Showing Etiquette
I recently had a seller call me and voice their disappointment and slight anger at a Realtor that had made an appointment to show their home. The realtor didn’t show up on the first day during the allotted time but showed up the next day four hours past their rescheduled allotted time. We’ve all had this happen to us in the business. Part of our job is to educate any new agents out there showing homes to the proper etiquette and what is expected to view a listing.
· The showing window should not be longer than 2 hours in length and should be narrower if possible. Many times you have a stay at home mom or a home that requires dogs to be removed, so being late or not showing up at your scheduled time causes major headaches for the seller.
· Never let a cat or dog out of the home while opening the door of a listing. Assume that ALL homes have a small pet that could dart out at any given time, you have to be aware of this.
· Prior to opening up the lockbox, always ring the doorbell. The seller may be home and you may startle them by opening up the lockbox and opening up their house unannounced. Even if you think the home is vacant, ring the doorbell and knock on the door. There are many times that a seller has downsized, is waiting on a moving truck or military orders and they’re sleeping on an air mattress in the back bedroom. It’s also good practice when you walk in the door to announce yourself loudly, “REALTOR!”
· Never cut across the grass or yard to go to the front door. Several years ago I had a client cut across the grass following me to a home. We were unaware til after we entered the home that the client’s son tracked in dog waste all over the home. Unfortunately it took us several minutes to stop the excited kid from running around the house to decide which bedroom was his. You can imagine the mess it left. Sidewalks and driveways are designed for entry into a home; it’s just common courtesy to use them.
· Never adjust the air conditioning or heat system in a home. No matter how hot or how cold the home is, the temperature in the home is what it is. By adjusting or tweaking a system, you might be launching a problem that you are unaware of with a leaky system that causes a drain pan to flood later. In south Georgia, when it’s 200*, no air conditioner in the home means a quick showing.
· Never go through a seller’s furnished home, their drawers, their furniture, or refrigerator. There’s nothing in those items that will help the sale of a home. Other people’s belongings are off limits!
· Never discuss price, value, or likeability of a home in the home. It’s too easy with today’s technology to be recorded and too many ooh’s and aah’s mean a higher price if you decide to buy that home.
· Unless you have a dire emergency, do not use the restroom of an occupied seller’s home. It’s bad etiquette and tacky. If your client HAS to go, or they have a small child having an EMERGENCY, then absolutely allow them to use the restroom but you can wait til you get back to the office.
· Make sure all the lights are turned off in a home when you leave. I also make it a point to blow out all candles that a seller has lit for effect.
· Last, but not least, if you’re running late or need to cancel a showing appointment for whatever reason, contact the listing office right away!
No comments:
Post a Comment