Real NEastate: Can I ban the lazy agents from showing my home?

Q: Some of the real estate agents who come show my home up for sale in Torresdale do not turn off the lights and/or do not leave their business cards. I have complained to my real estate agent about their laziness but she said she can’t do anything about it. Can I ban certain agents from showing it? Just these lazy ones?

A: Not every real estate agent showing and selling homes knows the business well and I won’t defend that type of agent. But there is a possibility here that one, or some, of the agents who have shown your home actually do know what they’re doing but may simply not have remembered to shut off lights. Especially if lights were on when they got there. It’s a possibility you can’t afford to discount.

To ban specific agents because you believe they’re lazy is working against your goal. Since you don’t know who your new buyer will be, you also don’t know who their agent will be, either. You don’t know any of the agents who have shown your home well enough to determine their level of commitment to their business or how much business they do in your area. Really you’re just banning potential buyers.

While it is truly a hassle for you to have to check after these agents to make sure the lights are off, it’s worth it if one of them sells your home. It really doesn’t matter which agent brings your future buyer to see your home, it just matters that the buyer is able to access the property with their agent.

Tell your agent to add in the Multiple Listing Service: “Please leave card and turn off lights.” Then tape a reminder next to the door. That could help a little.

Stacey McCarthy is a real estate agent with the McCarthy Group of Keller Williams. Her Real NEastate column appears every Wednesday on NEastPhilly.com. See others here. Read other NEast Philly columns here.