Clients don’t understand agent’s behavior; should they worry?
Q: We have had very few showings of the home we are selling. When we speak with our listing agent she’ll often remark that a buyer’s agent called and he or she will send their buyer to the open house. This has happened on several occasions. Since we live out of town, we asked a neighbor to check for a Realtor key safe on our property. The Realtor key safe was secured to the gas line on the side of the property hidden by plants. We asked our listing agent why are agents sending their buyers to open houses, and she said that’s normal. We also asked why the Realtor key safe is hidden. Again, she remarked “that’s what agents do.” We liked this listing agent the best of the three we interviewed. Frankly, we’re questioning her competency as her explanations seem flippant. We were originally shown the home by a buyer’s agent. We remember after we purchased the house the Realtor key safe still was on the doorknob. Could this agent be hindering the showings in order to sell the home herself?
A: Not too likely as her explanations are factual. Perhaps the delivery of her answers was flippant, but the substance of her responses was legitimate. Thanks to the World Wide Web, buyers can shop for homes while in their pajamas. Homebuyers see open houses advertised online. Conversely, real estate agents are taught nowadays to focus on “highest and best use” of their time. This top-down brokerage motto ignores that agents showing homes in person to their buyers create better and faster sales. Placing Realtor key safes on the front doorknob was a standard of practice decades ago. However, it’s also been a standard practice to secure lockboxes to the gas pipe at the meter. Buyers’ agents know where to look for a key safe. Additionally, listing agents will often
write in the private agent-to-agent Multiple Listing Service remarks “key safe on gas main.” Lest we forget, it is counterproductive to advertise to strangers that there is an entry key attached to the front door.
Know someone who is thinking of moving? Realtor Pat Kapowich provides turnkey services including relocation, staging, market analysis and strategic planning. 408-245-7700 or Pat@ SiliconValleyBroker.com. Broker Lic.00978413