Under Contract Just Before A Showing?!

Doug, you may be looking into this the wrong way.  I've had listings where we were getting a lot of activity.  When an offer would come in, I would let the buyer's agent know there are more showings already scheduled.  When you tell a buyer's agent this, many times, the buyer is willing to accept (almost) any counter you put in front of them just to execute the contract and to halt the other buyers from being able to submit offers that might be better than theirs.  It's never good to advise a seller to sit and wait and see if another buyer might submit an offer.  The buyer on the first offer might think the response is taking too long and they might go find another house and withdrawal their offer and then the seller is sitting there with no offers in hand.

There is nothing wrong with what happened.  Plus, making an appointment on Monday for Wednesday might have shown them that your buyer might not have been too eager to move forward quickly if they were to write an offer.  I only make appts 24 hours in advance, never more than that unless it's a Holiday weekend and I want the sellers to have as much notice as possible about the showing.

I have a feeling they are dueling also!  Send them a really good backup offer to show their client that {well you know}

If your client loved it, I would still pursue a backup. 

Hey Doug,

If the LA knew you were going to write an offer, I can see your perflexion here.

But you were just showing the property. You didn't mention if you were showing several or if this was a 2nd showing to the same potential buyer or if this the first look through, so I have to assume the latter.

And to look at it from the listing agent side, how would you feel if you told a seller to "hold off" until a later showing and then you never heard from the showing agent again. Meanwhile the seller loses a viable contract because the first buyer decides to withdraw the offer.

You might have it right on but it's pretty foolhardy to immediately point the finger of suspicion, because the other four fingers are pointing back at you.

That's just my opinion, and you know opinions are like a**holes, everyone has one.

Doug - I have to say it would depend on the property.  I sold my own home four years ago and I can tell you right now that when the offer came in I jumped on it.  I did not wait for the other showings to happen because I knew my situation was that I needed an offer on the table and I got one!  

Also, I have had buyers in the past who insist an offer get accepted quickly so we can avoid the additional showings.  We have said that we won't wait, we would rather walk away.

It's a drag but there may be more to it.