Agent Managed Open House Policy for Agent Assisted FSBO Sellers

[ryanser]

Thank you for your reply. The building management does require someone to be present in the lobby to accompany clients back and forth to the apartment. My husband can be present to fulfill that role. It is somewhat farcical that your company finds it "awkward" for the owner and an agent to both be present. This occurs commonly in Manhattan open houses and really just requires the smallest modicum of social skills. My husband will just shepard the clients up and down from the lobby. On a related note, your email states that the owner cannot be "physically present". Does that imply that the owner can be "spiritually present"? This is not the most sophisticated articulation of a policy that I have seen. An experienced real estate agent would know that in Manhattan someone is always present in the lobby to accompany prospective clients. Always. Thank you.

See below for original response from your support team when I submitted a listing update request on your website (per instructions) for an Agent Managed Open House this Sunday (names changed around of course):

Dear Ryan,

You've requested an agent-managed open house! Please note that the complimentary open house service is only available for the first two advertised open houses for your listing. We require a minimum of 4 days’ notice, and the service is subject to availability of our partner brokers. The duration of the agent managed open house is 2 hours, and the specific time slot depends on availability of our partner broker.

Just a quick refresher on logistics: an affiliate agent will meet you at your home approximately 10 minutes before the open house start time to collect keys. During the open house, the agent will manage a sign in sheet and take note of any follow-ups. They will provide you with a copy of the sign in sheet at the end of the open house, at which point you will meet them and collect keys.

Important note: we are unable to assist if your building has any special rules for open houses, including but not limited to:

· Agents are required to wait in lobby for attendees

· Agents are required to escort guests to/from the apartment

· Agents are required to submit any building paperwork before or after the open house

· Open house is by appointment only

· Multiple agents are required

We are also unable assist if you intend to be physically present during the open house, as it would be highly unusual and uncomfortable to have both the owner and an agent present at the same time.

For answers to commonly asked questions about our agent-managed open house service, please refer to this Hauseit Customer Service Support Thread: https://www.hauseit.com/forum/forum/hauseit-customer-service-support/159-how-do-agent-managed-open-houses-work-for-hauseit-flat-fee-mls-customers

If you’d like to purchase an additional agent-managed open house, you may do so here: https://www.hauseit.com/product/rent-an-open-house-agent/

Can you kindly confirm that you would like to proceed with an agent-managed open house and that you agree to the procedure outlined above? Once confirmed, we will coordinate availability with our partner broker and reconfirm with you as soon as possible.

Thank you!

Sincerely,
Hauseit Support Team

[HauseitAdmin]

Thank you for your feedback! Since your husband will be able to help out and escort guests to the apartment, one of our partner agents would be happy to host the open house at the requested time. Our partner broker will send out a calendar invite confirming this.

We've established these policies because it is an unusual and free perk we've offered as of this writing, which can easily be abused. Since our partner agents are not being paid for their time, we certainly want to be respectful and make the best use of their time.

We've encountered situations before where a building may require two agents, and the owner wished to relegate the partner agent to the role of a doorman, greeter or escort.

Other times, owners have requested a partner agent even when they planned to stay and host the entire time, thus relegating our partner agent to some sort of bodyguard role.

Believe it or not, this sort of behavior does happen, which is why our policies have become so specific.

Thanks again for understanding, and please know that these stock responses are not directed at you, but are in place to make sure that our services are sustainable and available for everyone. Thank you!