this video, and let’s get to work.
0:23 · Deals aren’t lost on knowledge. They’re lost on avoidance.
Here’s the truth. Most of us know enough to close the deal. We don’t lose deals because we don’t know the market. We lose them because we put off one uncomfortable conversation. We wait a week too long to talk about price. We apologize when someone asks about our fee. We let a buyer stare at a forty-page inspection report alone. Or we just stop following up. Every one of those is fixable, and it starts with having a plan for what to say.
0:49 · Four beats. Every hard conversation.
Every script in this training follows the same four beats for handling an objection. First, listen intently. Let them finish. Second, repeat and approve. Say, so glad you brought that up. So what you’re saying is, then say it back to them, and ask, is that right? Third, ask a question that gets their attention, and dig at least twice. What about that is important to you? What makes you believe that? If you need to slow things down, ask, may I tell you why that concerns me? Or, may I tell you why that may actually end up costing you money? Fourth, handle the objection. Summarize it one more time. Then use a conditional close. If I can show you a way that we can solve that, would you be open to talking about it? If they say yes, go into your feature and benefit. If they say no, ask, what else is holding you back? Learn the shape, then say it in your own words.
Section 1: Pricing and price reductions
1:48 · The seller wants to list too high
Section one. Pricing. Let’s start with the seller who wants to list too high. Don’t argue with their number. Start by acknowledging what the home means to them. Then say, I want to get you every dollar the market will pay. Can I show you what buyers actually paid for homes like yours in the last ninety days? Walk through three to five comparable sales. Then explain that buyers will compare their home to those same sales. Listed too high, their home becomes the one that makes everything else look like a deal. Listed right, it competes for the strongest buyers in the first two weeks. Then ask, which approach fits your timeline better?
2:28 · Agree on the review before you list
The best price reduction conversation happens before you ever list. At the listing appointment, set the review agreement. Say, if we get fewer than a set number of showings in the first fourteen days, or showings with no offers after twenty-one days, the market is telling us something. Can we agree today that we’ll sit down at that point and look at the numbers together? That one question turns a future price cut from a surprise into a plan your seller already agreed to.
2:56 · Asking for the reduction
When it’s time to ask for the reduction, lead with activity, not opinion. Tell the seller how many days it’s been, how many showings, how many online saves, and what the feedback keeps saying. Mention the homes nearby that sold since you listed. Then say, buyers are looking, but they’re choosing other homes at this price. We have three options. Adjust the price, improve the condition, or wait and accept more days on market. What feels right to you? Including the option to wait keeps the seller in control, and sellers in control make better decisions.
Section 2: Commission and buyer agreements
3:32 · “Will you cut your commission?”
Section two. Commission and buyer agreements. When a seller asks if you’ll cut your commission, don’t apologize and don’t jump to a discount. Ask first. Say, that’s a fair question, and I’m glad you asked it directly. Can I ask what’s behind it? Is it the total cost of selling, or are you comparing me with another agent? Then listen. The fee question is usually hiding a different worry, like their net proceeds, or whether they trust you.
4:01 · Sell the result, not the fee
Once you know the real concern, explain what your fee pays for. Pricing strategy. Professional photos and video. Marketing reach. Negotiation. And managing the deal all the way to closing. Then point out that a strong negotiation on price or repairs often covers the fee by itself. Close with one question. What matters most to you, the lowest fee, or the most money in your pocket at closing? Say it with confidence. We never apologize for what we’re worth.
4:35 · Signed before the first showing
Every buyer signs a written buyer representation agreement before we tour a home. That’s brokerage policy. Present it as protection for the buyer, not paperwork for you. Say, it spells out what I do for you, how long we work together, and how I’m paid, in writing, so there are never surprises. If a buyer hesitates, ask what feels uncomfortable. Is it the length, the fee, or committing to one agent? Then solve that one thing. Offer a shorter term, or limit it to the homes you see this week. Don’t drop the agreement.
Section 3: Inspection and repair fallout
5:12 · Shrink the list before you discuss it
Section three. Inspection and repair fallout. A forty-page inspection report scares people, because every house has a long list. Even brand-new ones. Your job is to shrink the list before you discuss it. Sort it with your buyer into three groups. Safety and major systems. Expensive repairs coming soon. And normal maintenance. Then focus only on the first two. Ask, is there anything here that changes how you feel about the home itself? And remind them why they chose it in the first place.
5:47 · Ask for what matters, not everything
Next, coach your buyer on what to ask for. Say, we’ll get the best result by asking for what really matters, not everything on the list. If we ask for thirty small items, the seller may dig in. If we ask for the major item with a contractor’s estimate attached, we look reasonable and stay strong. Then ask, which two or three items matter most to you? A focused request gets more yes answers than a long list. And watch the option period deadline closely.
6:17 · Telling the seller about the request
On the listing side, frame the repair request against the cost of losing the buyer, not against the seller’s pride. Start with good news. The buyers are still excited. Then share what they asked for. Before the seller reacts, compare it to the alternative. If this buyer walks, you relist, the next buyer’s inspector likely finds the same items, and you carry the mortgage, taxes, and utilities for weeks more. Then ask, would you rather fix these, offer a credit, or counter with part of it? A credit at closing is often the simplest path.
Section 4: Ghosting and stalled clients
6:52 · Give them permission to say “not now”
Section four. Ghosting and stalled clients. Silence usually means something changed, not that the client is gone. So make it easy for them to tell you the truth. Send one text. Hi, it’s your agent with Bruno Fine Properties. I haven’t heard from you in a bit, so I’m guessing plans may have changed, which is completely okay. Have you put the move on hold, or should I keep sending homes? Giving permission to say on hold gets far more replies than just checking in. Send it once, then wait a week.
7:25 · Name the three likely reasons
For a buyer who stopped touring, call them. Remind them of their goal and their timeline, and how many homes you’ve seen together. Then say, usually that means one of three things. The budget, the area, or the timing. Which one is it for you? People find it much easier to pick from a list than to explain themselves. Once you know, adjust the search or the plan instead of starting over.
7:50 · Lead with one useful local fact
And for the old lead you haven’t talked to in months, lead with one useful local fact. A recent sale in their neighborhood. A change in rates. Something real. Then ask, is a move still on your radar this year, or should I check back later? Value earns the reply. Pressure kills it.
Make it stick
8:08 · Twenty minutes a week. Out loud. In pairs.
Scripts only work when you practice them out loud. Once a week, pair up for twenty minutes. Pick one section. Role-play both sides for five minutes each, and push back hard. Debrief on one line that worked and one that felt forced. Then each of you makes one real call using that script. And always stay compliant. A signed buyer agreement before touring. No promised prices, dates, or repair outcomes. Fair housing in every conversation. When in doubt, call me before the conversation, not after. Now go have the conversations everyone else is avoiding. That’s where the deals are.
About the author
Marcus Bruno is the broker and owner of Bruno Fine Properties in Houston, Texas (TREC Broker #664155) and the founder of springhomesearch.com. He trains the brokerage’s agents on pricing, negotiation, and client communication. Selling a home? Start with a free home valuation. Buying? Run the numbers on the mortgage calculator or browse current listings.
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