Gauging Buyer Interest
“Please leave lights on. There are multiple showings today.”
–Note to Buyers’ agents on Kitchen table at a newly listed home
It’s certainly not as important as knowing 
whether a home is in multiple offers, but one of the things Twin Cities home Buyers are running into these days — especially Buyers looking in a market segment where inventory is tight — is the newly listed home with a TON of early interest.
So, instead of giving Buyers’ agents the lockbox location and code, and directing them to “leave a card, turn off lights, and make sure Boots the cat doesn’t escape,” there is a handwritten note — prominently displayed — telling agents to leave everything as they found it because there are multiple showings that day.
So, are there?
Context, Context, Context
As with multiple offers, it ultimately comes down to plausibility and context. See, “Are There Other Interested Buyers?”; “Is it REALLY in Multiples? How to Tell.”
If the home just came on the market, is well-priced, shows great, is in a popular neighborhood, and has no close competitors, yeah, it’s plausible that lots of Buyers are lined up to take a look.
Conversely, if few or none of those attributes are present, I’m more dubious.
P.S.: Aren’t a slug of Realtor business cards on the Kitchen or Dining Room table also an indication of showing activity?
Usually.
But see, “Putting Your (Colleagues’ Business) Cards on the Table.”
