Making your home accessible and easy to show is something I’ve mentioned before, but it bears repeating. Why? Let me share what it’s like to set up showings through the eyes of an agent.
Monday, I planned to show some 4 properties in Irvine, California to some clients that were coming in from out of town. On Sunday, I mapped out my showings, put together the schedule, and sat down to call the four sellers to let them know I wanted to show their home. Easy, right? More than plenty of notice, right? It turned out to be far from easy.
Let me break it down for you:
Property 1: The showing instructions read, ‘Appointment Only‘ and ‘24 Hour Notice Required‘. Huh? This was an owner occupied home. 24 hour notice? What the heck for? There were two small dogs on the property when we got there so clearly, it wasn’t to get them out. I had to call the listing agent, who had to call her seller, reach them, get approval and then call me back. Thank God I actually had 24 hour notice from my buyer.
Property 2: The showing instructions read, ‘Restricted Access – Call the Listing Agent‘. Inconvenient, but okay, I can do that. I left a message Sunday afternoon and again Sunday night. I left another message Monday morning. No response. Okay, now I’m started to sweat.
The remarks to agents in the listing on Property 2 say, ‘Easy to Show. Call (name) at (number) for showing instructions.‘ I will share a secret with you… that ‘Easy to Show‘ line is almost always the kiss of death and actually means ‘Damn Near Impossible to Show‘.
I call the listing office to plea my case. They assure me that they will release an all points bulletin in an effort to find Mr. ‘Easy to Show’. About two hours before my Irvine tour, I get the call – ‘No problem. Go ahead and go. They’ll leave out the lockbox.‘ Wow. Thanks.
Property 3: Scheduling this showing was a gift to soothe my nerves. The showing instructions simply read, ‘Call First‘ and listed the homeowners number. Cake.
Property 4 (and my favorite): The showing instructions read, ‘Appointment Only. Call First,‘ and additionally, ‘Please call first and make an appointment at (number). Seller to control lockbox.‘
Not as easy as Property 3, but no problem. I call Sunday – twice, and again Monday morning. Sweating. This line is ringing with no answer and no opportunity to leave a message. The Real Estate Gods are testing me.
Finally, three hours before my tour, someone answers. The person I’m trying to reach is out of the country! When I tell her I want to show this agent’s listing she says, “Call back in 20 minutes.” WHAT?! I call back twenty minutes later and someone else answers and says that, “Yes, go ahead and show it.“ Good grief!
Obviously, this was stressful and time consuming for me. In this instance I had a client specifically looking for these 4 homes. Would I have tried this diligently to show these homes otherwise? Certainly not. There are so many options on the market that are significantly easier to get into.
And why all these hurdles? Don’t you want a buyer to see your home? This is not the time or place to play the dating game of ‘hard to get’. I only want to sell your home. I’m not a circus animal and I won’t always jump through hoops of fire to show your home. Come on people, just let me in!
Thanks for reading! We value your thoughts and opinions, so please feel free to leave a comment. Please contact us if you have any questions or need help. You can also get automatic updates for this blog free via:
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Just answer the phone! It’s that simple. It really is…
Ricardo – One would think! Thanks for reading!
I swear, some real estate agents are their own worst enemies.. and their sellers..
Unbelievable..
Jim