Seven Ways To Ruin Your Listing Tour

Written By: Realty Times

The Internet is a great tool for looking at homes for sale, but sooner or later, youre going to have to get offline and tour listings in person. That means youll have to find a real estate agent to get you past the lockboxes. Sounds simple? Not really. Here are six ways you could turn your house-hunting trip into an epic fail.

Calling the listing agent -- Listing agents represent the seller, not you. Some states allow an agent to serve both you and the seller if youre willing to sign a disclosure to that effect. Depending on what kind of agreement you sign, the listing agent cant advise you anyway and could be obliged to report back to the seller every word you said.

Listing agents also want to sell their own listings, or their brokers listings, so you may not get the full picture of whats for sale. You may not get to see their competitors listings until theyve exhausted showing you the in-house listings first.

Taking your kids along -- Kids get cranky, theyre distracting, they have to be fed, they wet their pants, and they break stuff. And letting them "pick their rooms" when you havent even made an offer is just stupid. It confuses them and opens you up to a lot of miserable "But Daddy, " questions later. Which you deserve.

Taking a slew of >- Its okay to take Mom and Dad to see homes, especially if theyre coughing up the down payment for you. But be an adult and do the first-viewings without them. You can select your own home, cant you? On the second pass, you can show them the ones youre most interested in, and invite them to weigh in with their opinions.

Keep in mind that the more people you bring along, the more opinions youll have to listen to. Theres no way to please everyone, so matter which house you pick, youll offend someone that you didnt choose their favorite.

Staying on your phone -- Millennials were born with cellphones in their hands, but you miss a lot when youre paying more attention to a screen than in screening houses. Texting means youre distracted, and making the most important purchase of your life is not the time to Instagram your friends. Taking pictures makes you look like youre casing the joint for a robbery, so save the selfies for when your offer is accepted.

Eliminating ugly homes too fast -- Fixer-uppers can be treasures, or dont you watch any HGTV? Dont diss homes because the paint or wallpapers outdated -- that can be easily changed. The beauty of ugly homes is that the price is usually low enough that you can afford to make your own updates. A little DIY could be good for you. Just think of the bragging rights youll have as your friends ooh and aaah over the changes you made.

Not trusting your REALTOR -- If you dont trust your agent, you picked the wrong one. You do stupid things like take your own car while viewing listings, missing out on valuable information your agent can share about the area, the home, and other homes for sale or that have recently sold. Youll also learn more about how your agent does business. Take notes. If you want to talk privately, simply ask the agent for a few minutes alone.

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