Noted

So you're meeting with some buyers for a showing. They're excited because after several letdowns they think they may have finally found their dream home. And you're excited because they're excited. As you walk up to the front door, you take in the beautiful landscaping and the smell of flowers in bloom dotting the side of the driveway. Your buyers then anxiously wait as you wrestle the key from the lockbox. The key ejects, you unlock the door, turn the handle, open the door . . . only to be greeted by an alligator sleeping in a cat castle. You scream, your clients scream, the alligator screams . . . and mayhem ensues.

You quickly flee the home desperately looking up the number on your smartphone for animal control. You ask yourself how an alligator could have possibly gotten into the home as there are no signs of forced entry. This doesn't make any sense. As you wait for animal control to arrive, you call the listing agent to tell them about the horror you have just witnessed. As you frantically explain the situation, the listing agent cuts you off and says, "Oh, that's just Buttons, the sellers' pet alligator. He's harmless." You angrily reply, "Why didn't you tell me the alligator would be present during my showing?!?!?" The listing agent responds, "Well, if you had read the agent notes in the MLS, you would have known that the owners have a nocturnal pet alligator named Buttons who will be present during showings . . . and he also likes belly rubs."

Obviously this scenario is an over-exaggeration, although I'm sure someone somewhere at some point has entered a home with an alligator in it. But the point is, if the buyer agent had simply read the agent notes prior to their showing, they wouldn't be heading home in soiled underwear right now.

Look, I get it. We're all busy. And when you're busy, it's easier to just turn on auto pilot. How many of us have scheduled a showing without knowing anything about the property other than its address? I'm sure we have all done that at some point. I'd be lying if I said I didn't. But as minute a detail as it may seem, double checking the agent's notes section on the MLS listing is something we should all be doing. After all, that section is there for a reason. Whether it be to inform agents of an offer deadline, preferred settlement date for the seller or the fact that the homeowner has a pet alligator named Buttons that likes belly rubs and will be present during showings, those notes often provide important details and insight about a property. Often the agent notes will tell you what you need to know without having to call the listing agent to glean the information from them. But as important as it is to make sure you are checking for notes, it is just as important to make sure that as the listing agent you are leaving them.

We've all had those listings where our phone is ringing off the hook. Agents want to write offers, and they have questions that go with those offers. Have you ever had more than one agent ask the same question about your listing? If only there was a more convenient way to communicate that to them and mitigate the parade coming out of your phone's speakers. Hmmmm. You get my point.

So the next time you schedule a showing, or at the very least before you submit an offer, look up the property on the MLS and see if the listing agent has anything noteworthy to read. You might just save those satin silk undergarments of yours.

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