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Vacant Homes - Call Agents Before Showing!

There is a new trend in real estate needs to be exposed as a total loser. It is that the listing agent has placed a comment that they are to be contacted before showing the home. But when the home is 'VACANT?' Give me a break! Some have even placed in the comments "No Exceptions!" When you finally get through to the agents, they mention the home is vacant and try to sell you the merits of the home. Some will even try to grill you about the buyer, their needs, and time frame. They want to pry and as you privileged information is the buyer relocating or local etc...! Other agents, have yet to return the calls at all...some 10 days later! On a vacant home? Their brokers are asleep at the wheel!

If the home is vacant and it has a lockbox...the buyers agent should be able view the home without a lame sales pitch from a busy body listing agent that has never sold a home!
If you want a job in control, get a job as a corrections officer..not in real estate.
Companies with showing services are also lame - they do not reconcile with actual listing status of an agent that is not doing their job! You end up with an appointment to show on a home that is under contract.
If the home is vacant - it should be available to show on a moments notice, not when the listing agent gets around to it after their 9-5 job!
Sellers need to realize a main reason their home is not selling is the agent they have employed!

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Posted by Jim Crawford ~ Atlanta Real Estate-ABR E-PRO on 04/17/2009 09:41 PM

Comments (66)

Showing Vacant Homes - Calling Listing Agents First in the ActiveRain Channel

marketing vacant homes, vacant homes for sale, vacant homes, showing, buyer agents, listing agents, showing services, lockboxes, showing homes

Originally posted at: Atlanta Real Estate | Atlanta Housing News for Real Estate: Vacant Homes - Call Agents Before Showing!

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66 Comments on Vacant Homes - Call Agents Before Showing!

APR

Hi Jim - I know what you mean. What's the reasoning? If they have such control issues they should hold an open house.

Hi Jim, I ran across one like that today. The agent said she had to be there to open the door. Too much trouble; there are plenty other homes to show.

Terrible. If the place is vacant, leave a lock box and some notes. To require presence is to say to the other Realtor, "You can't sell this place. I can. Move to the side."

I totally agree with you Jim. It's a big waste of time.

Jim: Do you think they are control freaks or are they just plain lazy?

Is it not common courtesy to call the listing agent just in case someone else is showing it at the same time? I'm not making excuses for those agents who don't return calls or have control issues mentioned above but I hate it when I have booked a showing and another Realtor shows up or is already there when I arrive.

That's a real unnecessary bump in the road. Only need to call me to confirm your offer was received. Fortunately that does not happen a lot here. Most of our appointments are coordinated through a centalized showing service.

Hi Jim~ It does not make a bit of sense. If the sellers only knew, they would fire their agent, period! I wrote a post along these lines myself. It makes me crazy to call a agent to try to show one of their listings, vacant or not and they don't call back for days, if they ever even call back. Yep, some agents actually cost sellers the sale of their home!

Hi Jim: In NY the buyer's agent shows the vacant home without the listing agent. It can be difficult if the listing agent shows up and it not familiar with the home. So the buyer agent has to try and attend the open house.

It should be common courtesy to call the listing agent so you don't have multiple agents showing at the same time. But the Realtors that are part time and don't return phone calls need to be out of the profession. I have no patience for their work ethic and it is very rude.

Jim.....I agree. We should NEVER be but in a position to track an agent down or be given a sales pitch. We sell.....we do not need to be sold. All MLS listings should have appointment centers that schedule appointments only and have no personal interest in the property.

Oh I have unfortunately run into this here in my market. I have actually gone and not shown a listing when they do that. My buyers get fed up waiting on the agent to call back and we pass the listing by.

I had one agent last week that had to be there to show a vacant house. No it wasn't anything special or high end. Trying to get my clients, him and myself all there at the same time became impossible so we never saw the house. I don't know if the seller set it up like that but it will never sell.

Man I know how you are feeling!!!

Jim, I agree to a point. However, I see nothing wrong with a courtesy call as long as it is not followed with a sales pitch.

I think they are lazy, but want to show as control freaks may be. either way big waste of time.

I think you should ABSOLUTELY Call Before Showing. The listing agent doesn't have to be there (that's a bit ridiculous). But as the listing Agent you're responsible for the security of the home. So many times I hear from other listing agents that Buyer's agents have left lights on, windows open, they've even left doors unlocked. If I was a seller I would want to know that the Realtor I've entrusted my largest investment to knows exactly who's entering the home and when.

Alyce Martin in Albuquerque - THE Place To Be! (Keller Williams Realty) You nailed it! 'Control!'

Shirley Parks, North San Antonio TX Real Estate 210.414.0966 (Realty Executives Alamo) I hate that! The agent even follows you around. They don't shut up, and your buyers cannot stand it. It is very counter productive.

Paul Cahalane (Heritage Home Loans) The sad thing is...that this is becoming more and more common.

Tim Maitski "Video Agent Guy" (HomeAtlanta.com) Time I agree. Totally. This is one of those new things that does not make sense and it is an exercise in futility.

Sandy Childs (Keller Williams) I had another word in mind..."Stupid!" The sad thing is that there is no cure for it. I've been told, that "Stupid cannot be fixed!"

Susan Emo RE/MAX ( Riverview Realty Ltd - Brokerage - 1000 Islands Canada) Not in my market place. Normally they will give you a heads up. The protocol in the Atlanta market used to be... that if another agent is inside the home, you do not go in until they have left.

Wayne Johnson, GRI (Coldwell Banker D'Ann Harper Realtors (San Antonio, TX)) Thanks I must share... I am not a fan of the centralized showing thing.

Owensboro KY Real Estate Specialist Vickie McCartney, Broker, ABR (Home Realty GMAC Real Estate Owensboro Kentucky) I think it happens more than we would like to admit.

Donna Paul- Long Island Home Specialist Suffolk and Nassau County (Keller Williams Realty Greater Nassau) Donna, what is interesting is that is not million dollar estate homes I am talking about. These are homes in the 200K range. It is a total waste of time.

Geri Doyle (Doyle & DeVoe Iowa Realty) In the Atlanta area if the home had a lock box, and courtesy call to owner (occupied homes) all others that were vacant it was always understood go show...! Please keep in mind that with the amount of listings int eh Atlanta market I can be talking about showing 20 homes in a day. When half of the agents are asleep at the wheel there isa big problem!

Anonymous - but not on vacant homes.

Greensboro, NC Real Estate Larry Story's Blog of the Triad! (Coldwell Banker Triad of Greensboro) I passed by at least 4-5 in the one day. Even though we called all the listings 2 days before, and re-called a 2nd and a 3rd time!

We have had this happen to us -- and when we questioned it we have been told that "they need to keep track of who is going inside" . At times maybe this makes sense, as they are not using regular MLS lock boxes-- but instead contractors boxes. But it is annoying.

Valorie Stover, Quality Realtor Mission Viejo, Lake Forest and Vicinity (Eugene Bryant Pacific Real Estate) You are so right! When everyone has to be there, it never happens! The other agent is never available!

Jeannette Neerpat, e-Pro Coral Springs/Parkland Real Estate (London Realty Corp) Thanks! I think we've all experienced this.

David Matney, CRS ~ Omaha NE Real Estate ~ (402) 490-6771 (Alliance Real Estate) I disagree. I've been doing this since 1979. No courtesy call when a home is vacant.

Suma Kakani (Baird&Warner) I'm thinking they view themselves as super sales persons.

Bernice Dubon (Royal LePage Solutions) It isn't how it has been done here in Atlanta in all the years I've been here. It is a new thing by inexperienced agents that seem to be doing this.

Bob & Carolin Benjamin - E Phoenix Arizona Real Estate (Benjamin Realty LLC) That is why we have SUPRA boxes that notify us within a few minutes of the showing!

Yup you want to keep track then put a Supra on the listing. A courtesy call is fine, leave a message, send a text, but if the house is vacant there should be no need to mandate a call!

I absolutely agree. I was just voicing my annoyance the other day to a fellow agent in my office about agents who want you to call 'NO EXCEPTIONS' to show their vacant house. There are plenty of houses and not enough time to jump through all the hoops some agents require.

APR

Jeannette Neerpat, e-Pro Coral Springs/Parkland Real Estate (London Realty Corp) Jeannette I fully agree.

Brian Brumpton, Boise Idaho Real Estate (Keller Williams Boise) So true. If I canceled 4 showings for one day...my day would still be very full. So the question is...Do we need the extra aggravation?

Wow, that doesn't happen to much here. The Lock box tracks which agent has shown the home. The only reason I would bother the listing agent with a call, was if something was wrong...window open ETC.

If I am the listing agent, comments say something like: GO GO GO...chocolate is waiting there for you. (Kidding about the chocolate)

It seems like making sure the home gets shown is a fiduciary duty. Hindering it would then be a code of ethics offense...OK now I'm rambling, you are right, you can't fix stupid.

Jim, I'm sorry I'm not laughing at the post, but your ton is hillarious. I guess because we have met I can just hear you sayng this exactly like you talk.

If the seller's agent needs to make a sales pitch, it should be to the seller on why the home should be staged! Studies show that vacant properties often sit on the market longer and sell for less than occupied properties. This is because buyers do not connect emotionally to vacant homes as easily as they do occupied or staged properties. They cannot visualize what the home will look like furnished and often underestimate the size of the rooms. Secondly, buyers believe that the sellers are desperate to sell because they have already moved out and may be paying on two mortgages. Buyers will often put in a low-ball offer and then negotiate to a price that is less than the seller would have gotten had the house been occupied or staged.

And now you add that the seller's agent wants to be notified before showing - great way to completely kill a sale!

Jim-

We list all our homes vacant or not as appointment required.

That funnels them through our appointment center which logs their name and contact info.

We call them all for feedback which we give to the home seller. We also share the list of showing with them to track the trend line.

However, this does not stop realtors from just going into the home.

Which gives me an idea for my next Post.

Thanks

Jim:

If a Realtor wants to know who has visited a vacant home, It can be accessed form our lock boxes.

If Realtors need to know thing it should be in the listing or attachments.

Slowing up showings is the wrong thing to do.

Jim just come out and say what you mean, don't hold back ......... LOL

Jim more people in this business should tell it like it really is :) :)

Amen, Jim, I'm glad i don't run into this problem in the commercial real estate sector. If it's on lockbox, then they can pull up everyone that's been in the property. So, i dont' follow any of the postings reasonings. It's just a control thing...And, realtors, as a whole, have a bad problem of not returning phone calls...in every sector of the industry.

Brian Patton, CCIM

Alpharetta, Roswell, Cumming Commercial Real Estate

www.capitallistings.com

When you leave a message for this agent about showing the vacant home also ask her to call you to verify her fax machine is on before you send an offer : ) !

Kathleen Frawley (Keller Williams) I previewed a home this evening where the listing agent said "Contact agent first!" I didn't. The home had pictures on line, and guess what it is VACANT! I previewed it...no alarms, no warnings, and no need to call the listing agent.

Missy Caulk-Ann Arbor- Realtor(R)- Ann Arbor Real Estate (Keller Williams-Ann Arbor) So Missy, you know I am ranting! LOL!

Michelle Yackel, ASP, IAHSP (Divine Redesigns) The problem is the listing agent probably never sold a home before, and does not realize their actions are counter productive. In a word? "Clueless!"

Jim Wood (Crye-Leike Realtors, Inc.) You may be making a major mistake by requiring appointment. Appointment onlys, or appointment required usually go in an agents "B" list! Most agents will not show. Sorry! They are time wasters.

I used to specialize in 'Expired listings' and a large portion of what I listed were homes that were shown by appointment.

Richard Stabile Bergen County New Homes Builder Realtor (REMAX real estate associates) In the Atlanta market we have a new e-Key that works with our Supra Boxes....within moments of showing a property the listing agents are notified.

George Souto (McCue Mortgage) FHA, CHFA, VA Mortgages CT. I am a former New Yorker, and I kind of been programmed to tell it like it is. LOL!

Brian Patton, CCIM Thanks Brian! I agree!

Phil Agents are really asleep at the wheel these days. I often mention when I call the listing agent if I do not hear back form them, I will not show the property because I assume it is under contract. That would cause the agent to contact me ASAP! That does not work any longer.

I also called 5 full time agents today for a great listing referral of an equestrain property. None have returned my call!

APR

Honestly Jim, if my clients like the property, they like the property--no amount of YOU pitching the property, selling me on the property is going to make them like it any more! AND, when you call me right off the bat, I think you're desperate and encourage my clients to low-ball b/c the sellers MUST be desperate--That is, if you haven't already annoyed me enough that I'm just not going to show it now!

I don't think those who primarily list, understand the mind of the 2009 buyer--they want painless, no pressure and expect sellers & their agents to 'bow' to them, not harrass them!

Hope business is picking up for you and that you're doing well--I've been hit with the spring rush and am really slammed lately. I think things are turning around a bit here, that's for sure!

Debe in Charlotte

Breathe in....breathe out :-)

I am right there with you on agents breathing down your back while you are trying to show the home. On the rare occasion that one insisted on being there I "politely" ask them to let us tour by ourselves and should they have any questions we would direct them to her.

Debe Maxwell Talk Charlotte with Charlotte's Realtor® (Helen Adams Realty) Debe thanks as always for your insights. I like them. We have a few more deals, 1 down and 2 to go...., and a few referral checks. I do not think the Atlanta market is improving, but it appears to be contracting more.

Alicia Gibson/REALTOR, ABR (McLeRoy Realty Associates, Inc.) You handled it well. I may understand if the home is a million dollar plus custom home but...these are homes in the low 200K's.

I hope how soon your business heads upwards. I read your other post about phoning 5 agents--I've had the same issue--those who write about how awesome they are in their market and they won't even return a phone call to accept a referral?? Go figure...

...I guess they're the listing agents that are bugging the buyers agents to schedule a showing on a vacant property!!! LOL

Debe in Charlotte

APR

Debe Maxwell Talk Charlotte with Charlotte's Realtor® (Helen Adams Realty) You are right. They probably are one in the same! They are out to lunch!

Jim - I think sometimes I have had to take measures on vacant homes when there has been a history of agents who have left doors unlocked or lights on. There has to be some accountability too. But, on those listings I usually instruct them to call, leave message and go - and, then I have to be mindfulo go check on the property later. My only exception to this would be if the homeowner lives int he area - then, it let the call center notify the seller who has to be the responsible party to follow up and check on the property.

Carol Culkin (Houlihan Lawrence Realty) If they are using SUPRA lockboxes... I have a printed record of who showed the property last. Now with our new system I am notified within an hour of their showing.

Back for another comment--don't you just LOVE the Supra boxes?! I love being able to tell who's showing and when a home is vacant, it's nice to have that record--just in case...

Debe in Charlotte

Debe Maxwell Talk Charlotte with Charlotte's Realtor® (Helen Adams Realty) They are incredible! I like the new features of our key also.

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