One of the routine questions you ask at an open house is "who's your agent" to see if the prospect that just walked in the door is represented or might need your help in their home search. Lately a high percentage of open house visitors have come right back with a name and company, but I have to conclude the accompanying agent is invisible because there usually isn't someone there. A licensed real estate agent dedicated to serving the customer doesn't send clients out on their own to randomly visit open houses.
The agent that cares about clients will always accompany them on an open house tour, following a plan to cover homes both the agent have viewed online and discussed so the size, location, amenities and price of the homes viewed match the client's criteria and synch with the mortgage amount pre-approved. The most important thing agents have to offer their clients is information - things a client might not know to look for or consider. That information is best utilized on a tour of a home where speficic questions that might influence a purchase decision can be asked and answered. In the worst case, where the client insists on flying solo, a highly professional agent will preview each home and have a good idea of what the clients will be seeing and what potential issues will need to be addressed to make a wise purchase decision.
The digital age has made home shoppers much more savvy and able to direct an agent to look at certain homes that appear, at least on their computer screen, to have the right stuff. However nothing beats the personal touch of having an individual that knows the real estate business and the neighborhood so well they bring some assurance that this big purchae is the right thing to do. So, if you are shopping for a home in Hawaii and going to open houses is your thing, count on me to not let you go off like the Lone Ranger. I will never be that "invisible" agent.
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