Read the blog below:
Anthony: Listing agents, stop, stop with forcing people to see homes at the open house on Sunday. We’re causing mass hysteria. People are getting mad. It’s not helping your reputation, it’s not helping your listings. For every listing that’s out there, especially single families, there’s like 400 buyers interested in every single family, 200 of which want to see the property. Even without COVID, you can’t take 200 people through a property in a two-hour period.
Now, I know we’ve all been guilty of it. Okay, I’ve done it. I’ve done it with properties I flipped. Sometimes you have to do it because sometimes you’re in a situation like I mentioned on a flip, where there’s construction and things like that getting done. Come with me. The construction is not done, maybe the cleaners are going through Thursday, Friday, Saturday. I don’t know what it is, but here’s my point, it’s become a regular practice. It has to stop. I’m telling you all, I’m pleading with you listing agents, even in my own company, you are hurting your own reputation.
People already have a negative connotation in their head about realtors. When you force them and you say, “You’ve got to come at this time between”– Listen, I’m the one 11 months ago that said controlled showings, et cetera. I still mean that because we still have Coronavirus to be concerned about, but you’ve got to create more time for people to see properties. You don’t want to be taking all these people, forcing them into a short window, and then they’re all angry.
Now, you might hear that and you might say, “Well, what does it matter? I don’t care. My job is to sell the property. My job is to get the most money for my seller.” Blah, blah, blah. I hear you, but you’re overdoing it. We’re doing it too much. It should be an exception to the rule. It shouldn’t be something that’s constant. It’s making buyers infuriated. It’s making buyer’s agents infuriated.
What we need to be doing, as I’ve said in other Crush It and real estate videos is we need to be working together more than ever before. Buyer’s agents and listing agents need to be talking. You need to be working together, communicating what are the buyer’s needs? What are the seller’s needs? Making sure that they are prepared for what another’s needs are and working together. Forcing people into these time blocks is crazy. It’s too much. We’re overdoing it as an industry. Buyers are infuriated. We got to stop doing it. Let’s open it up.
Let’s get it, so that homes can be seen in more time blocks. Homes can be seen with regular showings. This isn’t 11 months ago, every realtor is accustomed to being careful in making sure that people properly see a home and locking up properly, and not touching every single thing while they’re in the home. We don’t have to be as crazy about it.
Right now, there’s a lot of people getting mad and they’re getting mad at realtors and I’m telling you all, it’s not helping us.
Guys remember, so many of you were doing business 10 or 15 years ago. From 2007 to 2012, you were just happy to have a showing. We all used to, “Oh, they want to see it. Hi, nice to meet you. Come on in.” We’d be happy, nice. We’re getting cocky, we’re getting cocky. Tone it back. Let’s be more accommodating as a whole on all sides particularly with listing agents. Get people into properties more, let’s work together because remember, someday we’re going to be happy just to have a showing again.
We’re nowhere near that. We’re years from that, but it’s going to happen again. Let’s not poison buyers and sellers and hurt our own reputations. Let’s get people in to see homes, let’s get it so that the majority of them that want to see it can see it, and then we’ll be able to complete more transactions, help more buyers buy, help more sellers sell, and help our industry as a whole. Thanks, guys. I hope you listen to me. Happy home selling.