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Your MLS should have some way for your listing agent to notify other agents as to how much lead time you need. There's no doubt about the fact that some agents are rude and abuse the system. But it's easier to be super flexible with showings if you want to maximize showings in order to sell your house in a shorter period of time. But agents still need to abide by the rules.
Its pretty flexible of a seller to leave their house for one or two hour showing appointments on a weekend. Realtors need to learn how to plan better. To let them disregard their appointment schedule is to reinforce bad behavior. What ever happened to being professional and accountable?
Requesting a two-hour appointment on a weekend is indicative of a realtor not planning and not being considerate. Today, a realtor booked us for two hours and then cancelled one hour into the two-hour appointment because they were running late. I late learned that they had planned to show 10 houses in two hours. That's just stupid.
Realtors can pass an exam, but that doesn't mean they know how to conduct business apparently.
Its pretty flexible of a seller to leave their house for one or two hour showing appointments on a weekend. Realtors need to learn how to plan better. To let them disregard their appointment schedule is to reinforce bad behavior. What ever happened to being professional and accountable?
Requesting a two-hour appointment on a weekend is indicative of a realtor not planning and not being considerate. Today, a realtor booked us for two hours and then cancelled one hour into the two-hour appointment because they were running late. I late learned that they had planned to show 10 houses in two hours. That's just stupid.
Realtors can pass an exam, but that doesn't mean they know how to conduct business apparently.
That is so true.
I like to have the buyers agent call me to make the appointment instead of the client, and I will tie them down to a one hour block 3 pm plus or minus 30 minutes to give them flexibility. I ask them to call me back if there is any change in their schedule. That puts a little pressure on them to make sure they show or call. If they don't show and don't call, I call them and let them know my client is pissed.
On the few cancellations, I've had lame excuses like, I had a flat tire and couldn't call. Like the cell phone goes dead when you have a flat tire.
Realtors need to learn how to plan better. To let them disregard their appointment schedule is to reinforce bad behavior. What ever happened to being professional and accountable?
Met a couple for the 1st time Saturday relocating from Las Angeles who came to the office with a 3 year old and a 4 month old baby. Their plans of having a sitter fell apart. I had scheduled about 9 homes to see with 1 hour windows over about a 3 hour time frame. We did a good job of staying on schedule except for about the last 3 homes.
The best laid out plans and schedules of agents can evolve quickly when you're working with families we've never met. You don't know how fast or slow they look or what the kids will do when food, diapers, potty breaks are involved. I'm very good about keeping them moving and not getting bogged down at a home.
I guess instead of a 1 hour window I could do a 2 hour showing window but I try to limit as much as possible for the seller.
I would say that planning a three hour tour with a family with a 3 year old and a 4 month old baby is a bad plan. Your plan needed to be modified or cancelled. Your buyers' lack of a sitter is not the seller's problem, honestly. Be courteous and give everyone a head's up. If you can't, you aren't conducting business professionally.
Also, your 2-hour window idea is more a courtesy for your buyers. Two hours out of a sellers house is a lot to ask for one showing; especially if there is a chance that you won't even make it. I would not want to be the 7th, 8th, or 9th house on your tour. There is no possible way those are quality showings with kids involved.
I have been an Agent since 1999. The entire time, I have given sellers a one hour window of time or LESS, and on the very rare occasions that I have been running late or early, I have always called. Not hard to do. Just the right thing to do. Before I call to make a showing appointment, I arrange all of my listing pages in geographical order, figure out how long it will take to drive from one to the next and so on, and factor in 15 minutes showing time. THEN I call. This has worked for me for over 10 years. Some homes, they stay 5 minutes, some they stay 10, some 15, some 20. I stay on overall schedule. It works out. People appreciate it. When I get calls from real estate agents who want to show my listings during a THREE HOUR WINDOW OF TIME, unless it is a vacant house I politely ask them to please arrange their showings in the order they will need to see them, and once they have done so and know when they will be there within an hour window of time, to call me back and let me know. So many Agents are rude, sloppy, unprofessional, but...the commission check that comes from one of them selling my listing spends just the same as the check that came from an awesome agent selling it, and the same goes for my client's check. All I can do it is try to politely educate agents about how to arrange and schedule their showings. Clearly, classes and/or their Brokers are not.
Amen to @WestsideATLCindy. Apparently, we need more out there like you.
I honestly don't think its too hard to plan the way you've outlined it.
In my area, a certain demographic has entered the realtor profession. I don't want to cast aspersions on all of them, but their level of professionalism is particularly low based upon our accumulating data points.
Sadly, another no-show with no call on a Sunday—and this one jacked up our Sunday schedule. All the more infuriating.
I've been doing this for 15 years so I know how to schedule my time and showings.
The point being is that even in the middle of showings stuff happens that delays the schedule. If my client loves your house and wants to spend an hour there instead of 30 minutes, I'm not going to cut him short.
Kids get sick, clients are late, stuck in traffic, flat tires, we're early, we're late .... crap happens.
I would say you are obligated to manage your appointments. When your schedule becomes a mess, you should be finding a way to let the sellers know. It sounds like you manage your business with only the buyers in mind. That's pretty impolite, wouldn't you say?
Realtors don't make any money unless they sell a house. That requires sellers. Making it a practice to treat sellers unprofessionally sounds like it'd be bad for business. Its just that there is no way for us to hold realtors accountable (e.g. like doctors, dentists, or practically any professional). And therein, I see the real problem. No profession should lack accountability.
Yep, if your schedule gets out of whack just call anyone who may be affected by it. I've never had a buyer be upset or annoyed when I've said some version of "Please excuse me, I need to call the other sellers and let them know we won't make it/will be late/whatever." They always understand. If they cancel the whole day on you, call everyone right away to tell them you won't be coming. Even if you call and get no answer and just leave a message, it was still the right thing to do, never the wrong thing.
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