When I show homes, I lock the front door behind me. I do it because early in my real estate career, the door opened up a couple of times only to have a stranger or two walk into the house. The couple of times it happened, it was just a neighbor wanting to get a look at the home.
Just a neighbor. Just a problem, the way I see it.
Fortunately, they didn't mean any harm, but I didn't like the feeling of a stranger following me into someone else's home while I was with buyers. So that's why I lock the door. It's safest for everyone.
The other day, I was showing a bungalow in SE Portland's Sellwood neighborhood. The house just didn't work for the buyer, but as we were talking in the dining room I saw two women peering thru the window and into the home. I knew they saw me and I knew they wanted in.
They knocked on the front door as were leaving. The women said, "Hi, we want to see the house. Will you let us come in?"
I said, "No. I'm sorry. I'm not the listing agent and I can't."
"Thanks," they said looking at me as if I had just thrown insults at them. I was the bad guy.
My buyer kind of chuckled at their reaction, but didn't say anything. It didn't bother me either, but why would I let them into someone's house? My buyer, after all, was pre-approved, serious about buying, and I knew him. These women were strangers to me, probably not pre-approved, not serious, but only curious as they biked across the neighborhood. If I were the homeowner, I wouldn't want them in my house.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
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5 comments:
Good move Salvador. I wouldn't have let them in either. But I would have asked them if they were in the market to buy a home. If they were I would have asked them if they were working with a Realtor...........
They probably just needed to use the bathroom. Geez.
What an intersting story. Thanks for your neat postings.
Charles
Interesting. Let me ask you a question. I like to check out houses before I have the listing agent show them to me. WHy waste everybody's time, if it's not going to work. When the house is clearly vacant, I have been known to peer in windows, and even let myself into the backyard if the gate is open. Is this frowned upon? I was certainly never attempt top enter the home itself without permission.
Checking out a home by looking into the windows is fairly common; I know because I hear this a lot. I won't suggest doing it, but you should be careful. Houses that appear to be vacant are sometimes occupied. There's been a time or two when I was showing what was supposed to be a vacant home only to find someone inside- it's a bit alarming.
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