Real estate agents are starting to lose showing etiquette

I too appreciate feedback, but to be honest, there have been times when I have shown in excess of 15 homes right in a row to an out-of-town buyer, they are all similar homes, i.e. number of bedrooms, location, & price.  Unless the home is one of the potential buyer's favorites, or shows really bad, I can't remember one from another by the end of the day.  :-(  However, I ALWAYS lock the doors and turn off the lights!

The listing agent can set up her keybox to ask for feedback via email. This is easy for the buyer's agent because it takes about 30 seconds to respond to the email, unless....

Some listing agents are too lazy to change the address when they change a lockbox from one home to another listing. I have received requests for feedback for homes that I have not been to in cities I do not visit!

David, you are spot on.  It is frustrating for the homeowner and the Realtor.

AMEN David!! You would think in this day & age with all the technology we have at our fingertips an agent would have no problem with providing feedback, letting sellers know they are running late, etc. but I am seeing agents becoming slack with these common courtesys. When an agent books an appt. in our area they receive an automated email requesting feedback - all they have to do is fill out a form & hit submit. I don't believe the market has come back so strong that there isn't time to reply to an email!! Doesn't matter what the feedback is our sellers are anxiously awaiting this info. Do the agents don't provide feedback want an agent not providing feedback on their listings?? Come on agents - we are all in this together!! "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"!!

You already had 147 comments so not sure you need to hear from me... But I do agree with you!!! 34 years I'm in this business and things seem to get worse with each passing year...

I had a listing where the majority of the agents left a back door unlocked. This was a vacant but staged home with a sales price of around $463,000. I had to get into the habit of double checking the home later on after a showing to ensure that it was indeed locked.

I feel your pain.  Roger that to your post and all the comments, too.

I usually e-mail them to provide feedback and most agents do it happily.  You get the SUPRA notification with their phone# and email..

Hi David,

Too true, and I have to say that one of my biggest gripes is when side gates are left open during a showing. This may not seem like a big deal, but it allows pets to get out, and it allows children to enter the yard, which can be deadly if there happens to be a pool. One of our neighbors lost their young niece due to this type of negligence.

Congratulations on the featured post and have a great week!

Gina

Some of the agents that are the most rude are very successful--why is that?  The lack of feedback really irritates me as I make a point to give feedback on every listing I show.

David, this post is right on.  We all get delayed when trying to show a lot of properties in a short window. I always make sure that I call the office(s) and advise them of delays. I also find out when I schedule showings if a property is occupied or vacant.

Feedback does not take much time, as you note.  Most showing desks/brokerages have email systems to make this the easiest part of the equation.  My pet gripe?  Not taking off shoes in the winter up here in the cold white north - especially when it is specifically requested.

A close second would be not locking doorwalls.

I've been guilty of getting 'derailed' and forgetting to leave a card now and then. Hey, it happens.  Ingraining proper procedures will help in 95% of the instances and I think I'm pretty diligent as a showing agent.  We all need reminders/refreshers.  Thank you for this great post.

David every point on the money. It's very frustrating as a listing agent. Good luck.

Adele

It's like you were reading my mind! Pet peeves of mine as well. I think some of it has to do with the fact that there are lots of new agents in the business who (a) are not taught etiquette and (b) don't list property, so they just don't understand the niceties.

I always provided feedback as soon as possible I try to never be later than the evening of the next day.  Even though we are confident in how we staged and priced a home, it is always good to see how others are reacting to it.  Sometimes buyers catch something that we didn't or have a different reaction to something then we expected.  I look for the feedback on my listings particularly if the seller and I are not in total agreement on the list price.

I am sure that unlocked doors are just a mistake especially when an agent is showing many houses and are on a tight schedule. I always keep the key in my hand as we go through the house because it reminds me to lock up. When we go to the backyard I always lock the door as soon as we go back in to the home. 

In a perfect world, agents would always leave a feedback after a showing and make sure all doors and windows are locked, all lights turned off... Unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world so I find it helpful to remind agents to:

1- lock all doors and windows

2-turn off all lights and appliances

3-leave their business cards

4-provide a feedback

when they call or email me for a showing request.

Aloha!

I always set expectations from the beginning. I tell my sellers that we won't always get feedback and that appointments may be changed or canceled, even without a courtesy call. While I appreciate feedback, and try to give it, except in situations I feel it's not in my bueyr's best interest, I don't expect it. If no offer comes in, then it's obvious it wasn't the home for them. I do expect doors to be locked and a courtesy call to let my seller know you're running late or not coming at all would be the right thing to do.

How can of worms here.  A lot of this is presupposed that it is an accompanied showing.  I am sure one of the other commenters might have made this point as well. When an agent doesn't get back to you, the client wasn't interested. The ones that are interested are the ones that call you and send you paperwork.   Build a network of people from other agencies who's opinion you trust and show the house to them.  Build rapport with select agents learn, share and grow...the others don't stay around long. They come and go.

I appreciate the seemingly brief moments when I can find quiet time to sit down and read some industry blogs and posts.  I usually read over them quickly, and onto the next, in between my sip of tea.  I rarely comment.  Basically, because it’s pretty much already been said….. as it has been here. 

It struck me, though, how something so rudimentary as feedback, or the locking of a door or even a quick introduction can be easily neglected in our busy world.

I will be the first to admit that there have been those days when showing dozens of homes, to a client, where the homes start to blend together. Having the retention of a Cheerio, as I sometimes do, I found taking a copy of the listing with me and jotting notes, at the time of the showing, saves me valuable time in feedback process. .

We understand the usefulness of the feedback tool, even if we’ve read the comment multiple times, to present to the seller as to why their home isn’t selling or why the buyer decided to pass on their home.  We are guests in the seller’s home and they appreciate all feedback.  I’ve had a seller or two who seemed to hear the buyer comments better then my own, even if it’s the same one(s) I spoke of at our initial meeting….. So, thank you for the reminder on etiquette and simple common courtesy ……and I’ll keep those feedbacks coming~

Leaving Feedback - our Supra eKey program has a Showing Feedback Request that pops up in your email shortly after you open the Lockbox.  It is a simple form with a couple of questions and a box for your comments.  But NOBODY - and I mean very few Realtors - ever fill it out!

Around here I think they are starting to lose their brains too.  Missing deadlines, failing to return calls while we are in escrow, the list goes on...