Be there.
That's the number one requirement I expect from a service provider. The act of being physically present seems to be lost on many real estate agents - this is unacceptable.
You've arrived at the decision to sell your property and are in search of the right agent for the job. In an ideal world, you select a REALTOR®, they market your property, negotiate a great price for you, assist with all contractual paperwork, and ensure a smooth closing. Today, I want to highlight one of these aspects: marketing.
When I refer to marketing, I'm not talking about the type that involves photographing your home and preparing feature sheets. I am speaking of the part of the job that involves conducting showings, hosting open houses, and getting in front of potential buyers to sell the home.
So is your agent showing up?
When a seller hires an agent to list their home, they should have an expectation that the agent will, well, sell their home. As a listing agent, the job is to know the home inside out, and be able to place emphasis on a property's best features. The listing agent needs to physically be at showings in order to present the home in its best light and explain to potential buyers why it is a great home. If you're paying your hard earned money to an agent to assemble a lock box to hold keys or to have them leave keys at their office, are they truly doing their best to sell your home?
Numerous times I have taken my buyers on a tour to view potential properties for purchase. I show up at the home and have just picked up the keys from the lock box or the other agent's office. Now, you're leaving me in charge of selling your client's property. While I know some information about the place from prior research, what if my clients or I have questions? Of course, we're not having them answered on the spot, and now my buyers are leaving with less interest because they have other places to see where they can get answers.
Feedback. While buyers and buying agents are going to limit their reactions and discussion so as to not give away their position, the best opportunity to receive feedback is by observation. If the listing agent is not there, there is no one to gather clues and indications on how buyers feel about a property. There are always multiple reasons for why a home does not sell, and unless you are okay with your property being labelled as a 'stale listing' after not selling, you should have your representative gathering as much detail on the reactions and thoughts of prospective buyers as possible.
Now, a few caveats. Of course there are sellers who genuinely prefer their agent not to be present, in this case, no fault to the agent. As well, real estate agents are human, and there are exceptional cases where an agent cannot make a showing for personal reasons. The key word here being exceptional. Finally, if you live in a completely rural area where homes and districts are very significant distances apart, expectations of an agent being at every showing may be unreasonable.
Aside from these reasons, there is no other reason why your listing agent should not be present. At the very least, your agent should have some representation there to do the job you've paid for, sell your home.
If you are paying for a professional, you have the right to expect them to show up.
If you have any questions or comments on my opinions or wish to discuss other real estate opportunities, feel free to email me at adil@adilkhimani.com.
All the best,
Adil