A Sunday morning and I receive a call from a buyer sitting in front of my listing.
In the past I would be out the door, dropping everything, in an attempt to sell a home.
This time I slowed down and found out some more information.
A very nice buyer is out driving in my area. She is unfamiliar with the area in terms of recreation, demographics, and taxes. She had been on the internet looking for a ranch style home under $200,000. She preferred a neighborhood with a swimming pool.
So I spent about 30 minutes answering questions about my home listing, the area, and some options. Part of this discussion was talking to her about other homes, not my listings, that she saw online.
During the conversation she told me she had an agent.
This fact should have been the first thing she told me.
At this point, it was time for a clarification. Her agent was out of town for the weekend. The buyer was out looking by herself. I asked the buyer if she had signed a Buyers Brokerage Agreement. She said yes but it was not an assertive answer.
The most interesting issue was that she really did not know the "rules of engagement" in terms of what agent does what.
So I told her that I do show my listings, as a courtesy, to a buyer without their agent. I do it once, it has to be convenient, and the buyer has to have serious interest. Ultimately I want to sell my listing. After that it is up to the buyer's agent. I do not lower the buyers agent commission to 1% for a look. I also mentioned that I would not show her other listings in the area (not mine). More importantly I asked her not to call other listing agents as she sat in front of their homes.
Buyers Agents: Communicate with your buyer. Let your buyer know the "rules of engagement". Do not assume your buyer is up on proper protocol. If you are going to be out of town coordinate with your buyer about going out on their own to preview homes. Please tell them not to call listing agents to show homes.
If you are looking for a buyers agent in the North Atlanta, North Georgia, or Lake Lanier area give the Wells Team a call. We are a team of 2 offering 24/7 service!
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