September 6, 2011 in Blog by admin

Why Won’t You Show Me the House?? The New Reality

The good old days when you could “pop up” and show a house to anyone that called you are over but for some reasons potential Buyers don’t understand why calling any random agent will not gain them access to the house they saw as they were driving by the street.

So to all you potential buyers that think the Realtor that you called is being mean, picky or whatever other adjective you might want to use, here are the reasons why they just won’t go along and show you the house despite the fact that you assure them that you qualify to buy it.

1. We only show homes to “qualified buyers”.

So, what is a “qualified buyer”? In today’s current lending environment it means someone that has the ability to payback the loan, the credit score to substantiate the lender to risk lending them the money and the only way you will find out if you are a “qualified buyer” is to actually speak to a lender and give them your financial and job history. Every lender will have small variations of what the criteria is so bite the bullet and find out if you are a “qualified buyer”.

Real Estate agents are not trying to be difficult. Beleive me we would love to show you the house, but only if you are able to buy it today not in the distant future. Put yourself in the seller’s shoes. Showings are going to disrupt their daily schedule enough. You want your agent to only show your home to buyers that can actually buy the home, not to curious strangers and neighbors that are just wondering what your house looks like because they like the outside.

The days of being a “pop tart” agent, i.e. Popping up and showing a house to anybody and everybody that calls to see it, are over. You must have a pre-approval before I can show you any house that is listed in the multiple listing service to protect my seller, myself and ultimately you! Falling in love with a home that you can’t buy because its beyond your affordable monthly payment or price range or because you can not get a mortgage does a diservice to everyone!

Oh, and if you plan on buying cash please be prepared to show me a bank statement from your bank or brokerage firm that you have the available funds in your account. Their are specific guidelines that must be followed in a cash transaction so again you have to show me proof that you are able to actually “buy” the house cash within 30 days or less. Every contract requires either a proof of funds or a pre-approval letter when you submit it.

Unfortunately, this is the new reality and agents are not being difficult, mean or lazy, we just want to “sell” homes not merely “show” them.