I have been out quite a bit recently looking at homes for sale with buyers.
The question often comes to mind, when there are two real estate agents, with their buyers that show up at a property at the same time, what is the proper protocol for looking at the home? We had appointments for all the properties we looked at that day, and were within our time window on all of them.
Some buyers are uncomfortable looking at a home when other buyers are inside looking at it at the same time.
Some buyers are perfectly fine with it.
At at open house when multiple parties show up at the home, everyone is invited in to look together. I know that is an entirely different situation.
The other day, my buyer and I arrived at a property that was already being shown, with an agent and potential buyer inside. We graciously waited outside and then another party showed up to look at the unit, behind us. I stuck my head in the door and I politely told the agent that there were other people outside waiting (as they appeared to be finished looking, but were just talking in the living room).
Later that day we were at another property looking at it, when another agent walked right in with his buyer. My buyer was visibly uncomfortable and made a comment under her breath. I asked the agent if he would be kind enough to just give us 2 more minutes and we would be out of his way. He was great, and stepped outside with his buyer. I thanked him very much as we left.
When inside a home, looking at it with multiple parties, does it give buyers a sense of discomfort or does it give some buyers a sense of urgency, like at auction, that they must move quickly if they are serious about purchasing the home?
So, I am curious, what do other agents do, when faced with this situation.
If another buyer and realtor are already walking through a property when you arrive with your client, what do you do? Do you proceed on in or do you wait outside?
This article is authored by
Sandy Shores Realtor, Melbourne FL Real Estate
that for you
At an open house, you can expect to have more than one party in the house at a time...it is absolutely right to show unless you are uncomfortable or it is too tight - move in the opposite direction everyone else goes
..my problem is ususally I have open house and 3 sets of buyers and they are all without an agent and then I have to do the group tour thing but it works out ok if you act comfortable, they are comfortable.
If a property is on lockbox and no one had an appointment, the first one in shows and the agent that drives up should politely let the agent inside know that there is someone waiting outside for a showing.
If you contacted the Realtor who had the listing and had an appointment, that would be different........I would hope you would have that time open for you as not to get off your schedule for the day.....but this is IMHO
Dear Sandy,
I am with Julie. Courtesy should always prevail in a showing situation!
Barbara
Sandy--I personally don't feel comfortable showing a house that is being shown by another agent. I'm uncomfortable. The buyers are uncomfortable. It is hard to ask questions, give opinions, etc. I think it's best to always try not to double-book private showings. If they do overlap, however, I like how you handled it -- by waiting outside and then letting the agent know other people were waiting.
I've experienced this, especially with those homes that are well priced and perceived as bargains and deals. It's inevitable that this may happen. If I get to house that is already being shown, I poke my head in and politely ask if it's OK that we come in as well and stay out of their way. If I have an appointment to show and am on a schedule with my client, i don't really want to wait around for the other people to finish but I always ASK and am VERY polite about it. To this day, I've never had someone say NO, we must wait. I also truly do try to stay out of the way, if the other agent & buyer are upstairs, then we'll start downstairs and maybe pass each other along the way. And, when I'm showing a home and another agent comes in after me with their client, I kindly oblige to them too. Hey, if the house is getting that much traffic that people are running into overlapping shows, then maybe the buyers do need to see this and be aware of the situation. I've actually never had anyone express that they were uncomfortable but everyone is different. Good luck!
Sandy I think you did the right thing. If your client is uncomfortable then ask them to give you some time. Otherwise if your client is comfortable then just be yourself.
Sandy, I think one set of buyers at a time should look at a house. This doesn't always happen of course but it does allow you to have privacy. Where this hasn't worked when one set takes too long on the preview. Then the group waiting outside gets annoyed. Open houses of course are different and are more a free for all, like a model home in new construction.
I agree with Gary. One set of buyers at a time except when the first groupis in the home for a ridiculous amount of time.
Scott
www.TeamConnect.biz
It does not bother me, when other people are in a house, I have never had a client who had an issue with that either... :)
First one there, first one in.
If another agent is there with clients then we wait. I want my clients to have privacy to view the home without bumping into others or having to watch what they say.
Hi Sandy, Last summer, my buyers and I were looking at a house, when we opened the curtains to see the view, we were surprised to see another agent and his buyers waiting outside.. the whole day was funny as the houses we were looking at were the same ones - whoever got there first went inside, and whoever got there last waited outside!
I think this is proper -- unless it is freezing cold, or raining - in inclement weather no one should have to wait outside, and we should just make this best of that situation!
With regular retail home buyers, my preference is to only have 1 set of buyers in the home at a time. Otherwise it can ruin the showing experience.
Sandy,
It depends on the situation and the buyer.
Ann Hayden in lovely Wildwood, Missouri
Hi SS- In our area, we're supposed to call the showing service to schedule a time to show the house. They never schedule two showings at the same time. One time I arrived at a showing a little early and didn't realize there was an agent in the house with clients. The agent (somewhat rudely) asked us to wait outside, and we did. Another time, my clients and I arrived at a scheduled showing to find an agent and clients already in the house. They hadn't called to schedule it and also didn't leave when we walked in. I didn't ask them to leave because my clients were ok with it. However, I feel they should have left as soon as we walked in.
Sandy, I do the same, I wait with my clients out by the street and wait my turn. Sellers should love seeing buyers backed up to see their house...
Sandy - If I arrive at a house in the process of being shown, I wait for the agent to exit and return the key to the lockbox, before accessing with my own key, and viewing with my client. The reason for this is that our lockboxes record the showings, and identify those that have accessed. If there is an issue at the house, it is a way to determine, with whom that issue may be.
Respect each others showing. Allow each party to go in alone to avoid hearing other comments which may influence a choice.
Julie, Thanks for the feedback.
Barbara, Courtesy should certainly be key.
Peggy, Thanks for your point of view. Easy when one party is in a home at a time.
Michelle, Thanks for stopping by.
John, Thanks for the info.
Gary, I think that privacy is quite good.
Scott, Thanks for your viewpoint.
Konnie, Thanks for letting us know what works for you.
Kris, Agreed, Thanks.
Mary, Funny that you and this other agent had most of the same houses set up to show throughout the day.
Rob, I also like to have one set of buyers at a time in a home.
Ann, I suppose it does depend on each individual.
Tony, We are also required to call and set up showings, but it is very common that showings are booked on top of each other.
Paul, I also like to wait to let others finish first.
Myrl. Smart lady and oh so true. I also wait for the first agent to finish before entering.
Tony, I think we should respect each other's space during a showing.
I really don't run into this all that often but I would imagine that a buyers client would be very uncomfortable if they were looking at a house and another buyer just showed up and starting looking at the house also. But there's different strokes for different folks. Some people may feel that this is a popular property and that if they like it they should move fast.
Justin, For me, I don't really care to have two sets of buyers in a property at the same time. I think it can make for an uncomfortable situation.
Good post, Sandy. I run into many overlapping appointments now, especially in the starter home market. I prefer to have the home to ourselves; having another buyer/agent present tends to stifles my buyers' ability to focus and speak freely. If I am warned of overlapping showings, I prepare my buyers. If the other agent is is still there, I stick my head in and ask politely if they will be much longer, as we had a 5:00 appointment. Normally, they wrap it up quickly.
Hi Barbara, It can be a precarious situation, I prefer to have my buyers be able to look at the home without other people in it, as you mentioned. No pressure, no stress.