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Agents, if you schedule an appointment to see a home....should we as sellers leave early? For example, if you say you are coming between 3 and 4...should I leave my house at 2:30? Do you try to stick to somewhere in that time?
I was just wondering because I had an agent show up early on me today..So after my annoyance with the girl who shopped me ...(don't worry I am letting it go) I got a call this morning for a second showing.! Yes! It was a lady that came yesterday and stayed for 35 minutes..loves our house and wants to bring her hubby through. So my appointment was from 3 to 4. I called my real estate company later to make sure..and they said that it was 3 to 4.
So I have a showing process. I have 3 kids and 2 big dogs..Yes i am a zoo..During the day I only have my 3 year old and the dogs..Well my lab sheds more than any long hair dog. He is black and I have white ceramic tile. Anyhow, when I have a showing I put the dogs in the basement and I vacuum . Then I always try to leave 15 minutes before the scheduled appointment. I tell my son to sit by the front door and he actually does it..he is just waiting for me to swiffer so I don't get little feet prints as he runs on the wet tile.....I run and turn on all the lights, wipe down the counters one more time to make them sparkle, then I swiffer my way out to clean any spots I missed earlier. I put my son in the car and go downstairs to get my dogs. I febreze the basement and take the dogs out the backyard to the car and put them in and then off I go.
Well i didn't get that far today...The agent and the buyers came at 2:30! I saw the car parked out front..My house was clean but I couldn't swiffer up any little spots that my mop leaves behind..that was ok ..but my ding dong dogs were still downstairs. So I go out and tell them I was told between 3 and 4..and I just have to get my dogs and son out. So I go get the first dog...who is pulling me ..I get him in the car..The agent starts chit chatting with me about my dog and how it looks like hers..blah blah blah..My face is beat red..because I am stressing ..and got all hot and bothered..So I said I have to get one more dog..my big 98 lb lab. He knows someone is in my driveway and yanks me up our little side yard hill. Well it just rained and of course now I am face flat in the mud! Luckily they didn't see that part. So my ding dong dog is barking at the potential buyers..who now are probably thinking..run!!! I get him in the car and off we go...
I guess i have to leave my house at least a half an hour early?
Then on top of that my agent calls me to give me feedback on the guy that went through last night. I told her the second showing was at the house now. She tells me they have to sell their house first..and will talk to the agent after they did this second showing. I asked..."well is their house up for sale?" She tells me no. So they don't even have their house up yet! ARGH!! So hopefully they are thinking about doing two mortgages..or else they wasted my time...and i have mud on my face
As a recent buyer, there were a few times when we finished seeing some homes sooner than we anticipated, but even in those cases our agent did not take us to the next house so much earlier than scheduled (in your case half hour). Even if they were ready to go to your house, I think the agent should have called you to check if he/she could come half hour early rather than parking in front of your house when you are trying to gather your family and leave.
Location: Danbury CT covering all of Fairfield County
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Whenever I know I am going to be at least 20 minutes early, even on the earliest time I said I would be there, I take the slowest way possible to get to the next house and I explain to my buyers that this isn't the normal way you would go, but I wanted you to see more of the area than if I were to take the quickest way by jumping on the highway and getting off in 2 exits.
LOL!! I do the same thing, jdhall! Of course, in this situation it was a second showing...
But I write on the mls listing that I bring with me, or app't times. I am constantly checking my times against the time on the car clock and I will tell my buyers, we are a little early, let's ride by, but if we see the car we will check out a little of the neighborhood first and give them time get their stuff together. then we ride and see the rest of the neighborhood, where she might shop for grocery's, where the kids will go to school, etc.
Jen, sorry you had to get a face full of mud, that stinks.
I'm not sure how my agent scheduled. They all had lock boxes and it was rare that someone was home. The ones that were had no plans on leaving to begin with. We did have one appointment that we were 5 minutes late for, the owner left; since there was no lockbox we didn't get in.
I agree that the agent should have called since she was early. Ask your agent to put it in the notes that any agents coming early need to call.
I try to have a vacant house or two in the schedule so I can pop out of my way if we get way ahead of schedule.
I don't think I would go to an occupied house more than 10 minutes early, and no problem withdrawing to the appointed time if it is the polite thing to do.
It isn't that hard to drive to the store or to the pool to see the neighborhood.
The Seller should be allowed to do what they need to do to be ready to exit, whether clearing clutter, or just getting ready to go out.
And this is one area where the Agent is charged with controlling the Buy side. "Cool your Jets, Mr./Mrs. Clients."
Both parties should be patient and polite.
Best to respectfully and smoothly work out the showings to get to the real negotiations.
I use the medical community approach when I schedule appointments - so if I'm showing a house between 2-3, it's closer to 3 when I get there! I also have a few vacant homes to look at, just in case.
Our agent always said something like "I'm a little thirsty, how about stopping for a iced tea my treat"? That was usually code for "we are early and need to wait a little.
She would ALWAYS check at the house when we pulled up and if anyone was there politely asked if they needed more time or if we needed to look around the neighborhood for a few.... Definately a southern LADY!!!! Boy I miss her!
It seems more and more lately that since the market is in flux that buyers and "some" agents are starting to treat sellers like they should put up with anything and just be thankful that people are looking (even if they aren't buying soon or ever) and shut up and take the poor manners,inconsiderate drivebys and just plain boorish behavior.
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) I got a call this morning for a second showing.! Yes! It was a lady that came yesterday and stayed for 35 minutes..loves our house and wants to bring her hubby through. So my appointment was from 3 to 4. I called my real estate company later to make sure..and they said that it was 3 to 4.
