Why I Won’t Show You A Duplex Until I’ve Met You

Missing Arkansas Realtor Beverly Carter

While I’ve blogged about this topic before, last week’s news was a great reminder why no Realtor should ever meet someone at a property, simply because he or she called.

Arkansas Realtor Beverly Carter went to show a home, and has been missing ever since.

I don’t know the circumstances that lead Ms. Carter to show the property. However, this sort of thing seems to happen to a handful of Realtors every year.

Think about it. Someone calls a Realtor about a sign in front of a property which, if not totally vacant, will be when the sellers leave for the showing. And the caller, a total stranger whom the agent has likely never met, expects he or she to drop whatever tasks are at hand to meet them there and show the house or duplex.

The caller often offers the Realtor no proof that he or she can afford the property through either a bank pre-approval letter, or, in the case of cash, proof of funds.

In fact, I had a call exactly like that over the weekend. The caller alleged he had cash, but wasn’t willing to provide proof. When I asked him to meet me at my office first, he was resistant. So I politely ended the call as quickly as I could.

I truly believe the vast majority of people are good at heart, and I would be just fine showing them a property. But it’s always those few lone individuals we hear about in the news who make all of our lives more difficult.

And frankly, no real estate transaction is worth my life.