Real estate agents are starting to lose showing etiquette
Never a truer word was spoken. Thanks so much for writing such and on point blog. Over the past months, we have noticed a significant increase in no shows, lack of feedback, and common mistakes such as leaving lights on, or worse, doors left open and unlocked. We need to be much more cognizant of the fact that being allowed into a home without the owner present is an honor and anything other than exemplary behavior is simply unforgivable. Feedback is such an important item to those who allow us into their homes, most having dropped everything to tidy up and put on their best for us. The very least we can do is to tell them what both our clients and ourselves thought of the home. No feedback is simply not acceptable, "showed well, nice house," is simply lazy. One of the most annoying factors is when an agent shows a home that clearly is not what the buyer wanted. "Too big, wants ranch." for example. Then why are you showing them a colonial??? Let's pull up our socks and be professional.
Real estate agent etiquette for showing homes appears to have diminished over the past years in my personal opinion. Technology has increased the speed of our real estate lives as well as making it easier to accomplish basic tasks. Thus, there is no reason why the basic tasks and agent etiquette has to take a back seat in today’s business.
Slow or not even providing showing feedback
This one is really poor in my eyes and drives me crazy. Homeowners allow agents and their buyers to tromp around their house while displacing the owners for an hour. Showing agents only need to take a minimum of 3 minutes out of their day to provide feedback for the homeowners as a thank you. This should be completed within 24 hours of showing the property….not days to weeks later. Feedback should be constructive and prompt to be effective. The average cell phone allows agents to access the internet pretty much anywhere in the country and complete the feedback form. No excuses, agents!!!
Agents showing up late, staying longer than their allotted time or not even showing up
Remember agents, you are typically asking homeowners to halt their normal lives so you may show their home. Homeowners may have pets to manage, young kids to care for and a personal life that you must take into consideration when you book a showing. If agents are going to be late or not planning on showing up, call the listing agent so that they may notify their sellers. Just don’t show up…..that is incredible disrespectful to the sellers and good luck getting another showing at their home!!
Agents not locking the doors after showing a property
Believe it or not, but agents forget to lock the doors after they leave their scheduled showings. This produces a ton of issues including theft of an unlocked property. It is the legal responsibility of the showing agent to make sure ALL doors have been locked prior to leaving the driveway. Locking a door is the absolute basic task of our job but probably the most important. Don’t lose your real estate license over something as simple as double checking the doors!
The three points are extremely simple to complete thus it floors my why so many agents neglect to perform those fundamental duties. All I can say is for the Realtors to put themselves in the homeowner’s shoes (not literally) the next time scheduling a showing and be considerate of the owners time/home. Agents need to show up during their scheduled time, call the listing agent if the agent can’t make the showing, promptly provide feedback after the showing and lock the doors after you leave the property! If all agents did this, sellers would have a better attitude towards showings, selling their prized possession and real estate agents alike. Happy Selling!
Don't forget to contact me if you have questions and please subscribe to my blog so you can stay abreast of the local real estate market and trends.
Comments (1)Subscribe to CommentsComment