I was contemplating moving from Chandler, AZ to Scottsdale, AZ so I was apartment hunting. Ugh! I’m not sure what Arizona real estate developers were thinking back in the 1980s and early 1990s. I must say that the Mark Taylor apartment complex on Rural Road (Ray and Rural Road) was one of the best. It felt more like a condo which reminded me that I wanted to rent a condo or town home. I began my search for renting a condo or town home.
Wow! I thought real estate agents would know that you must “stage” a property before you show it. Even though I was only thinking about renting a condo or town home, I could have been open to purchasing one. As my law professor would say, “…too bad, so sad.”
If you’ve been paying attention to the news then you know Arizona is a state that has been hit hard by the real estate debacle. Why wouldn’t you make sure a property is “clean” before you show it? I met this one agent from a supposedly “classy” agency (think Biltmore) and the property was filthy! I was looking to rent it, but as I said I would have considered purchasing. The agent was not personable and the property was very dirty. The wallpaper looked like it was from the 1970s. Plus, the electricity was turned off! The agent used the light from his cell phone to show me the bathrooms and bedrooms. I stood there and thought, “…you can’t be serious.” Needless to say I did not rent that property and was not interested in any other ones he wanted to show me. This was a real estate turn-off!
When you show a property, make sure it’s clean and the lights are on so people can see what the bathroom and bedrooms look like. If you’ve been in real estate for a long time you should already know this. It’s like real estate 101.
I learned a lot from traveling around Arizona. First, I can be a real estate agent. I’m personable, and I have common sense not to show a dirty property. Second, I’m not into high-pressure sales tactics. This is a fast way to lose a potential client. Finally, I’d make sure the electricity worked and the property was clean. I would not show a dirty property!
If you’re a real estate agent and are not making the sales ask yourself “why?” What’s the condition of the properties you show? How personable are you? What’s your energy like? Upbeat? Desperate? Take a good look at yourself and answer the question, “…how did I lose a real estate client in less than one minute?”
Rebecca
How clean were the properties that you visited? How friendly was the real estate person? Share your experience.