A few years back Paula Hamilton wrote a great article about the near impossibility of being able to work with a 15 minute showing window. Why? Because, to be 100% frank, even if that was THE only house I was showing, I can tell you straight up, consumers around here run late pretty much religiously. 15 minutes wouldn't leave us time to get the front door key to work...
Funny story -- I was selling my house 9 years ago, about 8 months pregnant with Pinkie Princess. I was licensed, so I knew better than showing restrictions and knew that some agents wouldn't make the window they, themselves, did schedule anyway. Just the way it is. Nonetheless, I had a showing scheduled, two hour window, ran out the door timely with baby on hip and a bun in the oven. I came back two hours later after sitting in a park while little boy played and little girl shoved her hiney to the ends of my rib cage, came in the door, went straight to the bedroom and stripped... I was hot, sweaty, tired and so ready for a shower and my home to be my haven... ding dong. Knock knock knock. "Realtor here to show!" I learned then the value of just do it. From both the seller side and the showing agent side...
How are showing restrictions really SELLING restrictions? Because look at the way (per Paula's article and response from other pros) other agents and consumers react to a showing restriction... Essentially if we schedule a showing and then find that we can't "be professional enough" or "plan well enough" or "deal well enough" to make the time (or whatever restriction) due to our client, another seller client, the traffic, multiple showings in an afternoon, the last seller cancelled, running us early... then we have a tendancy to just cancel the showing. It looks like a huge majority eliminate a house all together or at least cancel the showing for that time period if they can't make the restriction work. Why? It's that hard to stop and make one more phone call to reschedule or ask? To some, yes. It is. And a few other reasons. Scheduling reasons that day, viewing the seller as being demotivated or difficult to work with all together... I don't know... but the bottom line is SHOWING RESTRICTIONS are really SELLING RESTRICTIONS.
To my clients: I want you to know that is NOT what I do. If I have a showing tour of, say, 8 houses and 1 or 2 put us out, cancel us, restrict us, change on us -- it doesn't matter... I am telling you we will stay the course as that buyer's agent did with me when I was personally the 8 month pregnant "inconvenienced" seller. It is AMAZING how differently we are treated at the door vs. systematically through the showing service "restriction." Just show up anyway! Say what has happened to make it go nutty. Be sweet. Explain you hated to skip it when it could be the winner... they totally get it when it's honest communication face to face, even if they already "got stuck" spending time with their kids for 2 hours for you already. And that is IF they are even at home when you get there to mumble about it! In today's busy world, they will probably be gone anyhow! I have not once been turned down at the door... maybe wait a few minutes, let me get the dog -- yes. But I have never been told, "No," by a seller when it is apparent I acknowledge their restriction, but politely ask for some grace. And I would never eliminate a home just because of a restriction of any kind -- dog related, time related, nothing. In my world, the pain in the butt is often the one.
Agents and Home Sellers alike -- I recommend JUST DO IT!
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