Although everyone in the real estate business has experienced this type of inquiry, it seems a bit more prevalent these days than during all of my previous years of selling homes.
A lot of it is due to the availability of listing information on the Internet. A prospective purchaser discovers a home online, and decides to ride by and have a look at the neighborhood and the curb appeal of the home.
When they get there, the house and location appears to meet their expectations so they want to see it right away. So the call and ask if someone can let them inside the property ASAP!
And a lot of times the caller appears agitated when it is suggested that they cannot be accommodated on such short notice. The typical reaction is something along the lines of “What’s the matter with you? Don’t you want to sell the house?”
Of course we want to sell the house. But there are both practical and logistical reasons why “showings on demand” may not occur.
First and foremost is safety. Meeting an unknown person at a property on short notice is dangerous. We try to verify the identity of the person with a brief interview, and if they do not cooperate, they aren’t going to see the house.
Next, an agent might not be available to show the property. We don’t sit by the phone waiting for people to call. Our schedules are planned in advance and on some days there is no wiggle room.
A seller may require advanced notice for a showing. I think that buyers sometimes forget that the real estate agent is not the seller, and may have very specific instructions regarding when a property is shown.
Showing on demand is also very inefficient. It is so much better to schedule multiple showings in advance to not only “see” the homes, but to give buyers a true feel for the market. Looking at houses piecemeal does not present of true picture of what’s available and at what price they are selling.
Lastly, the first step in the home-buying should begetting pre-qualified for a loan and not looking at a house. Many people are not aware of the rigors of today’s loan process, and are often surprised that what used to be an acceptable credit score will no longer garner a loan. We don’t want anyone to fall in love with a house that they cannot buy!
It is our vocation to match buyers and sellers and to consummate transactions. And we are ready willing and able to help.
And the best way that we can do that is by doing it correctly from the start of the process!
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