Did you know that showing property is hard work? It’s one of the most exhausting aspects of a Realtor’s job.
Most buyers have a maximum price point. First, l search for listings, then run them by my client. Next I check availability. In a seller’s market, a real estate agent has to verify the property is available and how many offers are on the table prior to showing. Not all Realtors return phone calls, texts or emails. So something this simple can turn into a very time consuming task. Depending on the number and strength of existing offers, I have to gauge if this home still has the potential of being in my client’s price range.
In a seller’s market, the buyer needs to realize they are competing with a lot of buyers. Many are cash, and many have large down payments. These buyers can waive their appraisal contingency and are stiff competition. Buyers with 20% down and 800 Fico scores are sadly nothing special. Multiple offers are the norm. Most homes (other than luxury real estate) are selling over asking price.
Daily I check for new listings and run them by the client. The day before I show, I again check availability. Just because a home didn’t have offers on Tuesday doesn’t mean that it won’t have a handful of strong offers on Friday. If the offers are strong, it may now be out of my client’s price range.
Next I need to decide showing order. I am very straight forward and prefer geographic. Other agents believe you show the best home second. The reasoning is that the first home will be a disappointment, and then the second home will look better because it’s superior to the first. Then it should go downhill. If you save the best home for last, the “logic” is that a buyer might believe the homes are getting better and will want to continue seeing more.
Now the car…. It should be clean. I need to know where I am going. My best friend is my navigation system (and of course i-phone). And in the midst of driving there is small talk. I also need to learn what my client likes and wants. I will only really know after showing them a couple of homes. Then there is the physical aspect, getting in and out of cars, going up and down stairs, finding lockboxes, opening them.
Showing property is hard work! All of this and then, when and if we find a home to make an offer, we need to be the best offer.
