Discovery bot

Pre-Appointment Discovery Bot

Use this skill to create smart questionnaires, chat flows, intake forms, and CRM summaries before a buyer consultation, listing appointment, valuation call, investor call, or open-house follow-up. The bot should reduce friction, qualify the opportunity, identify objections, and prepare the human agent to lead a better conversation.

What the bot must accomplish

1. Confirm the lead's goal and urgency.
2. Collect only the information needed for the next appointment.
3. Identify decision-makers, constraints, and possible objections.
4. Route the lead: hot handoff, booked consultation, nurture, or disqualify respectfully.
5. Produce a concise pre-meeting brief for the agent.
6. Stay compliant with privacy, fair housing, consent, and agency rules.

Channel options

• Pre-call form: best for booked appointments; highest completion when under 3 minutes.
• Conversational chat: best for website and landing page leads.
• SMS intake: best after speed-to-lead contact; use 1-2 questions at a time.
• Email questionnaire: best for warm leads who need time to gather details.
• Voice-agent intake: best for inbound calls and after-hours leads.

Compliance guardrails

• Explain why information is being collected and how it will be used.
• Do not request Social Insurance/Social Security numbers, full banking details, account numbers, IDs, or sensitive documents through unapproved forms.
• For Canadian leads, align collection/use/disclosure with PIPEDA and brokerage privacy policy.
• For SMS/email follow-up, follow TCPA/CASL consent and opt-out requirements.
• Do not ask questions that steer or profile based on protected characteristics. Avoid "What type of people do you want to live near?" or "Is this area good for families?" Ask objective criteria instead: commute, housing type, budget, accessibility needs, transit, parking, bedrooms, outdoor space.
• If the lead says they are represented by another agent, stop solicitation and route to public-information-only or agent-to-agent protocol.

Universal opening copy

Use this at the top of a form or in the first chat message:

To make your appointment useful, I’ll ask a few practical questions about your goals, timing, and property needs. This usually takes under 3 minutes. Do not share sensitive financial documents here. If anything requires legal, mortgage, tax, or appraisal advice, {agent_name} will point you to the appropriate professional.

Buyer discovery flow

Short form version (8 questions)

1. What are you hoping to accomplish?
   • Buy now / buy in 1-3 months / buy in 3-6 months / planning for later / just researching
2. Which areas are you considering, and why those areas?
3. What property type and rough budget range are you targeting?
4. What are your top three must-haves?
5. What would be nice to have but is not essential?
6. Financing status: cash / pre-approved / spoke to lender / need lender intro / unsure.
7. Do you need to sell or lease a current property before buying?
8. Are you already working with another real estate agent under an agreement?

Expanded buyer flow

Ask only if relevant:

• Desired move-in date or lease/end-of-school/work timing.
• Monthly payment comfort range if volunteered; otherwise recommend lender conversation.
• Accessibility needs tied to property features, without probing medical details.
• Parking, transit, commute, pets, work-from-home, outdoor space.
• Risk tolerance: renovation, older systems, condo/HOA/strata restrictions, bidding competition.
• Decision-makers who should attend the consultation.
• Preferred communication channel and appointment format.

Buyer routing

• Hot: wants to tour/write within 7 days, pre-approved/cash, specific property, no agent relationship conflict → same-day call/live handoff.
• Warm: 1-6 month timeline, clear criteria → buyer consultation within 72 hours.
• Nurture: 6+ months or vague criteria → saved search + monthly education.
• Needs referral: outside service area, language/service mismatch, specialized property type → refer with permission.

Seller discovery flow

Short form version (10 questions)

1. What property address should we review?
2. Are you the owner or helping the owner?
3. What is prompting the move or valuation request?
4. Ideal timeline: now / 30 days / 60-90 days / 3-6 months / 6+ months / unsure.
5. Is there a target sale price or net number that matters?
6. What major improvements or repairs have been done in the last 5 years?
7. Any known issues buyers would notice: roof, water, electrical, HVAC, permits, condo/HOA/strata, tenants?
8. Occupancy: owner-occupied / tenant / vacant / other.
9. Who else is involved in the decision?
10. Have you spoken with or signed with another agent?

Expanded seller flow

• Mortgage discharge/bridge timing only if volunteered; refer to lender/lawyer for advice.
• Prep tolerance: sell as-is, light prep, staging, repairs.
• Showing constraints: pets, children, work hours, tenants, accessibility.
• Preferred listing strategy: public launch, private preview, discreet sale where allowed.
• Biggest concern: price, timing, privacy, uncertainty, buying next, condition, fees.

Seller routing

• Hot: interviewing agents, signed listing expiring, relocation/deadline, vacant property, estate/divorce/distress → human call ASAP, handle sensitively.
• Warm: sale in 1-6 months → valuation call and prep plan.
• Nurture: long-term homeowner → quarterly equity and prep sequence.

Investor discovery flow

1. Investment goal: cashflow, appreciation, value-add, house hack, portfolio diversification.
2. Capital available/down payment range if comfortable sharing.
3. Financing status and lender/professional team.
4. Target areas/property types.
5. Hold period and risk tolerance.
6. Management plan: self-manage / property manager / unsure.
7. Return assumptions they want tested.
8. Professional advice needed: tax, legal, financing, insurance.

Guardrail: Do not promise cashflow, appreciation, rent, occupancy, tax outcome, or investment return. Frame output as due-diligence support.

Open house discovery flow

1. What did you think of the property: fit / not fit / research?
2. What did you like most?
3. What would you change?
4. Are you actively looking or just starting?
5. Are you represented by another agent?
6. Would similar homes be useful? If yes, capture criteria.

CRM summary format

Lead: {name}
Source: {source}
Category: buyer / seller / investor / open house / other
Urgency: hot / warm / nurture / referral / not qualified
Goal: {plain-English goal}
Timeline: {timeline}
Key criteria: {areas, property type, budget/price, must-haves}
Readiness: {financing, sale-to-buy status, decision-makers}
Motivation: {why now}
Objections/risks: {fees, agreement, price expectation, timing, represented, privacy, condition}
Compliance notes: {consent, opt-out, represented status, sensitive issues}
Recommended next step: {appointment type + suggested agenda}
Questions agent should ask live: {3-5 questions}

Agent briefing prompt

You are preparing a real estate agent for a consultation. Using the discovery answers below, create:
1. A one-paragraph lead summary.
2. Lead temperature and why.
3. Likely motivation and emotional driver.
4. Missing information to clarify.
5. Top three objections likely to appear.
6. Suggested meeting agenda.
7. Best next-step offer.
8. Follow-up SMS and email draft after the meeting.
9. Compliance cautions: agency, fair housing, TCPA/CASL/PIPEDA, professional-advice boundaries.

Discovery answers:
{paste_answers}

Follow-up automation snippets

After completed buyer intake

"Thanks, {first_name}. I have enough to make the call useful. {agent_name} will focus on {top_goal}, {area}, and the best next step for your timeline. If anything changes before the meeting, just reply here."

After completed seller intake

"Thanks, {first_name}. {agent_name} will review the address, recent comparable sales, active competition, and the details you shared before the appointment."

Incomplete intake nudge

"Quick nudge—your appointment will be more useful if we have your timing and top priorities. It takes about 2 minutes: {form_link}"

APV attribution rule

Do not include APV credits in private intake forms, one-to-one follow-up, CRM summaries, agency documents, or compliance disclosures. If this workflow is published as a public guide, training resource, or downloadable form template, include a tasteful footer credit:

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