Good showing etiquette means the seller's home is treated with respect, your buyer feels prepared, and nothing said inside the house hurts the negotiation. Here's how I run a tour, every time. Signed buyer agreement and pre-approval before you book. Three to five homes, routed by geography. Arrive early, lights on. Never talk price inside. Never leave buyers alone. Score each home before you drive away. Set the next appointment before you part ways.
The short answer
The tour isn't the product. The next appointment is. Run a clean, prepared, respectful showing, and leave with a ranked list and a next step.
Step by step
Before you book 1. Buyer agreement signed. Follow current rules and your brokerage policy on written agreements before touring. 2. Pre-approval in the file. Current, in writing. 3. LPMAMA answered. At least location, price and timing. See LPMAMA. 4. Saved search live.
Building the tour 1. Three to five homes. Never more. After five, people stop remembering. 2. Route by geography, not price. Drive time kills a tour. 3. Book every showing through the listing's system. Confirm access: lockbox, agent present, tenant, pets, alarm. 4. Pull details and taxes before you go. You'll be asked in the driveway. 5. Text the buyer the list the night before. 6. Put the best home second-to-last.
At the property 1. Arrive 10 minutes early. Open the lockbox, lights on, blinds open. 2. Do the walk-up first. Look at concrete, roof, gutters, grading and siding. 3. Respect the house. Shoes off if asked. Don't open what isn't yours. No photos of personal property. 4. Assume it's recording. Cameras and audio are everywhere. No talk of price, motivation or offers inside. That happens at the curb. 5. Let them walk it once quietly. Then walk it again and answer questions. 6. Never leave buyers alone. You're last out. Lights off. Door locked. Key back in the box.
The front door check Before your buyers get out of the car, walk up and look: concrete cracking, the doorbell, porch settling, cobwebs, landscaping, siding, brickwork, grading. It takes forty seconds, and it's why people hire an agent instead of an app. Mention what you see at the curb, not inside.
The prep call (the day before) "Good news, (name), we're confirmed. (Day) at (time), I'll meet you at the front door of the first one. Plan on twenty to thirty minutes a home. Bring your questions and open every closet. Anything else you want to see on the same trip?" A two-minute prep call cuts no-shows and turns one showing into a tour.
After each home Ask: "One to ten, where does that one land? What's the one thing that moved the number?" Write it down.
Same day - Log the showing and scores in your CRM. - Send a recap with the ranked list. - Leave feedback for listing agents if requested. - Tighten the saved search based on what they reacted to. - Set the next appointment: a day and a time.
A worked example (illustration only)
Saturday, four homes, one suburb, 9:30 to 11:45.
| Home | Score | The one thing |
|---|---|---|
| A | 6 | Small yard |
| B | 4 | Busy road |
| C | 9 | Kitchen and layout |
| D | 7 | Great basement, dated kitchen |
Next step: second look at C on Monday at 5:30, with comps ready.
Illustration only.
How to explain it to your client
Before the first showing:
"A couple of quick rules so we protect you. A lot of homes have cameras and microphones now, so let's save the 'what should we offer' talk for the car. Walk through once and just feel it. Then we'll go through again and I'll point out what I see. After each one, I'll ask you for a number from one to ten. By the end, we'll have a clear favorite instead of a blur."
Watch-outs
- Never give a value opinion inside the house.
- Never let buyers go into a basement or crawlspace ahead of you.
- Kids and guests. Ask buyers to keep everyone together so nothing gets damaged.
- Pets. Don't let the seller's pets out.
- Occupied homes. Be on time. If you're running late, tell the listing agent.
- Safety. Tell someone where you'll be. Trust your gut. Step outside if something feels wrong.
- Fair housing. Answer questions about the home, not about who lives in the area. Point to public sources for schools and crime data.
This is training for real estate agents. Follow your state's rules and your brokerage policy.
Questions
How many homes should I show in one day?
Three to five.
Can I show a home without a signed buyer agreement?
Follow current rules, your state's laws and your brokerage policy. Many now require a written agreement before touring.
What if the seller is home?
Be polite, keep it short, and keep buyer comments for the car.
Should I give feedback to listing agents?
Yes, honest and brief. Don't share your buyer's motivation or price.
What if the buyer loves the first house?
Still show the rest so they can compare, unless it's moving fast. Then talk about an offer at the curb.
Brian Lee Burke is the founder of PadLeaders, a Colorado real estate broker licensed since 2003, team leader of The Kenna Group at Keller Williams DTC (formerly Kenna Real Estate Group) and the author of Mastering Real Estate and The Real Estate Playbook. More about Brian.