We live in a rural area, and this warning is important! If your home is for sale with a realtor, don't let anyone in to see it without an appointment. All buyers should have to come thru with an agent (your agent or another one). Don't let any strangers in please!
The other day a seller client told me that she showed her home to strangers off the street who knocked on her door and expressed interest in seeing the place without an appointment. She accommodated them. We don't know who they are, or even if they were qualified to buy. She just hoped they might be the ones. I told her to never do this again. Call me a suspicious New Yorker, but the risks outweigh the opportunity when you show you home to strangers with no appointment.
Prior to scheduling a showing, we verify the credentials of showing agents, their contact information, and their licensure. Nobody gets an appointment without verification. If it is our own buyer, we verify their identity, their financial qualifications, and their identity. Otherwise, I might as well have a hitchhiker in my car. To not take these measures I expose my firm to severe liability and clients to undue risk.
What can go wrong by letting strangers into your home without a proper appointment? Plenty.
- Theft
- Violence
- Vandalism
- "Staking the place out" for future theft
- Identity theft
That last point is a new one, but once someone can get a bill or some other personal item off your kitchen table you have the seeds of a far bigger problem than a stolen necklace.People who can't set up an appointment and insist on dealing directly with the owner of a listed property may not have a screw lose, but they are trying to pursue a fallacious angle, namely that bypassing the agent gives them an advantage. The bottom line is that while they may not hit you over the head, they are almost certainly wasting your time.
J. Philip Faranda, Broker-owner, J. Philip Real Estate, LLC. 2010 Vice President, Westchester Putnam MLS. Read my short sale blog here. J. Philip Serves Briarcliff Manor, Ossining, Croton, the River Towns, Westchester County, and the bedroom counties of New York City.Subscribe to the 40 Somethings Group. Reach Phil at (914) 723-8900.
All content/images, unless noted, are the property of J. Philip Faranda & may not be used without permission
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Erica Ramus is Broker/Owner of Realty Executives in Pottsville, PA.
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Erica * this type of warning can not be repeated too often. Realtor safety should be paramount and protecting the property owner by knowing who is visiting their home is a courtesy that is also a risk reduction for the agent.
Erica, sound advice, that's for sure. Thanks for the post.
Good advise to all homeowners.....all showings need to have a real estate agent present....why would anyone even think of doing a showing without one present????
Thank you for this post. I am always very cautious and will not take "strangers" to any house, even an empty vacant one!! I am very, very fortunate that the majority of my business is referral. However, buyers who call are screened, make appointments. I get phone numbers, emails, etc. When I meet them at my office and I have any concerns, I make copies of their driver's license, ask a rookie agent to accompany me (I work in a very large office and there's always someone around) AND I always inform someone of my showing schedule. It amazes me that BUYERS who normally follow what they have been taught from childhood.......DON'T OPEN THE DOOR TO STRANGERS.......lose all common sense and let strangers in to view the house!!! I have had sellers do this also and inform me later.
Erica,
People think it's ok because my husband is here, well the odds change drastically if the person viewing your home is carrying a weapon. NEVER NEVER NEVER open yourself up to this kind of danger. My thoughts go back to a young married couple with a young child doing a For sale by owner in a rough neighborhood. A man who was obviously high as a kite tried to force his way in the house while the husband was at work simply because he saw the sign. This could have resulted in very serious consequences. I told them "I don't care if you list with me or not but for God's sakes rip the dumb sign down and never ever let a person in your home without the prescreening of a Realtor" The loony tunes go to the For sale by owners and the even more brazen ones go to the doors of the listed homes without consulting with the listing Realtor.
Thanks for the shoutout, Erica. This is an important subject, especially if you don't have help nearby.
Great reblog, I hadn't seen this. I would be nervous enough about the people my agent is bringing in, never mind complete strangers with no prior contact. This should be a no brainer!