Keep You and Your Clients Safe – Schedule Your Showing Appointments
With the burgeoning spring market and low property inventories, temptation to skip past the rules and forget common courtesy can get the better of us. But showing violations are a serious matter and shouldn’t be taken lightly. For your own protection and the safety of your buyer clients, please remember to follow the MLS & Key Service Rules.
When ignoring the showing instructions that are displayed in the MLS, you put yourself and your clients in harm’s way. For instance, there may be an aggressive dog on the property, there may be an alarm system you didn’t know about because you didn’t call first, and there might be a skittish homeowner who has a weapon.
In addition to these risks, if you enter the property without an appointment, you are trespassing. There have been situations where the homeowner called the policy to report an unauthorized entry.
Things that are never allowed:
• Showing properties without an appointment
• Giving lockbox combination codes to clients
• Allowing clients to go alone to properties
• Giving Supra Keys to either an assistant or client and allowing them to open lockboxes in violation of the rules.
What are the consequences for a violation of this nature? You may wind up answering to the members of the MLS Committee during a hearing. The Key Service rules start out with a $500 fine. This is in addition to liability issues. You may also be liable if something happens when an unauthorized showing happens and your key was used to access the property. Further, imagine your embarrassment if your client is visiting a property without authorization and gets in trouble for trespassing. You may have to defend yourself when it turns out the client is bitten by a dog that would have been removed if the showing had been authorized. You also risk assuming liability if there is a theft of the seller’s property.
What should you do if you encounter an issue like this? Email a detailed account of the issue along with any appointment records and/or a report from the Supra box showing who opened the box. Email the complaint to mls@dfwre.com.
Avoid a messy situation and remember these rules:
• ALWAYS Make the required appointments as directed in the “Showing Instructions”.
• NEVER give lockbox combination codes to clients or any other third party.
• NEVER allow them access to a listed property without you.
• NEVER loan your Supra key to anyone.
Remember, your access to these homes is a privilege. The MLS and Key Service rules are in place to protect you, the Seller, and the Buyers.
Please enjoy this thriving market while it lasts. Don’t make mistakes that can deprive you of your ability to reap the benefits of a healthy market.