It's a common thing.
Recently SarahGray Lamm wrote a post titled, "ADVICE NEEDED: Blogging Works. Now What..." The basic premise of the post was how to handle the buyer who calls and says "I need to see this house right now." Not a client, but someone you've never met before. Every Realtor® I know gets these calls and everyone I know handles them a little differently, but the outcome is typically the same. I'm hoping to help San Antonio home buyers understand why many agents won't show the home on short notice.
Time Management
To put it simply, we as agents need to manage our time. We don't sit around lounging in the office just waiting for the next phone call to come in. If we did, we'd all be broke. With the internet and cell phones we are much more accessible, but we're not necessarily free at the moment we take that call. We have a daily dose of inspections, paperwork, showings, closings, meetings, prospecting (the act of finding new clients), and the usual things - dinner, family time, rest, etc. Agents have schedules to keep. Even occasionally, I am free at the moment, but know that if I go show houses right this moment, I will miss my next appointment. Time management is a huge part of our daily lives.
Qualifying Buyers.
I know a lot of people that want to buy a house don't like this step. I've had a prospective client ask me "What does it matter to you if I'm not pre-approved, I know I can get the loan." I find this one of the hardest things for a prospective client to deal with. They often feel we are calling them into question - almost as if we were saying "That's great, but I don't trust you." Because we don't know each other yet, there isn't a ton of trust between the two of us. We have to build that overtime. There's a certain amount that we must take as a leap of faith and I am fine with that. But sitting down and qualifying a buyer isn't just about a loan, it's about getting to know the prospective client (and you getting to know your prospective agent) and getting to know what their goals our in buying a home. We want to help you find the right home, not just any home.
Paperwork.
If you like what you're hearing and you'd like to work with me as your San Antonio real estate agent, there is some paperwork we should get out of the way now. Here in San Antonio we use a Residential Buyer/Tenant Representation Agreement. It lays out the rules of our work together and defines our relationship as that of buyer and agent. Making someone your agent creates a situation that allows us to offer you our advice and opinions and binds us to work for you and you to work with us. (I think I'll write an upcoming post on the Buyer Representation Agreement).
Safety.
Let's face it, there are some strange people in this world and there more than a couple of stories about agents going to a showing and being attacked. I'm sure you're not a vicious killer, but let's meet up first just in case.
Experience.
As an agent that started about a year and a half ago in the San Antonio real estate business, I know new agents. I even write about it at AgentGenius. I'm not here to say they're bad agents, I mean, we all have to start somewhere. What I do know is that these are the agents that will typically jump at any chance to go on a showing. Why? Because they're hungry. They have little to no business and will do anything to get more. What usually happens? They wind up chasing their tails and not selling any homes anyway. I know because I've been there. I spent my first few months running after everyone and selling nothing. As we mature a bit as agents we learn more about the other factors I've mentioned and we start practicing "smart" real estate in order to build our businesses and grow our client base.
photo courtesy of TheTruthAbout...
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Erica - Thanks for re-blogging this. It applies to Texas and PA, much as you said. It applies even more since I'm originally from PA. Haha.