Can you go to an open house without an agent? Yes. But there are many implications to consider if you choose to tour a home without a licensed agent to represent your interests.
To make a home more readily available to prospective buyers, many sellers put the house on a secure SUPRA lock box. This allows the home to be included in MLS scheduling platform(s) to easily offer available times for showings, avoiding the potential hassle involved with multiple showing requests. Additionally, many home-sellers have all but eliminated “by appointment only” requests as it creates an additional scheduling barrier.
Insist that your agent uses the SUPRA Electronic Key for access - This is the most common form of access for all agents. You and your agent will then have documentation of every agent that shows the house with a buyer, as each entry is logged.
Manual combination boxes: While these are relatively easy to use and cheap, they require communication to provide the combination lock number. This becomes a barrier to an immediate response. Furthermore, accessibility cannot be controlled. You don't know who, what, or when someone has entered the home. Buyers and agents can access the home repeatedly, with or without your knowledge, and can be easily provided to others for access. This can easily pose several risks that can easily be avoided by employing the SUPRA lock box system.
HomeTraq provides the superior home-shopping experience, at no cost to you. Simply find a property, take a live video tour, and make an offer. No obligations, no commitments. 
The day you decide to list your home for sale, is the day it is no longer your home. Everything now needs to be focused on making it the next buyer's home.
Some of these simple tips will provide the ease of access that the Modern Home buyer expects. They all want instant gratification and will not wait hours or days to schedule a home showing.
Scheduling platform: utilize the automated scheduling platform provided by your agent, and for ease of scheduling for the buyer's agents. Have your agent set you up on the automated scheduling, making sure you receive notifications of all appointments via text or email. If you chose to approve each, be sure to respond immediately to any requests and to make available as many times as possible on the calendar for immediate scheduling by a buyer's agent. For example, if you are at work most of the day, open up the schedule for all day availability. Make the home as show ready as possible at all times.
Consider it to be classified as a "Go and Show" on the scheduling platform. This way, a buyer's agent can access it almost immediately, without having to wait for a confirmation. Most buyers conduct their home tours in the late afternoon and early evening or on the weekends. Take this into consideration when setting up the schedule. Make it as available as possible for buyers to come have a tour.
"Procuring cause" is a real estate term which agents, brokers and sometimes buyers use to determine who will receive the commission on a house sale. It is widely identified by the specific tasks performed by a real estate agent which lead to an accepted purchase contract and successful sale of real estate.
In many cases, the "procuring cause" task could be identified as the first showing of a house by a real estate agent which a buyer purchases. "Procuring cause" could also be construed to mean the task of writing and negotiating the purchase offer. Since there is no hard and fast rule as to what specifically triggers "procuring cause", its easy to see how this situation can get tricky.
As a seller, you'll want to know exactly how the agent will sell your home. Is a direct mail campaign appropriate? Why or why not? Where and how often do they advertise? What kind of photography do they offer? Do they market online? What steps will they take to prepare your home for sale?
Open Houses - Have your agent or their associates hold an open house as often as possible, but definitely from time to time. These bring in prospects that are not yet willing to commit to an agent, but are interested. However, do understand that open houses are mostly to attract buyers for the agent, and doesn't necessarily get the house sold. It definitely doesn't hurt, as it could lead to buyer or a referral to another prospective buyer.
An open house provides a buyer with the opportunity to gather quite a bit of information on a home in a short amount of time. The listing agent often will be present and ready to answer questions, which will allow a buyer to get his or her full attention. The information needed to make an informed purchase might come immediately rather than waiting for a buyer's agent to get back to them.
Broker/Agent Open Houses - Have your agent promote the new listing to the broker/agent network. Getting them there can be as valuable as having the right buyer walk into your home, as they may already have a buyer looking for your exact house!
You can call the selling agent to setup an appointment to view a home, but not having your own representation could be tricky...
When you speak to an agent at an open house, call an agent for more information about a house, or ask an agent to show you a home, you might be opening a can of worms for yourself if you don't intend to buy a home through any of these agents. Don't make the mistake of leading an agent on, even unintentionally, because it can come back to bite you.
The real estate agent and brokerage who have a home listed for sale represent the seller and that person's best interests. The listing agent is contractually obligated to report to the seller all activity & material facts they learn about the local market and potential buyers.
Many buyers wonder if the listing agent of a home they are interested in will show the home to them. The answer is "yes", as the listing agent is obligated to show his or her client’s home. A listing agent is hired by the seller to work 100% for the seller’s best interests.
Additionally some buyers wonder if they can save some money by going directly to that seller's agent to buy the home. On the surface, the thought of cutting out the "middleman (a buyer's agent)" may sound like a way to save time and money. While it may save time, the buyer will NOT save money on that specific purchase transaction.
Interviewing potential real estate agents before deciding on whom to hire is a good idea. It’s in your best interest to ask them some or all of the following questions to gauge their knowledge and fit with your needs. Take a look below, and let us know if there are any other questions you’ve found valuable when interviewing agents.
Coming Soon listings continue to become more common as the local housing inventory tightens. It causes concern among buyers, sellers and real estate professionals. It has prompted real estate commissions across the country to issue guidance on the topic. Here’s what you need to know to keep informed and to understand all sides of the equation.
