BEWARE: Foreclosure hunters on the prowl. IS THERE A REALTOR IN THE HOUSE?

Cindy -- as a safety precaution, I also lock the door behind me (after making sure there's no one else in the house) so that no one else gets in while my clients and I are viewing the property). And if someone else is showing the property, we wait, or we walk the grounds. Seems like the courteous thing to do.

Brian and Marie -- it may be awkward not to let anyone else in the house while you're showing it to your clients, but I find it discourteous to my own clients to accommodate someone else on their time.

James -- whenever I encounter a problem showing a property, I always try to inform the agent. However, one time when I tried to show an REO and there was no key, I did call the REO agent about the missing key. He harrumphed: "So what do you want me to do about it?" Aarrrghhh!

Bryant -- some REO agents are better than others. Some simply don't care. I did call an agent when a prospective buyer emailed me, asking if I knew who the agent is on a neighboring property where the doors were left open and the rains was coming in. I called the agent who was very thankful that someone made the time. Although they lost the washer and dryer, it could have been worse. They were in contract and about to close.

Lenn -- besides the risk and liability, it's also a safety factor not to secure the building, especially on REOS that are the subject of so much vandalism. Letting in people you don't know is not much different to opening your home to strangers.

Christiane --- I do the same thing. I lock up the door, put the key back in the lockbox. The next agent can use his own lockbox key to gain access. Some agents have asked me to just give them the key and they'll lock up. I refuse (nicely) --- and tell them that the listing agent will surely want to know who is showing the property. And tell them that is probably what they, themselves would want if they're the listing agents themselves.

Mike --- I'm battle-scarred from the various offers I've written, many of which are over list price with really good terms, and still lost because of higher, better and all cash offers.

Joan --- always the best practice. Thanks for the succinct response.

Angelia --- true story! With all these prospective buyers and looky-loos, some agents may have taken the opportunity to pass out their cards. But the possibility of upsetting their own clients by letting other folks in is just too great a risk.

Carla --- I have had this happen before, while I was showing property and people would knock on the door. I'd tell them to wait for their realtor, and if they don't have one, I'll be happy to show it to them at another time, but that I have appointments I need to keep and that the clients I have with me take priority.

Kim --- happens all the time!

Tim and Pam --- how does that song go? "Love the one you're with...."

Jeanna --- and most of us agree that's the right thing to do.

Erica -- unfortunately, not everyone knows the right thing to do at every given moment. That's why we blog about these incidents so that we can share our experiences and learn from the best!

Wendy --- it's evident that the commenters agree with this point of view. Thanks for reinforcing.

Christine --- yes, people are naturally curious and would like to see what it looks like inside. Just how many of their are serious buyers is debatable. And it is their own realtor who should show them the property, and not have them impose on another realtor with her own clients.

Melina --- this will happen over and over again. It's up to us Realtors to set and observe certain rules of etiquette (and safety).

Richard --- I agree. It's not just for my clients' interest, but for both our safety as well.

Carol --- and it will continue to happen, unfortunately.

Roland --- our clients come first. And at all times, think safety!

An --- I can't believe an agent would instruct a prospect to "piggy back" off another showing. How absolutely disrespectful!

Chris --- it's always a good practice to be extra careful at all times, especially when showing REOs. I remember getting ready to show an REO. The listing said it was vacant. But when I arrived at the property, i noticed people moving in and out of the house. I called the listing agent who confirmed it's supposed to be vacant. So they called the police to evict the squatters. I called the prospective buyer and told them about the situation. That alone was enough to turn us off on looking at this specific area.

Lynda --- the best REO agents are those who have team members who actually and periodically check on the listings and who are responsive to all calls and inquiries.

Sabrina -- before I lock the door behind me, I make sure the house is empty first just in case we need to get the heck out of there, lickety split, in case of a different kind of emergency.

Carol --- that was some nerve of the listing agent to assume and to impose on you to open the door to strangers!

Irene --- It's interesting to see how many of us have encountered folks who want to piggy back off our showings. I know of one agent who, when people came by after she was locking up, made her clients wait while she opened the door and let the other folks come through. If I were her clients, I would have dumped her on the spot.

Michael --- and some agents will let them in, hoping they would pick up another prospective client.

Bob --- it's a good reminder that a bird in hand is worth two in the bush. Take care of the clients you do have.

Jason --- wow! Thanks for sharing. We should be ever-vigilant in being careful, for the sake of our clients and for ourselves.

Gene --- some clients may not express disapproval when catering to other prospects....but I think it will make a huge impression if we devote total attention to the clients when they're the ones we came with. Dance with the one you took to the ball.

Antonio --- it's always a good idea to put yourself in one's shoes. If this were my listing, I would like to think that the folks showing it will respect the property and look after it they would look after their own listing. Thanks.

Amy --- yes, realtors may produce cards. But anyone can manufacture a card. What would prove to me that one is a realtor is when he produces his own lockbox key. I never just turn over a key to the realtor behind me. I make sure I lock up, put the key in the lockbox, and suggest that the realtor use his own lockbox. One realtor chewed me out for making him open the lockbox again, but I told him that's the way it should be done: no short cuts.

Lyn --- and your client had every right to block the other party from coming in if that person wasn't represented by a realtor.

Julianna --- even if the neighborhood is fairly safe, it's still a good practice to lock the door to preven other folks from coming in. And if we get to the property while another agent is showing it, let's be courteous, find something else to look at, and give the agent and her clients sufficient time to look. It's the courtesous thing to do.

Terkel --- we're reinforcing what we need to do when showing property. With so many lookers out there, we never know what challenges we may face should people barge in while you're there.

Vanessa --- I had encountered buyers waiting for the listing agent to show up, too. But I had to ask them to wait and explained that their realtor would want it that way, especially if there is a possibility of multiple offers. We don't want any words spoken that would jeopardize one's chances to buy.

Andrea --- I was surprised to hear about this too, so I had to post it. Seemed like something we needed to be careful about.

Todd & Devona --- yep... looks like the realtor's skills are severely lacking if she can't control the comings and goings of buyers other than her own clients.