President Pierce: In an Ideal World

You’ve selected a few properties to show your clients based on their requirements and preferences, and you find one that seems like the perfect fit. The MLS says it is active, so you schedule a showing. You arrive at the home with your clients right on time, and the key is waiting for you in the lockbox. You walk through the property, and your clients share their thoughts as you talk through the pros and cons. They love the home, and by the time the showing is over they have already decided to put in an offer.

This all may sound nice, but we know that various factors often stand in the way of such an ideal scenario. Sometimes the status on the listing hasn’t been updated and the property that seemed so perfect for your buyers isn’t active after all. Sometimes traffic means you arrive early or late to your showing appointment, and when you get there the appointment ahead of you is still in the home.

Dealing with the unexpected and unideal scenarios can be frustrating, but it can also lead to some unintended consequences. If you run over your allotted time for your showing, and the next agent begins their showing, you could possibly open yourself up to liability because the lockbox now has no record that the other agent has entered the home. And if they run over their time, and the next agent enters the property without opening the box, it’s still your name on that log. Not to mention the tension between both agents and buyers when they’re sharing listening space during what was intended to be a private showing.

It is understandable that sometimes there are factors that are out of our control. We should still do what is within our control to help create that ideal scenario for the consumers of our marketplace. That could mean chatting with your client in the driveway when you arrive early to your showing. It could mean updating the status of your listing from your phone when you’re away from your computer. Even the simplest communications and common courtesies can go a long way for the benefit of everyone. During this stressful and competitive market, it’s as important as ever that we extend every courtesy we can to help create a better buying or selling experience for everyone involved.