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SELLING A HOME IS A VOLUNTARY DECISION - OR, IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO TO THE CLOSING TABLE.

MR. SELLER, WOULD YOU PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE LET US IN TO SEE YOUR HOME LISTED FOR SALE?

A thoughtful post by Paddy apologizing to home owners who have listed their for sale inspi Home for Sale red me to post about the same subject, from a different perspective.

Well, of course we buyers agents try to accommodate the seller's wishes about access to their homes listed for sale. We have no choice. The seller determines access. However, the key words there are "homes listed for sale".

What does "FOR SALE" mean?

It means that the home is listed FOR SALE by the owner with the understanding that interested home buyers will be visiting the home to walk through it to help them, the home buyers, determine whether or not the property will be considered as a future home. Often, after trying to get access to a home listed for sale, I come to believe that the seller wishes to sell but doesn't want anyone visiting. Fact is, many home buyers need to visit a home for sale more than once before making an offer. This is particularly true of first time home buyers, which is a huge percentage of our market today.

WALK THROUGH QUICKLY THEN BUY. Probably no asset offered for sale in the world is purchased with less investigation than real estate. Yet, this asset is gong to be, not only a possession of great value, usually encumbered by a costly lien secured by a note with a pay-off of many, many years. Of course, there will be certain limited investigations and verifications following a Contract of Sale. However, the fact is, most home buyers will make the largest consumer purchase of their lifetime following one or two visits to the property for sale. Contingencies to the contract protect the home buyer to the extent that the buyer is able to verify the value and condition of the property, but not until they have entered into a contract and deposited earnest money, usually $Thousands, as a sign of good faith on the part of the purchaser to protect the seller.

All of the above sounds routine and it usually is. However, what is so often missed is the difficulty that serious, qualified and motivated home buyers have just getting access to see the home listed for sale.

WARNING! HOME FOR SALE.

SHOWING BY APPT. ONLY!
LISTER MUST ACCOMPANY!
LIMITED SHOWING HOURS!
24 HOURS NOTICE REQUIRED!
CALL LISTER!
CALL OWNER!
NO LOCK BOX
PRINCIPALS ONLY
APPT. MUST BE VERIFIED
CALL LISTER FOR COMBO

IS THE SELLER A BARRIER TO SALE? When scheduling tours of resale homes for buyers, I often have to ask, "Do these folks really want to sell this property?" How do they expect to sell it if they won't let folks in to see it? Far to often, in my experience, prospective home buyers are treated as intruders.

"WHY DO THEY NEED TO SEE IT AGAIN?" That was the comment from a listing agent when I called for an appointment for a follow up visit to a home for sale. The list price was $1,200,990. Yet, the sellers, through their agent, made showing almost impossible. Fact is, I was touring with the husband for two weeks to select homes to show his wife who had to travel from San Diego so they could make the final decision together. The husband and I toured every afternoon for 2 weeks and narrowed the selections to five homes for sale. Time for the wife to arrive to help with the final selection.

IT'S NOT CONVENIENT THIS WEEK. That comment came from a listing agent when I tried to make an appointment for one of the five homes. My buyers had set aside two days to tour 5 homes. Yet, it "was not convenient" for the listing agent to show it that particular week. With no lock box, we had no access without the listing agent. The listing agent was the broker, so, no higher authority to appeal. Sadly, that home was elimitated from consideration. The home my buyers purchased was vacant and they spent a good hour touring, measuring, discussing, placing furniture, planning carpeting, etc. When buying a home, sometimes buyers just need time to help themselves "feel at home" in the house. When scheduling a tour of homes for buyer clients, I begin to make appointments fully two days prior to the tour. It often takes that long to reach the "agent must show", "no lock box", "limited hours", etc. listings and get the showing confirmed. I'm relentless and unless someone says that we cannot see the property, I keep trying until I get all properties selected scheduled. It's exhausting and time consuming, but just part of the job. However, it doesn't really have to be as difficult as it is. It often appears that sellers or their agents believe that theirs is the only home on the market.

WE WERE 22 MINUTES LATE! I have been denied entry to homes for sale when we were early or late for the appointment. When we tour homes listed for sale, we are often scheduling 3-6 or more homes at a time. It is virtually impossible to arrive at a specific time for each appointment. I allow reasonable drive time between properties and 15-30 minutes to tour each home on the first visit. Yet, we've entered some homes whereby the sellers complain that we are early or late with a scowl and a very unwelcoming attitude. What are their priorities, to sell the home or to adhere to a strict showing schedule??

HOW TO SELL A HOME FOR THE BEST PRICE, IN THE SHORTEST AMOUNT OF TIME WITH THE BEST TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR THE SELLER!

Home for Sale

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988, E-mail.

Posted by Lenn Harley, Real Estate Broker, Maryland & Virginia on 07/02/2009 10:03 PM

Comments (107)

Homes for Sale in the Sales Strategies / Tactics Channel

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Originally posted at: MD, VA Foreclosures, First Time Buyers Grants, CDA Loans MD, Rehab Loans MD & VA: SELLING A HOME IS A VOLUNTARY DECISION - OR, IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO TO THE CLOSING TABLE.

Post is included in group: The Ninety-ninth Percentile
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107 Comments on SELLING A HOME IS A VOLUNTARY DECISION - OR, IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO TO THE CLOSING TABLE.

JUL

Lenn,

Kinda glad to know this stumbling block handicaps even the cream of the crop. I always recommend my buyers visit a second time before we write up an offer - suggesting a different time of the day.

Motivated sellers will jump through hoops to accommodate; these are the folks with whom we should be doing business!

Ohhhhhhhh you are singing my song. How is it that some sellers take on the attitude that they are doing you a favor by allowing you to see their home? I think it would be easier to get into Fort Knox sometimes than some of these homes. This has always puzzled me. When I have sold houses in the past, it was open 24/7. I would walk over a mile of broken glass to have them come and see my house. Sometimes you want to ask, "well, is it for sale of not?"

Irene. Arranging tours has always been tedious. Seller just don't want to be inconvenienced, but good grief, at least try.

Indeed, I often take days to get in the homes selected to view. The resistance I meet is often astounding.

Great list. I once had a seller who had to follow buyers from room to room and they were not allowed to look into closets.

Edward. Indeed. I often ask just that question.

Gita. How about the homes where a bedroom or two is locked??

Had one we ended up scratching off the list just last week. We were declined two showings on 2 different days without an explination. The last attempt on Saturday was accepted then 1 hour before was cancelled by the seller. I called the listing agent and asked how he thought the house was going to get sold. We moved on to a similar property.

Claude. Been there!! Many times. I've actually gotten to a home with an appointment and found no one at home to give access. Sometimes they cancel. Sometimes they just leave if we are a few minutes late.

Lenn, you are right that the sellers and sometimes their brokers can make it difficult. I heard yesterday from an agent in my office who said when she worked in San Antonio that they had one central number to call for ALL showings. Every single company used the same showing service and brokers paid $20/quarter for it. In Denver, we have to contact each company and sometimes the Listor too. We rarely run into access issues, though, because Sellers and agents are completely aware that they need to accommodate buyers (who are golden).

Hi Lenn, recently had a situation that was a first. The listing agent called me back and said the sellers are only showing to buyers that DO NOT have a home to sell. So I lied. Second showings are the acid test, only a fool would not accommodate.

Gretchen. Some of our counties have customs that use central showing services, but it's always voluntary and many agents don't use it. Sometimes the centralized showing services have to make the appointment, confirm it, have limited hours, etc., all barriers.

Frank and Jodi. GEEZ. Show the dang house. A contingent buyer could get a contract tomorrow. If an offer is made, buyers can sometimes buy without selling.

Those sellers were negotiating a contract before the buyers even saw it.

"Those sellers were negotiating a contract before the buyers even saw it" That is a great new blog topic. It seems like Sellers even in this market have forgotten what it's like to be a buyer. But once they are out looking it's another story all together.

Makes you wonder if some of the sellers really want to sell. I have also been denied entry for early and late. I also marked it off our list to never return.

Lenn, great post and so true. I often wonder if some really want to sell or not.

Lenn, my favorite is when the MLS says that the owner requires one hour and an appointment. I don't know how many showings I've had to pass up because we couldn't fit our schedule into that demanding box.

I encounter this often, but so far only one seller that had certain hours for seeing due to a new baby and the other child was on a strick schedule for sleeping.

Yea, I've been growled at a few times for being 15 minutes late. Of course I apologize but it is uncomfortable. On our first time out I never know are they the type that walk the property and look in every nook and cranny or open the door and say No,not for us.

Missy. One thing for sure, many agents don't "train" the buyers to properly inspection homes listed for sale. I do tell buyer "if you don't like what you see or smell in the foyer, we don't have to go farther". Previewing helps me save buyers' time. I eliminate the dogs before a tour.

Bob. Indeed. That happens more time than sellers understand.

Gabe. Indeed. One thing for sure. I can often identify the listing agents who have no desire to co-op.

Laura. It's confusing isn't it??

Christine. Right. They like the "power" of being in control as the seller. It doesn't help them sell.

Great Post Lenn,

I think, again, it comes down to an agent communicating with the client as early in the process as possible. It's about that agent taking responsibility to educate the seller on how it works. Something along these lines has to be explained when the listing is taken.

" OK - the listing is all set to go "live" tomorrow. A lot of things are going to start happening. I have a lot of work to do, and I'll keep you posted at each step.

You have a responsibility also - and it's a big one. You have deal with the showings.

Showings are invasive, can be scheduled at the last minute, sometimes get canceled at the last minute, take longer than you'd like them to. Sometimes there will be no-shows. Sometimes people will come back a second time - and they'll bring their relatives. This is all part of the process.

We have to set the guidelines for showings. There are things in your lifestyle that we need to accommodate. The thing is this - the more restrictions you put in place, the longer the house will take to sell."

Then go on to set the parameters - whatever they may be. If the restrictions they want are too excessive, in your opinion, brutal honesty is called for. If they say "no showings after 5:00 PM" let them know they are eliminating a portion of the buyer pool. If they say that you must be present for all listings, explain that it will significantly reduce the number of showings since there are more people to coordinate with.

Whatever their restrictions are, if they are going to impact the sale - tell them. Don't just agree and then have them point fingers at you a month later when there aren't any showings.

It's like everything else we do - talk about it early on and it will relieve some of the frustration later.

I got a call from a woman the other day to come out and list her home. She said that she wanted to be very straight forward and honest with me about her wants and needs. She told me that this NEEDED to be done.

1. She would not authorize a lock box.
2. Both her and I needed to be present at showings
3. Other people told her that her house was outdated, but that they were wrong and she went on for about 10 minutes about the wallpaper in every room that was customed ordered and imported from Germany in 1985.
4. She had sensitive information in her downstairs and there were two rooms that she would not allow any Buyers to see.
5. She knew what homes were going for in her neighborhood but her home was not comprable and was worth $50K more than other homes around her.

I told her that we did not sound like a good fit and suggested she call someone else. The shocker is that she said we were about the 3rd Realtor to tell her this and "threatened" to call Assist 2 Sell.

Lenn - this is an excellent post, and I read Paddy's as well. There are barriers to seeing homes, in fact yesterday I was preparing a home tour, and I found the same obstacles with respect to showings. I just move on.

Lenn,

Great points, all of which I struggle with when working with buyer's and these are points I review with seller's prior to even taking a listing. If it's difficult to see a house, it's going to be difficult to sell.

"Do these folks really want to sell this property?" How do they expect to sell it if they won't let folks in to see it? Far to often, in my experience, prospective home buyers are treated as intruders."

Lenn, good points here. I like the selling of a home to taking a band aid off. If the sellers are not going to cooperate, it is going to be slow and painful. If they do cooperate they can get on with their lives very soon. This goes for price too.

Rick. I agree 100%. Agents need to make buyers and sellers aware of the best practices to achieve their goal. That of a successful home sale/or buy.

Christine. Good for you for not taking it. Help-You-Sell sounds like a very good solution.

Sharon. Indeed. Paddy looks at the same problem, access, from a different perspective, but the problem is universal. If you want to sell, let us in.

Michelle. Indeed. My experience is also that a seller that is so controlling in the showing process is not going to be a friendly negotiators either.

Mark. Thanks. Having strangers trapsing through a home may be unpleasant, but when a home is listed for sale, other rules apply.

Well said Lenn. I see we agree that ease of access and flexibility are the key for sellers. Thanks for plug!

Paddy. Indeed. Access is the #1 hurdle to showing homes listed for sale.

Lenn - one of the worst that I have seen is 72 hours required for showing appointment, on an empty house!

Or the seller that wants no advertising.

Mike. Funny. I would suspect that one is a listing agent that doesn't want to co-op. We run into that a lot in our luxury market.

Lenn, I too have gotten the showing brush off. I often get in after a phone counseling session. I should charge for this counseling but if my client buys I get paid...

Paul. A "showing brush off"?

It defies logic.

But, it happens.

Always blows me away when Sellers inhibit showings...but it also goes along with leaving the house a mess for showing and pricing above the market because their "gut" tells them it'll sell!

Lenn, I've seen this on properties where the listing agent has the home on MLS, but really just wants to get both sides of the transaction. There is one condo that my client wanted to see, but the agent made an excuse every time we tried to set up an appointment. I threatened to call MLS as the property should be withdrawn. She cancelled the listing as a result, but now I see it is back on MLS. I'm going to try to schedule another appointment for my client, yet again.

Krista. Unless a home is clearly poorly maintained, we can see beyond the clutter. However, first, we have to SEE it.

Gail. Many luxury home listing agents in my area make homes very difficult to tour. They see that additional $40-50K and they are blinded by the $$$$$$$$$$$.

Lenn, I have been reading more and more blogs lately of Realtors complaining about this very thing, not being able to get into house to show them. Amazing how people make this process more difficult than in has to be, and then wonder why the house has not sold.

George. It's always been a problem. I don't know why it's gotten worse, although the proliferation of new untrained agents from the BOOM years may have something to do with it.

With foreclosures, the keyboxes are rarely electronic and we have to chase the listing agent for combos.

But, we persevere.

When home owner/sellers make showing difficult, they're just letting everyone know who is boss. They're in charge all the way to an expired listing.

I, like most everyone else, have been treated/observed/watched/escorted/interrogated by "sellers" who thought of my clients as intruders who had just invaded their castle (humble as it was!).

Gary. Me too. They really don't want folks in their homes.

I actually had one couple ask me if I could find a buyer for their home without having to show it. I had sold them the townhome about 3 years before and they wanted to move to a detached. I told them the house would have to be available for buyers to tour. "But, you know the house Lenn, you sold it to us".

I didn't list the house because I knew it would be hard to show.

Lenn - I really enjoy reading your posts and I wouldn't even show a home with all this garbage!

WARNING! HOME FOR SALE.

SHOWING BY APPT. ONLY!
LISTER MUST ACCOMPANY!
LIMITED SHOWING HOURS!
24 HOURS NOTICE REQUIRED!
CALL LISTER!
CALL OWNER!
NO LOCK BOX
PRINCIPALS ONLY
APPT. MUST BE VERIFIED
CALL LISTER FOR COMBO

Robert. Thanks for stopping by.

You'd be surprised how hard it is often to show homes.

Lenn - I'm glad I wasn't drinking coffee when I just read about your couple who wanted you to sell the home without showing it. That has to be the funyniest thing I've heard in a long time.

I know I wouldn't actually say this but I thinik it would be cool to respoond by saying something like,

"OK - I'll list the house and promise no showings. Meanwhile, I have another listing that I'd like you to buy from me - but you can't go see it. I know the house well, though. It's really nice. You'll be very happy there. I haver an offer form right here in my case. Let's do the paperwork now and we'll put a bid in."

Rick. Funny. Actually, those buyers were a handfull when I sold them their first home. I wasn't anxious to take on the sale of it for them.

Lenn,

THANK YOU for this post! I will definitely be re-blogging it! When I am lining up properties for a potential buyer to see (and they've asked me to choose a few that I think would work for them), I shy away from the "alarm code" - "no lockbox" - "24 hour notice" - "can't disturb naptime" - "listing agent must accompany" - "if the Moon is in the Seventh House ONLY" - showing instructions.

And I can't help but wonder if the loopy instructions are the agent's idea.....or the seller's??

I've read the riot act to clients...."if I get a call that omeone wants to see your property, your answer is NO PROBLEM."

If you want to SELL your house, you need to GET OUT of your house. ESPECIALLY when the buyers want to see it!!!!!!!

Lenn, This is definitely my favorite..."WHY DO THEY NEED TO SEE IT AGAIN?" That was the comment from a listing agent when I called for an appointment for a follow up visit to a home for sale. "

Please call on any of my listings so I can get you in at your convenience!

Lenn - I am always a little surprised (although not nearly as often as I used to be) when a seller presents additional hurdles or gives me a hard time for trying to show their home. I try to call a day ahead of time if possible to let sellers know that I am coming by with clients.

Once, I called ahead the night before, then we showed up at the house and the sellers sat looking at us through the screen door, forcing me to ring the bell. They said it wasn't a good time - "could you come by another day?" Nope. There are too many other places on the market, frankly. Yours is not special enough to make another trip.

AMEN! My response to a second showing request sometimes can sound like this:

"This customer is going to spend $1,500,000. in cash to buy this property." If you were buying, would you want a second showing?"

Well, I used that once b/c the response I got from her was, "I don't have $100,000., so I wouldn't know."

Then I said to myself: "Self, how did she get this listing?" 'nuf said.

Is there seller remorse going on with these people Lenn?

I love the locked doors when you get there and have an appointment. Seems like half the short sales in Mont. Co. fall into that category!

Lenn, will see but I think I have a potential problem tomorrow. Owners have 2 homes next to each other in a private setting. The house we are seeing is vacant now, and has been on the market for a long long time. I understand the big "F" word is looming overhead. So, I call the agent and ask her if it is still available.. yes it is... and it is vacant, yes... sort of... call the owner and make an appointment. OK, for what?

The dogs live there.... the owner has no answering machine, no voice mail... I called the agent again, she reached her client and she said, you are set for noon, try not to be late... the dogs will be there otherwise.

No wonder the house has been on the market for about 400 plus days, and the "F" word is breathing hot and heavy down their necks.

Are you kidding me??

Lenn - I love this post. You have hit on so many hot buttons about availability for showing and cases where the sellers, or the agent, are putting up barriers. There are often times when you have to wonder IF they want to sell...and buyers certainly wonder that out loud. I have had only a handful of buyers who bought after onyl 1 showing, usually its two or even three. Many sellers, and their agents, are sabotaging their home sale and possibly don;t realize it - this will help with a little reality check.

Jeff

Hi Lenn~ There was a house on the market for two years. You had to make an appointment, the listing agent HAD to be present for all showings, so of course it was hard to show, and it was overpriced (sellers were aware) and needed staging. (sellersknew that) They did eventually stage it. But, guess what, they ended up auctioning it off and it sold for about $100,000 less that it was listed for. Go figure!

Lenn -- I am really happy you did this post! I see a lot of negativity about buyers... complaints that they want to "renegotiate" after an inspection etc. I really feel that many sellers and their agents see the buyer as a "necessary evil"!

Hi Lenn,

Well spoken and all the points are really the key for any Seller to facilitate a sale. Sellers have a lot on their plate and we do understand how much effort they must make to keep it perfect and assceesaible. But once they get the the pricing right then they have to let go and help the Buyers want to take the plunge. Attitude is everything and if access is shortchanged , the Buyer has some of the edge knocked off the willingness to make it theirs. Thankfully for Sellers that do it all, usually they will get the top dollar a market will afford them.

I have had a few listing with lots of showings and the seller getting tired of preparing for the showing. I guess the flip side is keeping it ready and now one shows up.

Lenn..... this topic always cracks me up. You make yet another great point. It just doesn't make sense... yes, I am putting my house on the market, but under my own terms .. buyers will have to work around my schedule, etc, etc... But how come my house isn't selling well? lol Common sense is not as as common as one would think... lol Good post.

jeff belonger

"Easy to show. Tenant's cooperative."

HA HA HA

hmmmm . . . no they're not!

Aloha Lenn

The real losers here are not the listing agents but the sellers. In my market I cannot tell you how many listing agents think they are doing you and the sellers a favor by attempting to schedule a showing. I have had many agents give me a lockbox but it was.. no surprise...the wrong combo. I cannot even get a listing sheet from the brokers that do not subscribe to MLS. My favorite is" I am off island on vacation and will return in 4 weeks" Does the seller even have a clue that their property is soooooooo hard to get into. Not even the BIC will lift a finger to show their company's listings.

I love the excuses' list. I have heard them all and then some. My favorite is "I will get back to you". I never hear from that agent again. You are right I try as hard as I can to get Buyers into the homes they select but even a tenacious buyer eventually gives up. After all there are so many properties for sale.

What do you folks tell the seller when they call you about why their listing agent can't sell their home?

Jill

I got a call from an irate listing agent who said I didn't show up for a listing appointment. Not true. I told the seller I needed to show the home BEFORE noon. 11 am would be okay. He said I could show the home AFTER noon. I told him that if we could make it, I'd have the gate call up to let him know we were coming.

True, true, true...all of it. Great list with great points. Unfortunately many sellers really do not have a clue. I have a seller with a home that has been approved by the lender for a short sale. This seller is about to loose this house if we can not get an offer on it in relatively short order...still, showing the house is an absolute nightmare. I've had other agents call and try to schedule appointments only to have the seller tell me "absolutely not...that won't work at all." Well then, what do you suggest we do? The house simply will not sell if people can not look at it!

Amazing.

Lenn,

It sounds to me like these "sellers" aren't really motivated to sell their homes. Otherwise, why would they continuously throw up such roadblocks? Oh, and let's not talk about sellers who will not allow their homes to be seen unless they are present....jeesh! Can we add that to your list?

It can be hard to show properties. The worst being when you can't leave a message for agents with full voicemail that require appointments to be set through them.

I always explain to my sellers that the easier they make to see the property, the easier it will be to sell.

Lenn, just last week we crossed a home off our list because - for no apparent reason - it just wasn't convenient. Next!

Sharon

JUL

Lenn - Great post... Some seller sure make it seem like they don't want to sell their home.

Ryan. Yep. Some agents clearly don't want to co-op either.

Sharon. It's hard to grasp why this would ever be the case.

Christine. You're right. The first barrier to sale is overprice. The second is lack of access.

William. That's one that is often the case, but it's not spelled out in the listing. However, not having a keybox is clear that the owner must show or the agent.

Kellie. I hope no one is spending any money marketing that property.

Vickie. Typical. Why do they even bother to list it???

Jill. I get a lot of calls from sellers asking me to find a buyer for their listed home. I look at the listing and can usually figure out why it isn't selling. I tell them that buyers have many homes from which to sellect. If you're doesn't even have a keybox, it's probably not going to be on our list to see. Actually, that's not true because I do try to show all homes in the right location and price range, but I PREVIEW FIRST and if I can't get in to preview, it WILL NOT be on our list.

Price, access, promotion -- these three. Without the first two, the third is a waste.

A lot of this problem comes from the sellers themselves. But a lot of it is just poor leadership from the listing agents. Some of them do want to hoard both sides, some are too weak-kneed to talk to their sellers forthrightly, some are poorly trained.

Jim. All true. All true.

OH LENN... Your account is certainly true of an average Day in the life... It does happen -Despite our best efforts we do encounter the hostile sellers from time to time. Truth is the sellers may NOT want to really sell their homes. Thus the obstacles to showings and sale opportunities.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of showing foreclosed properties is the fact they are vacant.

Allison.

What I can never figure is why an agent would keep a listing and the risk associated with them for a property where the seller won't provide good access.

It often appears that many listing agents' goal is "getting the listing" and not selling the house.

Lenn,

There are many time when I wish I just had the ability to "blow off" an owner who makes it difficult to show. Alas, these are the ones my clients usually want to see. It's the business we chose and it's what we have to do. I can fantasize though.

Rich

Richard. I'm relentless. I go as far as possible to see and show a home. But, some times. . . .

Great post Lenn - It should be given to every Seller. My top 3 peeves: The Seller who has to be there for the showing, the Listing Agent who has to be ther for the showing and the key/door lock that doesn't work.

Lenn, you are so right on all counts! Sellers will only sell a home when the buyers can view it with ease and time to make the right decision!

Great post Lenn. I feel the same way. Restrctions, and limits on showings on a home - why bother showing? The seller is not serious.

Lenn, I think all of you have hit the nail on the head when you said, "It's as if the sellers don't really want to sell their home." And often times, they don't...but they have to for one reason or another (divorce, financial, relocation). This situation is obviously not the fault of any agent (sellers' or buyers'), but it is sometimes the reality.

And selling your home is a bit strange in that, you invite total strangers into your HOME! To look into your cabinets, to smell the air, to inspect the stains on the carpet, to criticize the colour choices, to comment on the outdated decor....etc., etc. And even if none of this happens verbally, there is always the potential that it will happen, and I think that is what some people find so difficult.

Again, it's terrible that this negatively affects your work, your day, and meeting your clients' goals. But I don't know of any other consumer transaction that allows such an invasive view of a person's life (all for good reason, of course, as you so eloquently put in your blog).

Now, perhaps I'm an even bigger idiot than I thought because here I am a rookie agent (experienced stager, though) playing devil's advocate to you, Lenn!!

Happy 4th of July, my American colleagues.

Lenn - great points. I think we don't need to blame the sellers. That's an agent who is not qualified enough (greedy, unprofessional, lack of leadership skills, etc.) will provoke, approve or not resist the seller's barriers to show and sell the property.

Last week I had an excellent, very easy approved and perfectly performed showing accompamied by listing agent. Yesterday I was not able to show 2 properties out of 4 because agents did not give the showing instructions to Centralized showing services and were not returning the calls. I think we should report to MLS more often when such things happen. Active status means available for showings. Can not show - take it temporarily off the market.

Lenn, these are all great points for us to think about not just as buyers agents, but when setting expectations for our sellers. I am also happy to see many that agents would turn down a listing they could not service, instead of feeling desperate enought to take a listing they could not sell for the obvious reasons.

Lenn,

I agree with you completely. I think your question of "Do you really want to sell this home?" is very valid considering the multiple road blocks that some agents and their sellers put up to block a sale. I have had to deal with all of the above that you mentioned in my career and have had many a buyer just pass on the home because of the difficulty to even get to see it. I think it is just a sign of a listing agent who isn't in control of their listings. Thanks for sharing the "rest of the story" with us! Have a great July 4th!

Jeani

Yikes, those are quite the responses from someone supposedly trying to sell their home!!

You'd think they'd roll out the red carpet!!

Have a great 4th! Dan

"Call listing agent." Of course, when you call you get voicemail and the agent never calls back.

"Appt. only," ditto, the agent never calls back.

Finally you break through the barriers, show the house and submit an offer via fax and email. The agent never acknowledge receipt of the offer and doesn't return phone calls.

Lack of communication is lack of professionalism.

This post is so timely for me. I had some out-of-town clients who are relocating due to job transfer (read "have to buy"). They were only going to be here 3 days. The first afternoon, I set up appointments to look at new construction (easy to show). There was one owner-occupied home in that neighborhood that fit their needs so I called to set up the appointment. I was told "Sorry, they say no showings until after the July 2". I explained that these were out-of-town buyers who would not be here. No luck...so we moved on to the other homes. We found another home, put in an offer and are now under contract.

Good luck to the listing agent and seller of the home we could not see!

These are the best homes to get into and write contracts on because there is less traffic (my opinion when I am working with buyers!!) IT IS FRUSTRATING BEYOND BELIEF however but persistence pays off.

Renee. Persistent is my middle name, but it shouldn't have to be.

Pam. This is a real failure on the part of the listing agent. That home should be available even if the owners are out of town. I've shown and sold many homes with buyers out of town.

Ralph. Indeed. And they wonder why they aren't making any money.

Dan. You'd think so wouldn't you?

Jeani. I often believe that the listing agent and/or seller wants to make sure everyone knows that they are the Alpha Dog from the outset.

Emmanience. I would turn them down too.

Tanya. Once a seller/owner decides to sell, they must be of a mindset that they are leaving the property and invite prospective buyers in and make the sale as easy as possible. Otherwise, they are harming their own position as a seller. I fault agents for making the listing available but not making sure the house is available.

Jim. Indeed. I don't even know why a listing agent would want to listed to any selling advice from a seller. They lose all self respect and respect of their peers.

Svetlana. I believe that, if a property cannot be shown for XX days, it is supposed to be in a "TEMP OFF" market status.

Caren. Homes sell for more money with better terms and conditions when the sellers are cooperative.

Judy. Been there, had that happen, that too.

"It often appears that many listing agents' goal is "getting the listing" and not selling the house."

Truer words were never spoken. "The agent with the inventory makes the most money" is not an untrue statement because if you have a lot of listings some of them will sell simply because they are available. Having said that, the agent who thinks they are God's gift to the industry because they can "get a listing" really don t understand what being a Realtor is about.

Agents who work on the concept of listing "volume" without taking the professional responsibility that goes along with each one really hurt the industry. They are the reason that you sometimes hear that we are overpaid. I think the line goes "Why should I pay 6% (or whatever the rate is) for someone just to put a sign in my yard?"

Unfortunately there will always be agents who do get paid simply for putting a sign in the yard. Most Realtors that I know work very hard, but the lazy, unprofessional, uncaring ones seem to get a lot of notice.

It's a real shame - but all we can do is stay committed to doing our jobs with grace and professionalism. Can't waste too much time - other than maybe a rant on A/R :) - complaining about it.

Lenn, I love the showing instructions that say, " dog in house, it may jump on you but harmless"... I saw that one this week, but my all time favorite was.. "beware of white dog in the house, it may bite"

No, I did not show that house, I feared I would have been liable for any of my clients who got bit, because I knew that dog could or might bite.

Rick. You put it very well. If getting the listing is the goal just working for the numbers, the agent is still better off if it sells. We can help them sell it.

Gail. I do not show homss with loose dogs. That dog may be friendly with the family, but their job is to protect their territory and we are intruders. That's a risk I'm not willing to take. I don't preview with loose dogs either.

Lenn - The worst listing I ever had was a home forced into sale because of divorce. The husband had moved out, and the wife and the kids were still in the house. No lockbox/appointment only. The wife wasn't "nearly" as motivated to sell. It was like pulling teeth to get the place shown and sold. I will say this however, once we got a couple buyers in there, it sold right away.

Myrl. I've had the same experience from the buyer's side. A home that had been on market for over a year was in one of my favorite subdivisions and sounded perfect for my buyer.

I called the listing agent because there was no lock box. He was someone I knew. I guess it pays to know folks. It was a divorce and the husband moved out a year earlier and the wife just wasn't ready to let go.

She let us in, we made a good offer and she let it go. The husband and wife closed at different times because she wouldn't be in the same room with him.

I didn't care, I got a good house for my buyer, sold that house for her two years later and sold her and her new husband a new luxury home and sold his town home.

You just never know.

I'm a little late to this conversation so there are 86 comments ahead of mine and, unfortunately, I don't have time to read them all now. This comment is for the initial post, and I appreciate Lenn articulating this issue so well. Listing agents, you gotta explain this to sellers because, as Lenn explained, it can be the difference between a sale and no sale.

Lenn, Most of mine are very easy to show. 95% of the time it is lock box show whenever. Most exceptions are due to large dogs on the premises. I ahd a listing a couple of years ago where the folks had a 275lb Bull Mastif in the garage!!! Even though he was in the garage we just couldn't risk anyone going in without the owner being there.

Another rare exception are tenant occupied properties. I don't normally list these but every now and then I get one that I just can't turn down.

But I complete agree that if they can't see it they can't buy it.

24 hours notice? My buyers are in town for only 3 days, may be in your neighborhood for the first and last time today. (you are an owner/agent) (and it's vacant?) (is there something yuckster in there you need to clean up?)

2 hours notice? We are out looking right now and saw your sign, okay 2 hours from now is 12noon, we can swing by there last.
Cannot show until 2pm? I will let my buyers know. (They will be tired and long gone by then)

You're not going to look in the closets are you? We are now!

Great post, always some listings that get eliminated for lack of access by sellers/agents.

This post is timely for me as well. I am having the exact same problem. Even so far as the Seller (my client) sitting outside the house when other agents were taking their clients thru and then they would call me and lecture me about scrutinizing who is going thru because they felt their house wasn't suitable for the elderly. As it turns out I am expecting an offer from a couple in their 70's. I just don't get it.

Recently had a home with restrictions of only allowing people in for about 30 minutes on certain days and another about half day -- seems the family home schools and the kids can't be bothered and they are religious and on weekend there were rules to be followed. That home has been on the market a VERY long time -- and likely will be on for a lot longer.

Hit a nerve with me... makes me crazy. I have people that STILL owe me a call back to let me know it is OK to show their property, from weeks and months ago.

Hi Lenn,

As always I really enjoy your posts. This is a great list and thanks for taking the time to get it out to us.

Happy 4th of July! Enjoy.

Patricia Aulson/portsmouth nh real estate

Lenn - This is a huge problem and I find it getting worse as the market continues to present challenges for the sellers who are probably not all that happy having to sell at current value. Could it be this is their one and only way of having any control over matters? I don't know. But limiting access is certainly not going to expedite the process of getting a home sold. I have actually been asked as a buyer's agent if I could arrange to show a property on another day. I actually told the listing office that it would not be possible because the buyer is only available tomorrow. And, with that I came out point blank and asked if the seller want to sell the house or not? I still did not get the appointment. Nor, was I diligent. Even the buyer was turned-off by the seller's suggestion that it was all about them.

This is a problem. I hire a showing service to set up all my appointments, so they are quickly and easily accommodating to other agents. They can phone in appointments or go online and get pretty quick responses from the service-- faster than if I did it myself and had to return phone calls.

Yet so many other agents make their houses almost impossible to show!

I just ended the listing contract on one seller who cancelled appointment after appointment because it was not convenient to him.

We need to make our houses open and accessible when the buyers can get there!

Lenn,

"Why do they need to see it again?" That's the question that made me exclaim "WHAT!" LOL

Mike in Tucson

JUL

Margaret. Thanks for jumping in. Listing agents are not always aware of the total turn-off of some of the showing requirements we see in the MLS.

Bryant. I understand the dog situation. However, over the years, we have shown and SOLD many homes that contain their dogs in pens during the day when the owners are at work. It just depends on how much the seller needs to sell. If they really need and want to sell, they'll pen the dog when they're not in and sell the house to buy that country property with an outdoor walk for he dogs.

Sara. Right you are. These silly requirements are particularly onerous when we have an out of town buyer. I usually start making appointments 3-5 days before arrival so I can get as many previews as possible in. Then the homes that are to be shown to my buyer take another 2 days or so to schedule.

Jennifer. That sounds like a seller who hasn't yet accepted that they are selling their home and considers potential buyers to be visitors.

Bob and Caroline. That's a listing that will only appeal to buyers with the same hours, practices as the sellers. We see this in neighborhoods surrounding some conservative synagogues.

Lane. The only explanation there is a listing agent who doesn't really want to co-op.

Patricia. Thanks for stopping by.

Carol. You reminded me of a sale I had early this year where the seller complained that the buyers were "DRIVING BY THE HOUSE". The seller was very angry because his home had lost about $100,000 in value from what he had expected to net. He blamed the entire market on the buyers.

Erica. I like the showing services if for no other reason that at least someone answers the phone. However, if the seller has difficult showing requirements, they can't help.

Mike. That is what amazes me too. Sellers expect folks to pay a bloody fortune for a piece of real estate yet don't want the buyers to have time to really examine what they are buying. I can tell you that, when my buyers are serious about a home, we usually spend an hour or so looking in, around, and under every nick and cranny inside and outside.

Why make a buyer wait for and pay for a home inspection to find out that the property has been poorly maintained???

Wow! Great post Lenn! It does get frustrating! Especially when you are the listing agent and it's one of your sellers! I had this happen! When a seller wants to sell their home, then let's make it available to show so I can do the job they hired me to do! Don't hinder the sale! But I understand when it's a new baby. Which it was in my sellers case. It was a good move to actually temporarily take it off the market which is what we ended up doing for those few weeks. ~Nyssa

I get so tired of the all capital letters in the agent remarks in our listins filled with warnings and you musts. very Realtor and consumer unfriendly

Nyssa. Special circumstances make for special instructions. However, unless there is something contageous in the house, I'd still want to see it to at least preview. Then I can eliminate it from consideration. Of course, taking it OFF MARKET for a few weeks is the considerate thing to do.

Teresa. You bet. If they are going to make it impossible to see the homes, they don't have to SHOUT IT. Just don't have a keybox and I've got the message.

Lenn,

This is truly aggravating. We also have a problem with condo owners who are trying to sell but meanwhile are hectically renting for a day here and a couple of days there.

Makes you think whether they understand that they are hurting their chances to sell

JUL

Jon. That's a riot. Seems to me that if they are going to continue to rent the dang thing, they would convert it to investment property and take the tax advantages. Of course, I'm sure there are many units for rent in your area.

JUL

The REO properties in Chicago often use lock boxes with unsecured shackles. Sadly, it is common for buyer agents to steal the lock boxes and the keys.

I've never figured out if the agents are stealing the lock boxes for their own collection, or if they are stealing the lock box to keep other buyers from viewing the property.

Either way, it is annoying when I show up for a showing and the lock box is missing.

Great post.

Laurie - had it happen to me on a foreclosure. Lockbox was not gone but key was missing. Drove up a very steep unplowed road and driveway in January with a very eager buyer and couldn't get in.

Here's the insult to the injury. I don't know if this is a national issue, but in the Danbury CT area we get a lot of REO props that are listed by agents from another part of the state. They don't know the town - in some cases have never been to the prop. In this case the listing agent was based more than an hour away. Took her 4 days to get someone to the house with another key. By the time I got back with the buyer - 4 offers were in.

I suspect that in most cases someone takes a key to prevent other showings until their buyer can get an offer together - why they'd take the lockbox I don't know.

Laurie. I believe that we have all gotten to a home only to find the lock box empty. That happens most with combo boxes because there's no electronic memory.

Rick. Sad, sad. I rarely see a missing lock box but often find keys mission.

JUL

Lenn,

I really want to sell my house. Then restrictions out the ears.

You are dead on on this one.

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Lenn Harley, Real Estate Broker, Maryland & Virginia

Rockville, MD

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Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate

Address: Rockville, Laurel, Columbia, Baltimore, Waldorf, Frederick, Eastern Shore, Harford, Annapolis in MD. , Lovettsville, Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Stafford, Woodbridge, King George, Fredericksburg, Leesburg in VA.

Office Phone: (800) 711-7988

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Maryland and Virginia real estate agents and brokers serving buyers and sellers with experience. Search listings in Maryland and Northern Virginia and get daily updates of new homes for sale by e-mail. Contact Lenn for a tour of homes. REALTORS available every day for home tours. Homefinders network of experienced agents and brokers includes new home specialists, resale specialists and luxury home experts. We can help you with your home buying needs. Homefinders offers discounted 5% listings for Maryland, Northern Virginia home owners. Experienced agents helping buyers and sellers in the Washington Metro area since 1985.

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