Don’t Ask this Question, Lose Money

It happened again. I won’t elaborate on where, although it is tempting to ask what is in the water there, but, yet again, I open my email and have to handle it. Again. And it is my fault because I have a newer agent whom I did not prepare.

For the umpteenth time in my career, a buyer who contacted us on touring a home, has played footsie with us getting an appointment confirmed, and seemed refreshingly eager to see the place, has dropped the bomb we ought to have avoided.

There it was in my inbox at 6:26 AM:

Hi, we’re going to view the property with our RE agent <name>  at 7pm today. Are we going to meet you there?

Here’s the kicker. It isn’t our listing. The buyer inquired via an IDX site, so the only way to earn a living with them was to represent them on the buying side. So, yet again, I am reminded to teach my buyer agents to ask the following question at first contact:

“Are you working with an agent?”

Had we asked, we would have saved time, money, and a headache. Forewarned is forearmed!