The other day I was showing homes in the Destin Florida area and had to schedule seven houses to show a couple. This is an exercise in geography and timing. You see, you cannot just jump in the car and show up at people’s houses, knock on the door and expect them to let you in. Also, in my association – the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors, you must even call to schedule appointments for houses that are vacant. So to plan my showing timeline, I started with Google Route Planner (there is also Mapquest Route Planner) to show me which homes were most closely located. I added my client’s current home, as I would be picking them up from there. From the map results, I picked the best order to show the homes. I then had to guesstimate how long we would spend at each house and call the seller’s agents to schedule the showings and get instructions. Of course, the first house is the easiest to set a time to show. I still gave the listing agent a 30 minute “window” in case there was an unexpected traffic delay (and in Destin – there usually is). The next houses in order became a bit trickier to set up a window for arrival, as you never know how long a buyer will stay in a house. If they don’t like it – it could be five minutes. (Sometimes if they don’t like a house, they still spend time analyzing it). For each home, I gave about a 45 minute window for arrival, for example, between 11:00 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. The last houses to show have the highest risk of being off schedule, so I may give those a one-hour time frame. Interestingly, at one of the homes, I was met by the seller (it’s better not to be present at showings), who stated his agent said I would be there “at noon”. This was absolutely not the case, as I never give an “exact time” for arrival! My clients and I decided to leave and come back when they vacated the house, rather than wait in the driveway.
The other interesting Destin showing experience was the house with the piles of “instructions” in the foyer for the buyer’s agent. It was all typed in bold and numbered with items such as “1. Do not open any blinds 2. Turn off all lights 3. blah blah blah”. I’m telling you, it was not a very friendly introduction to the home. I called the listing agent later to ask a question about the home for my buyers and she asked, “Didn’t you see the packages I left?” Hmmmm, you mean there were packages underneath the pleasant instructions? I certainly wasn’t going to pick up one of those papers and cast a negative light in front of the buyers….
As luck would have it, my clients went to a couple of open houses the next day, and remembered to hand the seller’s representatives my business card. One of those homes was the one they bought. I’m happy – they are happy!
It’s Wendy… It’s Sold!
Wendy Rulnick, Broker, Rulnick Realty, Inc.
Call 850-650-7883 ext 204
Email Wendy: itswendy@rulnickrealty.com
Wendy Rulnick, Broker, sells real estate in Destin, Santa Rosa Beach, 30A, Miramar Beach, Seagrove Beach, Watercolor, Sandestin, Seaside, Rosemary Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Bluewater Bay, Navarre, Florida.
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