It might not be wasting the agent’s time. An agent wants to impress the seller, since the listing may come up for renewal, or the seller may know someone who might need an agent. And sellers are impressed by how many showings are arranged. So more showings might make the agent’s position better.
And even though the looker might not be intending to buy that property, they might want to look at something else. And the agent might be able to develop a relationship that could lead to business down the road.
It’s certainly not illegal, and I think it would be more ethical to express your intentions up front.
Are the window dressings open? I have no shame when it comes to going to empty houses with for sale signs and looking in the windows. I figure they want people to look at it and I’m not wasting anyone’s time. Sometimes a neighbor who has a key comes to see what I’m doing and will offer to show me around. I’ve never had the police show up, but maybe its just where I live.
I also do this in the middle of the day on weekends. The police have never shown up and my curiousity is satisified.
I think you should have just told her this. If she’s any kind of saleswoman, she should see this as a fairly promising lead and shown you the house. Especially for one that has been on the market for so long.
Why aren’t you ready to buy now, and why do you think you might buy in the future?
I worked at an answering service for ten years and for every single day I worked there I talked to people who were “interested” in houses but had absolutely no intention to buy. Some people just like to look. The realtors know this.
Now here in Canada you have to be pre-approved for a mortgage before they will spend (or waste if you prefer) their time showing you around. I don’t know if it’s the same way in the US- I know a few years ago you could simply point at a house and say “that one!” and you could get a mortgage for any amount by virtue of having a pulse. But realtors could, if they wanted to, drastically cut down on lookie-loos by insisting on a mortgage pre-approval up front. If the OP has that then there is no problem; the agent should appreciate the opportunity to brush up on their sales skills.
I’d say it’s poor form. If there’s a possibility that you’ll buy this house, then it’s OK. But if you’re really not in the market, you’re just dragging someone out to the house for your amusement. Possibly she could schedule an appointment with an actual buyer in that time frame. Saturdays are when everyone wants to look at houses.
There is a range of situations where you can say “I won’t be buying”
You, I presume, have the money/credit to purchase this house. You are genuinely, positively interested in the house, that is, you’re not looking out of a need to see how bad a trainwreck it is inside. You also need to live somewhere.
You’re as likely to buy as anyone she’s going to show the house to. Come Saturday night, you could be posting about how you’re going to buy your dream house.
The business is also as much about networking as selling. You see this house, she’s nice to you, helpful, you like her, you will go to her the next time you look. She’s not selling you the house, she’s selling herself (boy that sounds lousy).
*Ask for advice from a Financial Advisor, then hanging up and doing the trade on your e-trade account.
*Spend 20 minutes talking the difference between LED/Plasma TVs from the salesman at hhGregg, then hopping over to Best Buy to purchase it because it’s cheaper there.
*Browse through books at your local bookstore, then going home and buying the e-book via Amazon.
The link you supplied showed pictures. You are free to browse through them, or drive by the house and look around, with no pangs on your conscience because you’re doing nothing unethical. But asking for a showing when you have no intention of buying? That’s crossing the line, especially since you know already that you won’t be using her services in the future (because of the unprofessional way she handled your call).
There’s a difference between browsing at a bookstore and taking someone’s time to get advice, unless you’re taking the clerk’s time to get recommendations, in which case it is the same. I’ve spent time at Barnes and Noble and Borders getting ideas for projects and lesson plans, but I don’t waste the clerk’s time unless I need help finding a section.
That’s my thought as well. If you’re looking at the house because you might possibly want to buy it for yourself, and you have the means to do so, then you’re a legitimate prospective buyer. I wouldn’t think twice about it. FWIW I bought my condo under similar circumstances – I wasn’t actively working with an agent but I could buy a place if I came across one I really liked. I happened to like the one I saw.
OK, with this info, no, it’s fine. It would be different if you just wanted to see inside some million dollar mansion for the hell of it. This sounds like a house you might actually buy, thus you’re legit.
It is an interesting property, but I can see why it wouldn’t have broad appeal. Tell us how the showing goes.
So if I go into a clothing store, try on a dress, return it to the rack without ever bothering a sales clerk, then go order it online, I’m not being unethical?
I disagree. That store has provided a service above and beyond what an e-tailer can provide (e.g. providing the physical product so that you can look at it, feel it, try it on). It costs them money to provide that service, even if it’s just the lights and air conditioning. You undercut them when you turn around and buy the item you’ve just browsed somewhere else. And it won’t be too long before that store won’t be around for you to try things on if you continue to do this.
Kind of off-topic: I bring this up because I have twinges of guilt related to Amazon (and later, the Kindle). Amazon’s very competitive pricing is driving my local bookstores out of business at an alarming rate. I have personally switched about 90% of my book purchases to Amazon, so I know that I’m part of the problem. On the one hand, I think that the internet is here to stay and companies are just going to have to learn to adapt. On the other hand, it bothers me to see local companies being driven out of business at the hands of the impersonal e-brother. So my new rule of thumb is that if I find it there when I’m browsing, I’ll buy in there even if I know I can get it cheaper on line.
Yeah but in this case, the OP can’t go anywhere else if she buys this house. If she wants to make an offer then she has to go through the selling agent who showed it to her, that person is under contract with the owner and the OP can’t get around that. She can bring in her own buyers agent later but the sellers agent still gets a cut, so it’s not really the same situation as browsing the brick-and-mortar store and buying on Amazon.
Which does bring up another side point – if the OP called the selling agent directly then the selling agent knows that either (a) OP does not have her own buyers agent, or (b) maybe OP has another agent but isn’t involving this person for this particular house, possibly to try and cut a deal. The selling agent could have asked what’s up, “Are you working with an agent?” is perfectly fair and non-pushy question to ask a house-shopper.
Whoa there, DWMarch — Canada is a big place. Maybe that’s how it is where you live, but not where I live (apparently in a different area of Canada).
As for the OP, well, obviously, real estate agents would prefer to show their listed homes only to serious buyers with pockets full of cash, but real estate agents don’t get to run the world. I see nothing wrong with viewing a home that you’re interested in. If you’re interested enough to take the time to phone and set up an appointment, then who knows? You might just change your mind.
I think foxy is being unethical and is placing a burden on the realtor and the homeowner. She should be upfront with the realtor. The realtor may then agree to show the house as a getting-acquainted kind of thing (or not), assuming foxy may decide to use that realtor next year.
If there were an open house I think it would be perfectly OK to show up and see the house, even if you’re not currently buying.
Anyone who wants to see a house I have listed is welcome, whether they want to buy or not.
It would be nice if they were honest about it, but that’s not a requirement. It would also be to their benefit if they were, as many people who are “just looking” are potential future customers, and I might be able to suggest something they prefer, or they might be able to suggest friends who are buyers.
In other words, bring 'em on, and let the agent sort 'em out.
I was in sales and I welcomed calls from people who were just looking or just asking questions. Even if they said they weren’t in the market for something like my product now or possibly ever. Even if they said they had no idea what possible good could come of the call, etc. I was in sales. That’s what I did.
The agent will probably ask if you have a timeline. Just be honest and say you’re unsure but probably not soon. Yes, the occasional agent will be really unprofessional and not know how to cope with that information, but anyone worth anything will welcome the opportunity.
Yikes, I don’t get why folks are getting all huffy over this. Like others have said, just tell the realtor up front that you’re not yet at the “buying” stage but you want to get started on the “looking” stage, and I’m quite certain she’ll be fine with that.
Might I ask what you find so intriguing about this particular house? From your link it seems pretty… ordinary.
