Real Estate Blog - Please shut off the lights....leave your card...lock the door and say good bye.

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Please shut off the lights....leave your card...lock the door and say good bye.

shut off the lights Most of the time I list property and other times I show other agents properties.

My last post was my reaction to a listing agents lack of response and how I've been trying to show their property so now I'll talk about the other side of the coin.

When I call for showing instructions the listing agent will also ask me to leave my card...shut off the lights and lock the doors. In my 12.5 years in the business I don't remember if I ever left a light on or lock a door when I leave. We all make mistakes but denying it ain't gonna work..just admit it and we can be friends.

Other Realtors® are calling me for showing instructions and I'm more than happy to oblige their request. But I also have a request and that's to leave their card...shut off the lights and lock up before they leave.

This past week has been a bit difficult and I really didn't need anymore hassles when I'm trying to run a business. This has happened twice just this week. A few agents who showed my listings apparently don't listen to my requests. I usually go over to my vacant properties once a week or once every two weeks depending on how much time I have in between everything else...but I get there eventually. This week two of my listings were shown and both of them had all of the lights on and one door that was left unlocked and a jar open. When I called the agents back...they both denied it yet they were the only agents on record of showing the properties and since they were both on supra...I had the proof logged in.

I understand there re lots of properties to show our clients but it still doesn't mean you can't have some consideration for the homeowners. What would happen if there was a fire or someone went in and burglarized the property. We don't need to run up their electric bill either.

I'm really puzzled at the lack of respect and the way these agents are acting. Why don't you just get out of the business and let the real professionals service our clients the way it should be.

No wonder some consumers give our industry a bad name. I don't blame them but they should separate the bad apples from the good.

For more information please contact Neal The Real Deal Bloom-Realtor® /Remax Premier Assoc.

Remax Real Estate Weston Florida

2500 Weston Road ,Suite 103

Weston FL 33331

(954)608-5556 Direct
(954)212-0257 Fax

nealb63@myacc.net

Posted by Neal Bloom-Realtor ® Assoc.-CRS-Weston FL on 08/07/2008 11:20 AM

Comments (31)

shut the lights, leave your card, lock the doors, say good bye, good bye, realtors, consumers, bad apples

Originally posted at: Weston Florida Real Estate Blog, Neal"The Real Deal"Bloom : Please shut off the lights....leave your card...lock the door and say good bye.

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31 Comments on Please shut off the lights....leave your card...lock the door and say good bye.

AUG

2008

I have left a light on by accident. Sometimes when you are leaving you accidently turn on outside lights and don't notice it. I admitted my mistake and have been systematically checking since. Denying you did it helps no one!

I agree with you. I currently have a home in escrow that is an REO. Since the listing agent lives 40 minutes south of here, I agreed to water the lawns during escrow so he wouldn't have to spend money on gas and his time going back and forth. I haven't seen the door left open yet, but on two occasions in the last 2 weeks I have found lights left on. We should all do our best to make sure the homes we show are properly locked up and that the lights are out. Otherwise, the listing agent will have to answer to the bank for why it was vandalized or at the very least a high electric bill when no one is living there.

My client called me in a rage a couple of weeks ago, he had gone to his property the morning after I had held an open house there, the door was not just unlocked, but ajar..........I knew for a fact I had locked it and on checking the supra log yes another agent had been through, they of course denied it to, now of course I am paranoid about asking people who show it to make sure it is locked!

"LACK OF CONSIDERATION" you hit the nail on the head with this one Neal! Here's to all the GOOD apples!

My hat is off to you for being a considerate agent. It is a sad state of affairs when your fellow professionals are anything but.... Just do what you know is right and ask people showing your listings to do the same. I often put a sign on the front door with a gentle reminder.

Betina

Lack of consideration, lack of respect for their profession, lack of respect for their clients and the laws... Take your pick. Any and all of the above apply to a lot of agents out there. You can tell which agents became realtors for a chance to make a quick buck and which ones became agents because of a love of the profession.

I don't know how many times I have received calls on listings that clearly stated they were occupied with tenants and that 24 notices needed to be posted, just to have the agents say they wanted to show them that same day... If the agent would do their homework: preview the listings their clients want to see and make the appropriate appointments, all of this could be avoided. Very seldom (especially in today's market), will a buyer come into an office and say "I want to see this place today."

I always tell my buyers to walk out so I can go through the house to make sure the doors are closed and lights are off. Have I ever forgotten to turn the lights off, not sure. Never had an agent call me back to say so, but you never know!

Shane,

Everyone including myself has done it by accident but they wouldn't even admit.

Sherry,

I closed on an REO listing of mine about 6 months ago and never had a problem with that one but occasionally I come up with a string of them at one time.

Rita,

That's why surpra is good to use if you can afford the boxes.

Schrader,

You said it!

Betina,

I think the lack of the motivated agent is more common now because they think they are defeated with lack of business so they don't care.

Charles,

All the above brotha!

Jeannette,

I can understand not being able to answer all your calls but I'm sure you return them.

Just this past week I had a neighbor across the street from one of my listings call to let me know that an upstairs balcony door was open. Considering we get almost daily afternoon thunderstorms this would not have been pretty with the wood floors! Come on folks, it only takes a second to lock that door when you close it.

Lisa,

I had on where the screen was open and all these leavees were in the den. We have rainy season as well now.

Neal, WOW that isn't even as much about respect as it is about simple common sense. Nothing complicated about your request, in fact I am surprised that it had to be said and not just simply understood.

AUG

2008

Hey George,

Mistakes are made but you would think agents would think about the care of a home over trying to get paid.

That house is really cool! (FYI)

Yup same here. I was checking up on one of my broker's REO properties and someone once turned the furnace on downstairs to conflict with the a/c upstairs. What sense does that make? Sometimes people are just down right malicious, it is beyond stupidity.

Neal,

This is daily frustration !! What really bites is when the seller calls and complains that their door was left unlocked, windows were left open, lights on, central air cranked up...etc etc. Then they can start blaming us, the listing agent... is difficult when it does not have to be.

I feel you,

Philadelphia Real Estate

Hey Baby Bro, that's the beauty of the electronic lock box! If the key is missing because some dingbat put it in his (notice the his - that's just to drive you crazy because you think I pick on men - heck I am raising two of them!) pocket and then denies it, I simply have to check who showed the home last. Then I get the "oh, I checked my suit pocked and guess what? you were right!"

Renee,

Love to see the bill they send the bank.

C and S,

How about closet doors.

Susan,

I'm a fan and it keeps records of entry...you can't do that with a combo.

Neal- Manners and common courtesies have been lost in our culture and society. It is a sad thing because it breeds apathy and selfishness.

Neal, I had a good story in this area. We must have nice Texas Realtors. I turned on all the lights and turned the A/C down prior to another agent showing. They were nice and turned all the lights back off. I was impressed.

AUG

2008

Is this a new series? How to tick Neal off? : -)

More than likely in my career I have accidentally left a light on. I would freely admit it and apologize. I believe I have never left a home unlock. I'm a complete neurotic about locking doors and have been known to drive back to listings because I can't remember double checking the locks. Yes I know I'm nuts.

Katerina,

You are absolutely right.

Gary,

Nice to hear most of the time it doesn't happen.

Sandra,

Yup...we shouldn't have to be babysitters as well.

AUG

2008

You are not alone. If those agents exist in Florida and they DEFINITELY exist here in Hawaii, then they are probably everywhere else in between. It wont ever change because when one of those unprofessional agents leave the industry a new one will come to replace them.

AUG

2008

David,

It seems from the comments that this is very common in every place around the world. I guess our brains work the same way here. Your'e right...it will never change.

Neal....My worst was a showing where the buyers agent went in to preview the house, and since it was so hot, he opened all the windows...We had a heck of a rain storm later and he did not come back because it was raining...instead he called me to go lock up the house!!!!!!!!! In a panic I did go to find a rain soaked property...My next call was to his broker, who gave me zero grief and had the Stanley Steamer people out there and took care of the problem... My absentee owner never really knew until it was handled, and the broker made a big push in his office to get the house sold..which he did in a few weeks...Its nice to see how proffessional some are and some aren't

Mike,

At least something good came out of that story...the broker probably was embarrassed.

Confessions of a previously blond Realtor- I lost a key once. Yep, it was pretty silly. We walked around and spent so much time there I couldn't find it when we were leaving. I called the agent to let him know and asked what he wanted me to do. He had a great attitude. Fortunately it was the house my buyers wanted.

Mel,

So did you buy them a new key for the closing?

NOV

2008

One time I opened a house I listed for the termite inspection. The inspector left a side door ajar and I did not notice it when I locked up. A neighborhood dog got inside the house and somehow shut himself up inside a bedroom. The dog chewed up the door and relieved himself several times. Luckily the room had scored concrete floors. I just had to putty and repaint the door. It could have been much worse.

NOV

2008

DEC

2008

Many agents don't lock up before they leave and guess who the liability is on?

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