Showing Tips for Smart Home Tours

Before you tour your first house, it’s best to learn a bit about showing tips and guidelines. They’ll help you maximize your time, understand restrictions, and protect your privacy, your negotiation strategy, and your safety. 

Stick to One Area or Town Per Day

Many listed homes are occupied, so appointments must be scheduled ahead of time.  Grouping each day's showings close together as often as possible will maximize your time out and to keep you from missing appointments or houses due to traffic. 

Only 3 to 4 Houses Per Day

On most days, stick to seeing no more than 3-4 houses.  Any more than 3 or 4 houses, and everything blends together, making recall tricky. Vacant houses are easier to see and may allow for some extras here and there.  However, averaging 1 area and 3 to 4 houses per day will add to the value of each outing and help you to focus on each property. 

Take Notes 

It's a good idea to bring a notebook and pen or to take notes on your smartphone or tablet.  You shouldn’t take additional photos of a seller's house without prior written approval, so don’t rely on extra photos to jog your memory.  

Pretend the Seller is Watching

Smart home products have made showings a bit more...exciting, and you never know when someone might be watching or listening in.  When touring homes, it's best to keep comments constructive and avoid talking about the price or your financing inside the property or while on the porch/patio.   In addition, each house comes with showing instructions listed on the agent-only view of the listing, and you really don’t want to be caught on camera ignoring them.  Follow the rules, keep comments kind, and assume that you’re being watched to ensure that you don’t offend or annoy the seller and start out your negotiations on the wrong foot.

It’s Best to Stick Together

Most listing agents provide detailed showing instructions to help the buyer's agent navigate the house and warn them about hazards like large dogs locked in the garage, cats that like to escape, and unsafe conditions.  However, I've been surprised more times that I can count, so it's best to stay together. As my gamer kids would say, “Don’t split the party!”