How an Agent Should Show a Buyer a House

Summary

In this video, Adam shares his step-by-step process for preparing to show a house to clients, emphasizing the importance of making clients comfortable and efficient time management. He discusses checking for HOA fees, taxes, and showing notes, using showing time for organization and feedback, and calculating potential mortgage payments to ensure the client's interest. Adam also highlights the value of turning on all lights and opening doors to make the property look its best and allow clients to freely explore the space, ultimately aiming to guide them in making informed decisions.

Takeaways

• 🏡 The importance of turning on all the lights and opening all the doors in a property to make it look its best and to make clients feel comfortable.
• 🔍 Checking for an HOA and its maximum price limit to ensure the client's budget aligns with the property's requirements.
• 💼 Considering the impact of high taxes or special assessments on a client's comfort level with the property's financial obligations.
• 📝 The value of reading showing notes to gain insights and stay organized, as well as to provide feedback to sellers through automated questionnaires.
• 📲 Utilizing showing time to streamline the scheduling process and maintain a record of who has shown the property.
• 📱 Using a mortgage app to calculate potential monthly payments for clients, ensuring they are aware of the financial commitment before proceeding.
• 🚫 Advising against showing properties that clients cannot afford or are not interested in, to save time and resources.
• 🤔 Allowing clients to explore the property freely, without constant guidance, to give them space to consider their options and preferences.
• 🛠 Preparing in advance by checking tax rates and HOA information, but saving detailed property research for after the client has expressed interest.
• 👥 Recognizing the role of agents as comfort providers and decision-makers for anxious buyers, especially first-time homebuyers.
• 🔄 The necessity for agents to be efficient, often checking out and moving between properties quickly, and being prepared for the next showing.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the video by Adam?

The purpose of the video is to demonstrate to new real estate agents the process of handling a client's request to show a house, including the steps taken to prepare for a showing.

Why is checking for an HOA important when a client sends a property for viewing?

Checking for an HOA is important because if the HOA has a maximum price limit, it could affect the client's eligibility or comfort with the property's payment, especially if it's at the limit of their budget.

What does Adam suggest doing after checking for an HOA and taxes?

After checking for an HOA and taxes, Adam suggests reviewing the showing notes, which many agents overlook, but are crucial for understanding the property and providing organized feedback to the seller.

Why does Adam use ShowingTime for scheduling showings?

Adam uses ShowingTime because it streamlines the process by automatically sending the request to the seller, keeping everything organized in one place, and automatically sending questionnaires to agents for seller feedback.

What is the significance of running numbers through a mortgage app before showing a property to a client?

Running numbers through a mortgage app helps the agent to calculate potential payments for the client, ensuring that the client is not wasting time viewing properties they cannot afford or are not comfortable paying for.

What does Adam do upon arriving at a property before the client arrives?

Adam turns on all the lights, unlocks all the doors, and opens everything up to make the property look its best and to make clients feel more comfortable and free to explore the property.

Why does Adam avoid walking with clients while they are viewing the property?

Adam avoids walking with clients to allow them to explore the property freely without feeling rushed or pressured, and to let them absorb the property's features without constant commentary.

What advice does Adam give to sellers about preparing their property for showings?

Adam advises sellers to turn on all the lights and open all the doors to make the property appear more spacious and welcoming, as not all agents may do this preparation themselves.

How does Adam handle clients who have questions about a property during the showing?

Adam has already checked the tax rate, HOA, and ensured the client can afford the home before the showing, so he can address most questions on the spot. If there are specific concerns, he will follow up with the listing agent afterward.

What is Adam's strategy for managing time efficiency during a busy day of showing properties?

Adam focuses on the properties that the clients are interested in and defers detailed research until after the clients have expressed interest. He also uses technology to set directions to the next listing while the clients are viewing the current property.

What does Adam believe is the current disservice in the real estate market among agents?

Adam believes that many agents are not properly preparing properties for showings, not following up correctly, and not making the property look good in the right light, which are essential services for which they are paid.

Outlines

00:00

🏡 Client Outreach and Property Preparation

In this paragraph, Adam, a real estate agent, explains his process when a client reaches out for a property showing. He discusses the importance of checking for Homeowners Association (HOA) fees and tax rates to ensure the client's budget aligns with the property's costs. Adam emphasizes the use of ShowingTime for scheduling, which streamlines communication with sellers and provides valuable feedback through automatic questionnaires. He also mentions the strategy of calculating potential mortgage payments using a mortgage app to help clients gauge affordability before wasting time on viewings. The paragraph concludes with Adam's intention to demonstrate his step-by-step approach to showing a property effectively.

05:01

🔑 Enhancing Client Comfort and Efficiency in Property Viewing

The second paragraph delves into Adam's tactics for making clients feel comfortable during property viewings. He shares that he allows clients to explore the property freely after turning on all the lights and opening all the doors, which helps them feel more at ease and consider the property without feeling rushed. Adam also touches on the importance of not overwhelming clients with too much information upfront, instead focusing on addressing specific questions that arise during the viewing. He stresses the role of agents in guiding buyers through the decision-making process, especially first-time buyers who may be anxious. Adam concludes by discussing his method of quickly moving between properties, ensuring a smooth transition for clients and maintaining efficiency in his work.

Keywords

💡Agent

An agent in the context of this video refers to a real estate agent, who acts as an intermediary between buyers and sellers of properties. The agent's role is crucial in facilitating the process of buying or selling a home, as they help clients navigate through the complexities of the real estate market. In the script, the speaker is an experienced agent sharing insights on how they handle client inquiries and property showings.

💡Client

A client in this script is someone who is interested in buying a property and reaches out to the real estate agent for assistance. The term is used to describe the individuals whom the agent serves, guiding them through the process of viewing and potentially purchasing a home. The script emphasizes the importance of understanding and catering to the client's needs and preferences in the property search.

💡Property

In the real estate context, a property refers to a piece of land or a building that is for sale. The script discusses various aspects of properties, such as their prices, HOA fees, and tax rates, which are all critical factors for clients to consider when choosing a home. The agent in the video uses a specific property listing as an example to illustrate the steps they take when a client inquires about a property.

💡HOA (Homeowners Association)

An HOA is an organization that manages and enforces the rules and regulations of a community, often associated with condominiums or housing developments. In the script, the agent checks for the presence of an HOA and its fees because they can affect a client's affordability and decision-making process regarding a property. The agent mentions the importance of discussing HOA fees with clients upfront to avoid any surprises.

💡Escrow

Escrow refers to a legal arrangement where a third party holds and regulates the payment of funds required for two parties involved in a transaction. In real estate, escrow is used to handle the transfer of funds and documents during the sale of a property. The script mentions that the agent is using a property they have in escrow to demonstrate their process, indicating that the property is currently in the process of being sold.

💡Showing Notes

Showing notes are comments or instructions provided by the seller or the listing agent about the property that is being shown. In the video script, the agent emphasizes the importance of reading showing notes as they can provide valuable information and feedback about the property, which can help the agent better serve their clients.

💡Showing Time

Showing Time is a scheduling system used by real estate agents to coordinate and manage property showings. The script mentions the use of Showing Time as a tool to streamline the process, ensuring that the seller is informed and that the agent can keep track of who has shown interest in the property.

💡Mortgage App

A mortgage app is a software tool that helps potential homebuyers calculate and understand the financial implications of purchasing a property, including estimated monthly payments. In the script, the agent uses a mortgage app to run numbers for clients, providing them with a clear idea of what their payments would be for a particular property, which is a crucial step in the homebuying process.

💡Interest Rates

Interest rates are the percentage of the loan amount that a borrower pays to the lender over time for borrowing money. In the context of the script, the agent mentions contacting a lender to get current interest rates, which is an essential factor in calculating the affordability of a home for clients.

💡Walkthrough

A walkthrough refers to the process of physically inspecting a property, typically done by potential buyers or lessees. In the script, the agent describes their approach to conducting a walkthrough, emphasizing the importance of turning on lights, opening doors, and allowing clients to explore the property freely to make an informed decision.

💡New Build

A new build refers to a property that has been recently constructed and is often marketed for sale. The script mentions new builds as an example where doors are often left open to make the property appear more spacious and inviting, which is a technique the agent suggests adopting during property showings.

💡Listing Agent

A listing agent is the real estate agent who represents the seller in a property transaction. They are responsible for marketing and selling the property. In the script, the agent discusses the importance of following up with the listing agent after a client has shown interest in a property, to facilitate further negotiations or to ask questions about the property.

Highlights

Introduction of the video's purpose: to show new real estate agents the process of handling client inquiries for house showings.

Common client approach: sending a screenshot of a property from online platforms like Zillow or realtor.com.

Importance of checking for Homeowners Association (HOA) fees and maximum price limits for clients.

Assessing property taxes and special assessments to ensure they fit within client's budget.

The significance of reading and utilizing showing notes to gather feedback and stay organized.

Use of ShowingTime for streamlined scheduling and automatic feedback collection from agents.

Calculating potential mortgage payments for clients to gauge affordability before showings.

The strategy of turning on all lights and opening doors to make the property look its best.

Avoiding walking with clients to allow them to freely explore the property without feeling rushed.

The practice of unlocking and opening all doors to enhance the spaciousness and accessibility of the property.

Suggestion for sellers to prepare their property for showings by turning on lights and opening doors.

The approach of not overwhelming clients with information upfront, focusing on their comfort during the viewing.

The role of agents in guiding buyers to make informed decisions about properties.

The necessity for agents to be prepared with property details post-viewing for any client inquiries.

Efficiency in transitioning between properties by staying organized and prepared for the next showing.

The responsibility of agents to make buyers feel comfortable and supported throughout the home buying process.

Call to action for feedback on the type of content provided, specifically for new agents.

A critique of current market practices, emphasizing the need for better showing techniques and client follow-up.

Transcripts

what's going everyone Adam here so I

want to make this video to kind of show

brand-new agents what it's like when a

client reaches out to me to show a house

you know let's be honest a lot of people

and nowadays are getting auto email from

Zillow and realtor.com and all these

websites so a lot of our clients reach

out to us with a property the screenshot

and send it to us so these are kind of

the steps I take went right when someone

sends me a property to kind of prepare

my client get ready for a showing so

we're gonna use one of our properties we

have an escrow right now cuz it makes

easier so it's listed at 400,000 people

call if I'd at 400,000 the first thing

I'm gonna look at and see if there's an

HOA reason why I check if there's an HLA

because if they're max price is $400,000

you want to talk to your lender before

this then anything with an H away or

maybe high taxes are gonna bump them out

of their comfort zone on their payments

so the first thing I'll do is check if

there's an HOA if not and I'll click

over here and check the taxes luckily

our property really has no special

assessment so we have the standard tax

rate in Riverside County then the next

thing I'm gonna do is check go all the

way down and check out showing notes a

lot of agents do not read the showing

notes I don't know if they're too lazy

or whatever it is because all my

showings in use showing time and I get

probably 20 text messages in the last

few weeks hey I love to set up a showing

for two o'clock at this property and I

always the right back you showing time

reason why we use showing time because

that's gonna go straight to the seller

and then the other reason why it kind of

keeps it more organized so when I can go

back and see who showed my property I

have it all in one spot and the nice

thing too about showing time is that

it'll automatically send out

questionnaires to that agent asking

about the property so helping my seller

I'd get a little bit more feedback right

so then after that we do we send it out

scheduled the showing and then we go see

it the one thing that we will also do is

that if it's a house and my clients have

sent and it's maybe like at a price

point that might be a little bit too

high for them or

the tax is a little bit different or

there's an HOA what I'll do is to save

myself time is that I'll run the numbers

through my mortgage app tailor a modern

lending will always tell me what their

interest rates are I'll calculate it out

I'll send it out to them saying hey this

would be your payment on 1 2 3 Main

Street it's just something you want to

go check out and they say yes or no the

reason why you want to do that is that

you want your client to know if they're

not wasting time or you're wasting time

driving out showing our property that

they can't afford or don't want to pay

that much so and then so now we're gonna

go out to the property and I'm gonna

show you what I do step by step when I'm

showing a property because I think a lot

of agents don't really know based on

when I'm seeing people show properties

what is the most effective way that I

have learned over the years is the best

for the show house so next time you see

us it'll be the property alright so we

just got to our listing so what I do

when I'm meeting a client is that the

first thing I do really quickly is I run

through the property turn on all the

lights right and another little thing I

do I don't know why that's kind of nasty

I always put toilet seats down or in a

wad and hate walking the restrooms

bathrooms for my clients to see with

toilets them number one thing I hate

when I see property photos on the toilet

seat up so the reason why I've run in

and turn on all the lights and I don't

walk with my clients is because I want

to get the property to look in the best

light possible and I know that's with

all the lights on i unlock all the doors

I open everything up there's nothing

worse than when your clients kind of

walking from their health timidly like

not knowing what things are like is this

a bathroom is this a bedroom so I go

through and open all the doors up so

that my clients feel more free when

they're walking the property so when I

come in I'll turn on hallway and I'll

come through really quickly and I'll

leave my clients at the door while

they're soaking in the property I don't

need to stand there and tell them it's a

kitchen obviously they know what a

kitchen looks like see a lot of agents

that are always oh this is a kitchen

this is the bathroom things like that

and obviously clients know that they're

not stupid so I open all the doors turn

on all the lights so now when my clients

walk the property they're seeing the

property in the best light possible so

note for sellers - if someone's going

comes to your house not every agent does

this so if you know you have a showing

that day turn on all the lights right

open all the doors make these people

feel super comfortable

do you notice when you go look at a new

build they don't ever have any doors the

reason I did that one it makes house

look bigger and to they do it because

then everyone's kind of free walking

through the property so for most time I

allow my clients to walk the property

I've already walked it fast enough to

see if there's any questions that they

might ask about the property and a

standard home like this is a brand new

bill there's gonna be no real questions

right I'll even come back to the back

door and I'll unlock the door open the

door up so my client can move freely

through the property and so they can

think about what they're seeing and not

thinking oh what's going on here and it

makes our clients feel as comfortable as

possible you know not a lot of clients

when I used to show a lot of houses I

would try to know as much about the

property as possible nowadays people

just know so much about that one or two

houses are looking at that I don't do

that homework until after they light it

right I've already checks the tax rate

in the HOA I know they can afford the

home and so then when going back maybe

it will maybe there's an area that maybe

there is question if it's permitted

maybe there's some questions about the

property and then if I say if they

really like the property then we'll move

forward an asset cellar or the listing

agent some questions to kind of help out

the information the reason why I don't

do that before because sometimes we're

looking at 10 properties in one day we

just don't have enough time and we need

to really save our time and energy to

focus on things that actually make us

money so these are just kind of things

that I do when I show a property to get

my buyers the most comfortable that

they're gonna go in the houses and it's

our job as agents to let them know hey

this is a good house for you or hey this

is a bad house for you have to remember

this is a very scary moment for a lot of

buyers especially if they're young

buyers this is their first time doing it

it's our job to make them feel

comfortable I'm making the right

decision and that's really what comes to

our job because nowadays their clients

are seeing stuff on the internet we're

not really the synonym properties

anymore our job is when we come into a

property turning all the lights on

making them feel more comfortable

opening all the doors and then if they

feel like it

edge

on the right decision that they need to

make sure they come in at asking price

should they not show the asset holding

cost and then when we go down the escrow

process with paperwork and home

inspection and those kind of able so

this is what I do every single time

someone writes sends me over a text want

to see a property check the property

check the showing notes check the HOA

shake the taxes set the property up and

then when I get to the property I walk

in turn on all the lights on open all

the doors to make my buyers so it's real

possible and then while they're walking

around I'm literally ninety percent of

time on my phone looking and setting

direction to the next listing so then

when I get to my car they're not waiting

on me right and then what when my buyers

go through the property I'm going behind

them turning on off turning off all the

lights and shutting doors so then we can

move quickly to the next property so

hopefully this video helps guys out if

you want more of these type of videos on

if you're new agent what I do Anza

listings how I prepare for listing

appointments things like that please let

me know because I think there's a real

disservice that's going on with a lot of

agents in this market because what we're

seeing is no one shows showing notes no

one follows up correctly no one's making

the property look good in the right

right light and these are the things

that we really need to get paid to do so

hopefully this here helps comment below

like it share it I really appreciate

that and until next time peace

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