Dear Ms. Condo Seller (appraiser, sale, Realtor, state)
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To add to this I've wanted to look at a house and the realtor has been told by the listing realtor...the key is out with another agent. What? Only one key? And, sometimes, oh, another agent showed it and didn't return the key yet and (get this) we don't remember who the agent was.
Did this happen to your customer or are you relating a story you heard about ??
True story, happened to me. It was about a specific showing I attempted but similar things happen all the time. If people actually knew how difficult their listing agents were to reach or the obstacles they have in place for buyers' agents trying to show, they might understand why it's taking so long for their property to sell. This particular listing office keeps all keys in the office and they are closed Saturdays and Sundays.
Rhetorical questions; Does your agent have her cell phone in the listing or does she not want to be bothered? Is her office open on the weekend? Is the office phone answered? Those are just a few that sellers should be asking.
In our MLS, the office phone # and the agent phone # are always listed. When we are out of the office, all incoming calls to the office are forwarded to my broker's cell phone or to our office manager. My office uses Supra or coded lock boxes on our listings, unless the client insists that there will be no lock box put on the home. It does occasionally happen and when it does it is out of our control.
Personally when I sell my home again, I will NOT have a lock box.
I have had horrible experiences with that set up.
Realtors who let folks wonder through the house unannounced scooping up all the small items they can into their bags. Realtors who let inside pets outside. Had they called first, as required, I would have put the pets away and put the small jewelry and electronics away...but the realtor choose not to call first.
I would want to sell the home, but also know I only have one chance for a first impression, and that is with the pets gone for the hour of the visit, and the house perfect. I can not do that when you just pop in unannounced.
Maybe the person had a bad experience with a lock box previously.
I have had excellent results with a realtor that shows the house on a realtor/broker's open house tour. Then the good realtors bring back their client who are specifically interested in the home...not lookie loos out on a last minute impulse tour.
We hate when other people don't have lockboxes but we don't want a lockbox ourselves when we sell
We do stress, however, that someone of us is usually on site or 20-30 minutes away, so fee free to call and someone will be right over 99% of the time. We just found it better that way with pets and kids and varying schedules.
My old neighbors were very paranoid and would not allow a lockbox on their home while they were selling. So it could very well be the sellers that don't want one and not the realtor trying to save costs.
Maybe the person had a bad experience with a lock box previously.
I have had excellent results with a realtor that shows the house on a realtor/broker's open house tour. Then the good realtors bring back their client who are specifically interested in the home...not lookie loos out on a last minute impulse tour.
1. This particular brokerage doesn't use lockboxes on any listings.
2. If the buyers find something else they like that day, good realtor or not, the inaccessible property lost a potential buyer.
3. Lookie loos on short notice visits sometimes make a purchase.
Friction in the showing process reduces the chances of selling. Sellers are free to introduce as much friction as they like. Their property, their rules. I'm just trying to sell it for them.
My old neighbors were very paranoid and would not allow a lockbox on their home while they were selling. So it could very well be the sellers that don't want one and not the realtor trying to save costs.
There is a nasty rumor that has been going on in my neighborhood for years about Lockboxes and everyone tries to talk someone selling into not using them. It reeks of urban legend to me, but it is essentially a story of how an unapproved showing turned into people who opened windows and came back later to rob the house. When I heard it, I just shrugged and said, fine, let them. My house is staged anyways so anything of any real value or sentimental value to me is safely stored off premises. But I had plenty of neighbors on my block scared and refused to use them when they sold.
In our MLS, the office phone # and the agent phone # are always listed. When we are out of the office, all incoming calls to the office are forwarded to my broker's cell phone or to our office manager. My office uses Supra or coded lock boxes on our listings, unless the client insists that there will be no lock box put on the home. It does occasionally happen and when it does it is out of our control.
In my MLS there are fields for agent's cell phone on the listing entry form but agents sometimes just put the office number there so they won't be bothered.
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