Buyers are already embracing the new rules, and the only potential issue is how soon sellers and their listing agents will figure it out as well. Here are our top five tips for real estate agents looking to capitalize on their seven seconds:

1. Educate

Learn how to handle classic seller arguments. These include, “We want to give the buyers the opportunity to upgrade the home the way they want to,” or “If we replace the carpet, the buyer may not like it and we will have wasted our money.”

These arguments are effectively dead. Today’s buyers, in large, do not want to fix up homes. When sellers ask why they should spend money to upgrade when a buyer might change things once they move in, the question you ask in return is, “If you can spend $1,000 to make $2,000-$3,000, does it matter what buyers do when they move in?”

Sellers must understand that buyers are looking for homes that meet their criteria, not the seller’s. Homes tha ...