Chaperoned Showings

"Listing Agent Must be Present for All Showings"

Most listing agents -- myself included -- are usually not thrilled when a client insists that you be there for all first showings.

For one thing, it's an imposition on your time; for another, prospective Buyers and their agents can view it as crimping their schedule and privacy (showings are typically set up as a one hour window; if the listing agent needs to be present, they must commit to a specific time).

However . . . for an upper bracket home with a lot of subtle features, it can be a real advantage for the listing agent to provide a guided tour (then absent themselves so the Buyer and their agent can talk privately).

As I discovered Saturday, it also affords the listing agent the opportunity to tailor their pitch to the specific Buyer -- and can save a lot of time, depending on the Buyer's questions and interests.

Other Pluses

So, I found myself fielding the Buyer's questions about local schools, Comp's and recent price trends, (lack of) plane noise, nearby bike paths and trails, etc. -- questions that their agent, located in the 'burbs, knew nothing about, and which I, as one of the leading Realtors in the area (and a neighbor!) knew in my sleep.

Meeting the Buyer and their agent also afforded me a chance to discuss the other homes on the Buyer's showing list later that day.

It did not exactly hurt my credibility -- or my client's selling chances -- to be able to discuss each of the homes on the list, their pluses and minuses relative to my client's home, the amenities of the surrounding neighborhoods, etc.