following up and for accountability reasons. If an agent
leaves the lights on and the doors open at one of your list-
ings, you’ll have a good idea of whom to call and repri-
mand. For an example of a showing log template, see
Appendix C.
Follow Up with Showings
Even if you are familiar with this topic, chances are you
don’t practice it. Many real estate agents will let other agents
shop their listing with buyers and not follow up to ask them
how the buyers liked it. Feedback is important, not only to
satisfy your sellers’ curiosity, but also to help you gauge
what the market is saying about the listing. You won’t know
your listing is overpriced if no one tells you it is.
Get Constructive Feedback
Ask the showing agent for constructive criticism. This is
an opportunity for the agent to tell you the good along
with the bad. This information could assist you in getting
a much needed price reduction from your seller. The most
useful feedback is the bad feedback, such as the paint color
being tacky, the dog or cat smell being overwhelming, or it
being too cold or hot in the house. Make the seller aware
of what feedback you received, because these are often
areas that you can get the seller to take care of. This type
of feedback is critical to help you sell the listing.
You can make it easy for the showing agent to follow
up by sending them an e-mail with a questionnaire for
them to answer. Send the e-mail the day of the showing, so
the feedback comments are still fresh in their minds.
The Real Estate Agent’s Guide to FSBOs