How to make sure you are where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there.
Believe it or not, we often get complaints about agents entering properties for which they do not have an appointment. The weird twist is that these “showings” were not really unscheduled, it’s just that the agent has entered the wrong home.
Many agents rely completely on GPS when traveling to a property. Some agents are already in a hurry to get there, show the property and move on to the next. What many agents seem to be forgetting is that they need to be 100% sure they are entering the home for which they have an appointment.
Here are some tips to avoid going into the wrong home:
- Know your route. Don’t rely solely on your GPS when taking clients to a home. Map out your route in advance, either through the computer or by driving it yourself prior to taking your clients out.
- Bring the listing sheet and pictures of the property with you. Check that before exiting your vehicle and walking to the door. Make sure the home you are accessing looks like the one for which you made the appointment.
- Double check the house number before trying to open the door.
- If you have multiple appointments for showings in a single day, make sure you stay on your schedule and are visiting the correct home at the correct time.
- Always knock before entering.
- If you are early, or late for an appointment, contact Showing Time and/or the listing agent. Don’t assume that if you arrive 15 minutes early or 15 minutes late, it is still okay to enter the property, it may not be.
While it may seem silly to have to spell these tips out, many agents have been reported, or have self-reported, that they have accidentally entered the wrong home. Agents have surprised homeowners when they have arrived early, and interrupted such things as family dinners when they have arrived late. When reported these errors are cited as a violation of the Canopy MLS Rules and Regulations for failure to make an appointment with the Listing Brokerage prior to entering a listed property submitted to the Service, which carries an immediate $500 fine for a first violation, and fines increase by $50 for repeat violations.
To avoid arriving too early or too late, be sure to carefully space out your appointments to give yourself enough time in-between showings to arrive to your next appointment on time. If you decide to skip a property, you should contact Showing Time and/or the listing agent to change the time of your next appointment. Or, you can find something to do until it is time to show your next home. Do not just go to the next property because you made an appointment. If the appointment is for 2 p.m. and its 1:30 p.m. you are not authorized to access the property.
Also important is to always check the MLS prior to heading out to view properties with your client(s). You should make sure that all of the homes you plan to visit are still on the market and at the price listed on your MLS printout. Your client(s) will appreciate your attention to detail. In a hot market, things are constantly changing. Take the time to double-check everything. It will make a world of difference