You're a Real Estate Trainer?... Wow! Mind Blown

I have let buyers know whether or not the condition/location of the property, especially if they stress. Waste of time to show a property they stress not tosee. As far as feedback, I usually send a text to the listing agent. Short and sweet and I never mention a contract until I have all the paperwork ready to present. Foolish and most agents such as myself ignore it til we get it. If there is something that looks out of place such as a possible illegal entry, I text that asap with a call. Common courtesy.

"Busy" is a subjective term -  I too would have shown it because you just never know what feature might outweigh the "busy".  

I showed a place today that I was unaware of a Coroner having an office in this home and when he said to someone on the phone "the body cannot stay, it must go to Ottawa"  to my clients I said  "RUN"!!

No where in the listing did it mention dead bodies

I guess it's better than saying they didn't like the house. A home backing up to a busy street is usually not something that comes up between a buyer and their agent until after they see one and then say don't want a home that backs up to a busy street. I've had that happen. Other than if a freeway is behind a home, I would let buyers decide what they consider a busy street and if they are ok with it or not.

Given that everybody is trolling the internet real estate sites constantly (especially that thorn in the flesh Zillow!) and NOT relying on us to suggest properties that meet their needs, I do think you're not taking into account how insistent some buyers can be about viewing a particular home. This is especially true if there aren't many that fit their requirements at any given moment.  They read the remarks about its location, see the photos and think the house is wonderful when they visit. But when they step out in the backyard and can't talk over the roar of the traffic , they will look you right in the eye and say unapologetically, "Oh, we LOVE the house, but (sigh) it's just such a busy road." So you get the feedback that it's a busy road. We knew that. It was just faster to let the buyers see for themselves than to try to talk them out of going. 

Ken, another tip - Preview!  

I think you are really, really smart to include a photo on any request for feedback.  After a day of showing, my brain melts!

The photo on the request is a good idea.

The only really valuable feedback is an offer.

I usually give feedback, reporting that the price is "too high". That may help the listing agent get that price reduction she wants before the listing expires and the "next" Realtor gets that reduction.

I have seen so many buyers wind up with houses that  did not meet their original criteria, that I often show houses I think might work even though it did not fit all those criteria. My buyers usually appreciate my reasons for this.

I think "busy" can be a matter of opinion. In our area, we have some obviously busy streets that should be avoided, but some buyers think the main community entrance streets are too busy while others don't. What blows my mind is when the only negative feedback received is that the house doesn't have a garage. To me, that's a deal breaker that should be discussed prior to showing any homes.

I don't agree with some of the comments here. I think most of the feedback received is important, because when trends start to appear, they can really help the seller decide that certain upgrades need to be made or issues rectified in order to make the home more appealing to buyers. Sometimes it takes multiple people saying it and not just their realtor to get it to sink in.

We have a central showing service that will automatically send feedback requests with the picture of the home. Their forms are customizable, so we put questions on them that will help us and our clients. We tried to keep the questions simple and to the point, so the form doesn't take more than a few mins to fill out.

Very little feedback has helped, if the seller isn't willing to fix or change things.

If they buyer doesnt make an offer, it just may not have worked for the buyer, layout, colors, title, carpet, whatever.

I can't see what your email says so how do I know it's worthwhile? Many agents or buyers pick listings & forget to look on google maps beforehand. It could have been the 1st time out & agent didn't know that.

I think it was honest feedback.  And it helps your seller know that not every buyer wants to live in that particular location (in case they feel their house has universal appeal.)  As for the buyer's agent not knowing ahead of time?  I'd cut him some slack.  There are busy roads that aren't too noisy due to the terrain or the prevailing winds.  I'd rather live upwind of a busy road than downwind.  I live 5 blocks from an expressway and I think the expressway noise at night is louder than at my sister's home, which is a block from the expressway.  The expressway dips down lower near her home. 

I ask leading questions in my feedback requests. " Does your client have any interest in the property?  What do you think of the condition of the home? Does the price invite an offer?  Is there anything the seller should know?"

This gives the agent some impetus to give their own opinion, as well as their client's opinion of the property.  Sometimes they notice things or make comments  that should be addressed by the sellers.  But my most disappointing feedback was from a young agent that wrote, "Meh."  I felt that was very unprofessional and I called him up.  He had nothing more to say.  There are all kinds of agents out there, just as there are all kinds of buyers and sellers out there.  Our job is to try to get them to play nicely together.

My favorite feedback on one of my listings was...it doesn't have a pool.

Never had one-never will!  I think this is interesting because an agent should know if the buyer wants a pool or not.  

Google Maps is a great tool as are many of the local tax record sites which have birds-eye views.  I think sometimes buyers do not grasp the "business" of a road until they see it!  And then some agents, in my opinion, don't screen showings because the contact time "seals their bond with the customer."  I say, lets earn money in the most efficient way possible - for everyone!

Wow!  I had a listing this past March, same thing . It backed to a busy road and I even wrote in the private realtor remarks, "Yes, it backs to xyz road."  Amazing that the feedback was consistently, "They didn't like it because it backed to a busy road."  Duh!

I note things my buyers tell me they do not want and eliminate that from the showings.  However, I do not raise objections in advance of showings.  Most clients realize there is some give and take in terms of want and their budget.  Perhaps the home that backs up to the busy street has other great qualities and they can live with the trade offs. 

Ken, I have had buyers that said they loved the home, and wanted to see "how busy" the road really is, and sometimes have purchased anyway.  Some not.