HOW MANY HOMES ARE "TOO MANY" TO SHOW TO A BUYER IN 1 DAY?

The magic number is one more than the one it takes them to say "YES"!  After I find the right home, I show them one more to re-affirm they made the right choice.

The magic number is one more than the one it takes them to say "YES"!  After I find the right home, I show them one more to re-affirm they made the right choice.

The magic number is one more than the one it takes them to say "YES"!  After I find the right home, I show them one more to re-affirm they made the right choice.

I would say anything over seven make for a full day.

True confession - when I relocated from Chicago to metro Atlanta the summer of 1993, my dear Realtor Greta showed me 87 homes in 3 days, from in-town all the way north to Lake Lanier.  I needed a education in where the best neighborhood would be for me and my 9yr old.  Together we found the right home - the first group was quikly culled to about 5, and I came down again to re-visit them, and we quickly settled on the best fit.

So... my mind is wide open when I have the opportunity to help a family find a new home.  Some want to see just a few, but many are seeing our area for the first time and need a broader exposure before they are ready to focus.  And sometimes we are looking at both lots and homes - thats most often true for my lake buyers and horse farm buyers.  We can maintain a pace of roughly 3 homes per hour, plus transit time.  And we always find a relaxing place for lunch - when we try to review the morning picks - then repeat the process at end of day.

I arm my buyers with a map that shows the location of each property - that seems to help them remember the "where" after a day of driving our beautiful rural countryside.

I think it depends on the mobility of the people and the area you are looking at.  That being said around 6 is enough in one day, otherwise it can get blurred.

Interesting comments. I'll just say this; If at the end of the day your client is tying to decide on more than two homes, you're a tour guide not a salesperson . . .

Carl S

I agree with Lenn It depends....

What I will add is that it also depends on my availability.  Depending on how many clients I have that day and what  time I have to spend with each one.

After 10 or 12 I think the Buyers are cross-eyed.  What I do is when we start out, we use a rating system of 1, 2, 3 or A,B, C - then as we drive to the next home, we compare it to the last one.  By the end of the viewings it is narrowed down to one or two or none that they loved enough to make an offer on.  If they are relocating sometimes they pick the best of the bunch even if they aren't totally in love with it........

So yes, it depends, what the scenario is for all of us.  Joy

My rule of thumb is usually no more than 6 in one day to one buyer.  I have shown as many as 12 and the buyer wrote up an offer on one which closed.  He was extremely detail oriented and organized.  He had a memo pad with him and a camera and quickly ruled out the ones that he didn't like!

6  in one day   how do thse agents show 30 homes to a buyer...that is just a bad Realtor

I try not to show over 8, but it depends on the client and their needs.  I showed 12 to a client the other day.  They are first time home buyers having a hard time narrowing down their criteria, so we "sampled" different kinds of houses in different areas.

I agree w/you Scott, 3/4 is good, because after that the Buyer(s) want to double back for another look.

I prefer showing six maximum.  After six (and six is pushing it), the buyers seem to forget what they saw and mix/blend features of the properties.  

I prefer showing six maximum.  After six (and six is pushing it), the buyers seem to forget what they saw and mix/blend features of the properties.  

As almost everyone says, "It depends."   I read a lot of the responses but don't remember anyone pointing out that engineers are different from most buyers - they are apt to examine every house like a building inspector, even if the spouse knows in the front hall that this isn't the house.    I try to educate them ahead of time that as soon as they see a reason why this one won't do, let's move on.    

My previewing and general knowledge of a neighborhood save a lot of time, but they have to be convinced that the knowledge is really there and that I heard what they said they wanted.   The easiest ones to work with, the ones who need to see fewest and are happiest, are usually the ones who spent a good bit of time on the internet looking at properties, re-prioritizing their needs, and getting acquainted with me.  

Lately, I spend a lot of time with great folks I really care about who find what they want often but can't do anything yet because they have something to sell somewhere else.   I keep showing them within reason because that's also good previewing for me.   

As almost everyone says, "It depends."   I read a lot of the responses but don't remember anyone pointing out that engineers are different from most buyers - they are apt to examine every house like a building inspector, even if the spouse knows in the front hall that this isn't the house.    I try to educate them ahead of time that as soon as they see a reason why this one won't do, let's move on.    

My previewing and general knowledge of a neighborhood save a lot of time, but they have to be convinced that the knowledge is really there and that I heard what they said they wanted.   The easiest ones to work with, the ones who need to see fewest and are happiest, are usually the ones who spent a good bit of time on the internet looking at properties, re-prioritizing their needs, and getting acquainted with me.  

Lately, I spend a lot of time with great folks I really care about who find what they want often but can't do anything yet because they have something to sell somewhere else.   I keep showing them within reason because that's also good previewing for me.   

I'm with Lenn, "It depends".  If the buyers are local and not pressed for time in making a decision today, I won't show more than 5-6.  More than that and the houses all begin to blend into one another.  If someone is from out of town, then the number gets upped to whatever they can handle.  If we're dealing with older people, infirm people, or people with kids in tow, then we'll max out at 3-4.

6 is usually a good number, and the first time out I ask lots of questions.  I usually let the buyer pick the first homes to look at on our first trip and then I after I know better what they are looking for I typically will search the homes from there.  But not always there are those buyers that do all the legwork for you too...lol

This is a very good question, how many homes to show in one day to a real estate buyer. Thanks much for posing it.