Commercial Lepage Realty Royal

Posted onNovember 21, 2011 - 8:26 am by Admin | 0 Comments

Rick Waters, a Realtor with Royal LePage Westwin Realty in Kamloops. B.C., rarely previews houses. “I don't generally preview homes unless the clients are from out of town. So not to waste their time for an unnecessary drive, I can give them more insight into the home, advice if I have gone out with them, and I know if it is more suitable than not. I have previewed on occasion for clients in town if they work during the day, if I have time, and it (the home) just came on that morning/early afternoon in a hot market. Then I give them a call at work to get them info and information about getting them in ASAP if needed.”

Realtor Reconnaissance

Like Waters, Michael Poczynek, a Real Estate Specialist with Century 21 Northumberland in Summerside, P.E.I., never previews houses and says he doesn’t know anyone who does. “I would say adamantly no (to previewing) because nine out of ten times, when someone tells you what they are looking for, they end up buying something totally opposite. I’ve had people come to me looking for the 100+-year-old bed and breakfast or house and they end up buying a 2 bedroom chalet on the water. As I’ve said before to my vendors – it’s not your opinion on the house, it’s not my opinion on the house, it’s what the market’s opinion is; in other words, what the buyers think of the house.”

Poczynek continues, “When you are dealing with a retail buyer, they are making the decision not based on business and facts and profit and loss statements, they are basing it on emotion. Although they may think that they want that beautiful old house and maybe they want to run a B&B, once they see that beach house, particularly in my market which is mainly recreational waterfront, they throw the whole B&B idea out the window and buy something different. I’m not dealing with Joe Homebuyer who is looking for a house for his family in Edmonton; it’s a little bit different here.”

Is Previewing a Good Use of Your Time?

Some Realtors consider previewing a good time investment. David Hennessey, a Realtor with Re/Max Crest Realty in North Vancouver, B.C., shares his thoughts. "I spend a lot of time consulting with my clients to find out what are important features and benefits for them in their next home. They appreciate me checking out property for them to see if, for example, the floor plan suits their needs. This saves them time and energy and I like my client’s home buying experience to be as stress free as possible. After previewing I report back to clients and they decide if they want to take the time to see the home. If they decide 'yes' as a result of my previewing, I know not only if the floor plan matches, I also know where any special features of the home are located like access to crawl spaces and switches for gas fireplaces so there is no delay in our viewing.”

Hennessey continues, “Even if a client decides not to view the home, previewing a property is never a waste of time for me since it gives me increased insight as to what is on the market and how it looks so that when it sells I can help home owners who want to sell their home with me know better how their home compares to previous sales. This to me is better than just looking at a listing printout since it is important to know how good the floor plan was in a recent sale, if the home was professionally staged, etc."

Agent Open Houses

Lynn Bebenek, a Realtor with Team Realty K.W. Inc. in Kitchener, Ontario, doesn’t preview houses but she attends agent open houses. “The Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Board offers agent open houses four mornings a week. I try to get out to see at least three or four of these each morning. I specifically choose homes to view that are in the price range of my buyers. If I see something that I think my buyers would like, I recommend that they see it. I e-mail buyers listings within their specifications and they choose what they want to see. I do not preview these homes. It might be helpful if I did, but I let my buyers choose or discard themselves. We know our buyers wants and needs ahead of time, but we only really get a feel for what they like when showing them homes. Often buyers buy something completely different from what they initially thought they wanted.”


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