Thread: Realtors: You can no longer be Tour Guides!

Many times in Real Estate we`ve all been a "Tour Guide".
Many people think that they can contact a Realtor who will drive them around all day long so that can get "New Designer ideas, Compare their homes with others,maybe think about moving, or have nothing to do accept kill a few hours". They couldn`t care less if they`re wasting our time, why should they, many have little or no respect for what we as Realtors endure! How we earn our livelihood is meaningless to them!
We train our agents not to get involved with people who need "Tours", it`s been my belief that when someone won`t allow us to pre-qualify them, or basically undecided if they really want to purchase, than I`d rather have our agents pass! I want our agents looking for buyers who we can close within the next 30-90 days, then to have a pipeline of potential buyers that could take years to close!
I can`t tell you how many hours I spent learning that at some point you have to "Cut a Client Loose". I once spent 7 months with a buyer, took them to countless homes on Saturday`s and Sunday`s, all hours of the day and night, only to have them purchase a FSBO! They showed no concern for me, nor did I ever receive a "Thank You", they did call me when they had an appraisal issue, and needed my advice! At that point, I learned my lesson! After 10 years of experience, I try to shield our agents from people like that.
We received a call yesterday from a women who`s daughter just purchased a home in Sunrise, Florida. They purchased a home several weeks ago and from what the mother tells us will be closing next week. Her urgentency in helping her daugther was very apparent. She wanted us to send an agent out with her to locate homes that compare to what her daughter purchased. She didn`t like the home and wanted her daughter to cancel a legal and binding contract. We explained to her that if her daughter canceled the contract she`s in jeopardy of losing her deposit.
The mother`s response is typical of what`s going on in today`s market.
Me: We`re sorry, if you`re daughter is under a contract to purchase a home that is closing, we can`t take her out,our agents are showing other potential buyers.
Mother: The problem is my daughters Realtor won`t show us anymore homes, we`re not sure we want this one. What type of Realtor are you?
Me: The fact that you`re other Realtor won`t take the time to see other homes means that she`s attempting to tell you that you have a signed and legal contract to purchase a house! She doesn`t want to waste her time.
Mother: So you won`t have someone drive us around to see other houses? We may cancel the other home. Don`t you people work on commission?
Me: Again, are you willing to cancel the existing contract and quite possibly lose your deposit?
Mother: Absolutely not! We just want someone to drive us around today!
It`s hard to explain to a person, that Realtors are no longer "Tour Guides", we can`t be! Our jobs have changed over the course of the last few years, riding people around for the sake of driving is no longer an option!
In our market Saturday`s are our busiest and we can`t afford the luxury of "Tour Guides". In the case of this person,her concerns are that she just wants to compare other homes that will please herself not her daughters!
Her preception of what a Realtor`s job description is that we`re not here to earn a living,but only to cater to other peoples whimes!
How have you changed over the last few years? Do you still take people out without actually qualifying them?
I know Real Estate offices that encourage their agents to do just that,thereby wasting the agent! It`s called the "Churn N Burn" method, these offices are the same that recruit a 100 agents a year,praying that 10 st ick! No wonder so many new agents leave the industry!
Back to the mother and daughter. I`m positive they located an agent that spent 5 hours driving them around on a busy Saturday afternoon.
I`m glad it wasn`t one of ours!