In real estate, the phone rings a lot. People are searching homes for sale online and want to see them. While you can get a lot of information from online sources, nothing beats seeing the home in person. And that’s part of what real estate agents do, we show homes. Many people see a home online and get excited and want to see it right away and we certainly don’t blame them, we would want to see it as fast as possible too! As agents, you have to balance a lot of factors (and juggle a lot of schedules) in order to show property. Some people want to see the house right now, but there are often many reasons why the agent can’t show it to you that very second. It’s not that we don’t want the business (that’s just crazy!), but Realtors are running a small business and like any savvy business person, they have to wear many hats and balance many items through a day in order to be successful.
Time Management
To put it simply, we as agents need to manage our time. We don’t sit around lounging in the office just waiting for the next phone call to come in. If we did, we’d all be broke. With the internet and cell phones we are much more accessible, but we’re not necessarily free at the moment we take that call. We have a daily dose of inspections, paperwork, showings, closings, and meetings, plus the usual things – dinner, family time, rest, etc. Agents have schedules to keep. Even occasionally, if we are free at the moment, we know that if we go show houses right this moment, we will miss my next appointment. Time management is a huge part of our daily lives.
Qualifying Buyers
We know a lot of people that want to buy a house don’t necessarily like this step. Every agent has had a prospective client ask them, “What does it matter to you if I’m not preapproved, I know I can get the loan.” This is one of the hardest things for a prospective client to deal with, because they feel as if we are calling them into question – almost as if we were saying “That’s great, but I don’t trust you.” Because there isn’t a relationship between us yet, there isn’t a ton of trust between the buyer and the agent. We have to build that overtime. There’s a certain amount that we must take as a leap of faith, but there is a lot of “getting to know each other” in there too. Sitting down and qualifying a buyer isn’t just about a loan, it’s also about getting to know the prospective client (and you getting to know your prospective agent) and getting to know what their goals are in buying a home. We want to help you find the right home, not just any home.
Paperwork
If you like what you’re hearing and you’d like to work with with the Realtor you’ve been talking to, there is some paperwork that should be taken care of. Here in San Antonio we use a Residential Buyer/Tenant Representation Agreement to lay out the rules of our work together and define the relationship as that of buyer and agent. Making someone your agent creates a situation that allows us to offer you our advice and opinions and binds us to work for you and you to work with us.
Safety
Let’s face it, there are some strange people in this world and there are more than a couple of stories about agents going to a showing and being attacked. Kimberly Howell Properties encourages our agents to play it safe and avoid potentially dangerous situations. Sadly, it’s a reality in the world that not all people have noble thoughts or deeds.
Experience
Agents with more experience tend to be less likely to run out and show homes at a moment’s notice. Newer agents tend to be more willing, because they often have less business and are trying to build to the point where they are working from referrals and past clients. It takes time to build your real estate clientele up to that point. It’s not a knock on new agents, many of them are incredibly talented agents, but they simply are trying to build their business. So they take those calls and rush out to show the home. Ask any agent with experience and they’ll tell you – they were there once too. A lot of what agents do takes structure and discipline, so once again, there is a balance that must be found and maintained.
image courtesy of seaofash
