Conspicuously Missing: The “I-Want-To-Meet-My-Interior Decorator” Showing
Once upon a time, Buyers’ agents who wanted to get their clients into a “For Sale” home simply logged onto MLS; selected the home they wanted to show and the requested time and date; and clicked “submit.”
No more.
Now, MLS has a pull-down menu (above) listing no fewer than nine types of showings, including “(first) Showing,” “2nd Showing,” and “Walk-Through Inspection.”
New & Improved
What’s the point of all that detail?
It lets the Seller (and their agent) know whether the owner can stay put (permissible for Agent Previews), as well as whether the Seller should go to the trouble of getting all the lights on beforehand (strongly recommended for a 2nd showing, not so much for a 1st).
When listing agents see “Appraisal” ” typically with next to no notice ” they know to hustle over to the house to walk the Appraiser through the Comp’s, and any other relevant activity.
And, when Sellers see “Inspection,” it underscores they need to “vamoose for up to 4 hours, to let the Buyer and their Inspector(s) do their thing.
Showing Type #10
For all that specificity, though, I’d argue that MLS’s current list still omits one, very common type of showing request: Buyers who want to meet their interior decorator (or other contractor) at the home prior to closing.
At least in my experience, Sellers typically accommodate such requests provided: a) all Buyer contingencies have been removed, including Inspection and Financing; b) the Seller is not in the throes of moving; and c) the Buyer makes one (vs. multiple) such requests.
See also, “Proper (& Improper) Purposes of Realtor Previews“; “Bell Curves, Home Showings, and the Odds of Getting an Offer: Why Home Sellers Shouldn’t Get Too Excited About a 1st Showing“; “Home Buyer’s Final Walk-Through Inspection“; and “What’s Between a First and Second Showing? Answer: “Showing 1.5.”
