Not in the least Dr. Karen!  Every house we view is a learning experience what they may like or not, and if it doesn't work for this client it may be a fit for another buyer I am working with.  Showing 82 homes to a wonderful couple over a six month period is my personal record, and I would do it again!  

OMG, no..... never experienced that. 

Sanity is more important than 1 sale !

Wow, 50? 

Oh, never happened to me - show a few condos and if they don't like it - put them on hold. 

Hypothetically - never had that experience. 

In case I'd have - after a few showings will drop them...

Hypothetically, yes. And for more just that reason alone.

That last time I showed that many properties was during the recession. I didn't can any of them though - they were legitimate buyers that wanted to see all of their options...and there were many!

Now, we're lucky to have 5 options!

Karen,

Actually a client of ours showed 80 plus properties to soneone.  They finally bought,  That earned her their undying gratitude and they have sent her good referrals. 

Yes... and not anywhere near 50 properties... at some point if they can't make up their minds, there are other underlying issues that are keeping them from purchasing.

Yes, it was not anywhere near 50. Sounds like they have a problem making a decision. I can hear it in the back of my head 'I'm not buying the first home I see'.

Yes, but drop the 50 to 5! They were just not buyers!

         When I was new to the business, I showed houses to a family every Saturday and Sunday for 3 weeks in a row.  Mom, Dad, and the kids following me in their car.

     I had taken them to the bank.  They said they were ready, willing, and able.  But obviously they weren't. 

     One of my mentors told me to drop them.  So I did!

It would end long before 50 real live show and tells! Do videos for big inventory of your own listings and you don't care if they tour 100-200 listings. Listings are king and videos help you clone yourself and provide way way more showings round the clock. 

Yes, with some client types.

No, with A+ clients...they get me as long as they need me.

I terminated once because I had been showing them property for a while, not sure how many, but the realtor before me had been working with them for 2 years.  That should have been my first clue.  I terminated them after I heard the wife say he was never going to buy anything and was trying to get their landlord to sell them the house they were in.  They were just window shopping for something to do.  Good luck!

I have, but I learned over the years to ask this question and it has saved me countless hours of unnecessary running around . . . Mr. and Mrs. Buyer. If you find your perfect home today, are you ready to make an offer tonight? Their response goes a long way to determining their degree of motivation.

No, but I had a client once "warn" me that she made their last agent show them 60 homes before making a decision.  I told them I wouldn't need to show them 60 homes.  After I showed a few homes, I knew what they liked and didn't like.  We probably didn't look at more than 10 homes because I found the house she "had" to have. 

I haven't had occasion to experience that scenario but if I had shown 50 properties without even an offer I'd cut them loose

This has never happened to me, but I would have dismissed that Buyer way BEFORE 50 showings! 

I'm on board with Wayne and Jean Marie Zuhl's answer. At 50 homes & no decision, apparently I'm missing something which we can correct & find the winner.  

While I'm sure there are some "playing games", it's their time in this too.
Bruce

No.  I also have worked with a buyer for SEVEN years before they purchased.  I ended up having two purchases and two sales with those clients.  VERY worth the time I put in.

I have potential buyers fill out a "Get to Know You" form that asks questions like, what do you like to do on your day off, hobby's, how many kids( or planning to ?) do you like the area you currently live in and why/why not? Whats the motivation for buying a house, your top 3 must haves( very telling with couples,if they don't match , they'll never agree !)  It's about getting to know them, not just showing them houses.

Yep, been there done that!

I can't remember ever showing more than 8 or 9. At 50 I'd be questioning my viability as an agent.

I have terminated relarionship for other reasons. 

No, I have not shown 50 properties to one client Karen, 32 but who's counting? My clients went back to buy the first one they saw and it was a very satisfying, fun adventure!

I only worked buyers (unless they were my sellers buying a property) for my first 6 months in the business... 40 years ago!!  and I assure you, never did I show any more than 4 homes.... after that, bye bye.... those 50 homes would equate to minimum wage income.... 

listings....focus on listings.... let the buyer agents come to you  with the buyer....  

The only way we are going to tour 50 properties is in the office while we are narrowing it down before heading out to tour the 5 that we will be looking at.

I have not Dr. Karen Lewis, Broker . I did sell a client that I showed about that many homes to. I did lose a buyer earlier this year that I diligently showed many homes too but I think he was approached by an agent who sent his hormons into overdrive (glad I wasn't his type but I put a lot of work into helping the jerk).

It would all depend on what the issue was that was getting in the way of them buying one.

I have terminated buyers but not for this reason.

It is not hard to draw a line but instead hard to enforce it...richfuscious

I've shown more properties than that in a 3 day weekend. I think my max was 74. But, to be fair we looked at a lot of new construction neighborhoods and it's easy to hit 5-7 down the same street in a new construction neighborhood. I know a lot of people say that they don't show that many homes, but in a sprawling (but still manageable sized) suburban metropolis where people are looking in all areas and there are tons of new construction neighborhoods, and when often 200+ homes fit the buyers' criteria, well... But, it happens a lot less frequently than it used to. Low inventory. -K

If they had valid issues, I might not. If I thought they were stringing me along, it would be terminated sooner. 

There is a time to let it go. Some buyers are really not buyers.

Nah, I rarely get that far though - most I think I've ever shown was about 20 over 6 months

 I generally do  residential investment loans, most of the time investors take lot of time some time 1+ year but they are committed that's all matters to me. 

I find the many different responses to this very interesting.  Personally, I haven't, nor do I think I'd be showing 50 properties to an individual.  If it is taking that many, I  feel that I'm not doing my job properly. (I'm sure another view from others that if they don't show the 50 properties, they aren't doing their jobs right)  Many different perspectives from many agents... none are wrong or right, except for the individual agent. IMO

An agent who has shown a buyer 50 properties without a sale isn't showing the right properties. I would have a heart to heart and find out what they're looking for.

At a casino, people will jump on a slot machine if they see that someone has been putting in quarters for a long time without a payout because the groundwork has already been laid for a big payout. The buyer in your situation has already seen 50 properties they don't want. The 51st could be the winner and I won't let someone else profit off my hard work.

Don't think that's ever happened in all the years I've been in business.

I show an average of 5 homes before the buyer writes.  Most was 15 but because we needed to explore several cities over a couple weekends.

Yes, but not that many, if i cant find them one that meets their criteria within the 1st couple of homes, then either my skills are deficent or they are changing the criteria....if they are changing the criteria they are not ready to buy

Early in my career, I showed this couple numerous homes.  It was typical for one to like a home, but the other wouldn't.  They'd ask me all kinds of questions about homes they wouldn't buy. 

This scenario repeated itself time after time so I finally asked if they planned on living together.  They responded that of course they did.  I said "She ain't living here.  She hates this place!  There's no point in asking all of these questions."

I found them a place they both liked and they ended up dropping out of escrow because their Ameriprise financial planner convinced them it was smarter to invest their money with him than to buy a house. 

These time wasters started calling me again, but I was so done.

Karen, yes I have terminated my relationship with buyers who I thought were serious but ended up being “serious” lookers. They would have been happy to keep looking forever. 

No.  I am with Bruce Walter on this.  In my market it could take that in addition to writing many offers before we get a buyer into contract.

Typically if I show a Buyer a profile property that they  describe is the one;  once or twice and they don't Buy it , I will cut them loose because they probably are not going to buy and I label them eternal lookers.

Yes. Eventually it comes to the realization that they aren't serious and are never going to buy anything. It usually doesn't take 50 though.

I wish we had that much inventory! 

I wouldn't just willy nilly show 50 houses, though....long before that, I would have had a conversation about how I am failing them, obviously, because they have not found a house and gone over their criteria again and point blank asked them what is it that is keeping them from making a decision. 

Usually there are some signals as to their sincerity before you get to their point...are they really looking for a house?  Are they even on the same page?  Does one spouse not want to move? Usually that surfaces long before you get to 50 houses. 

If I thought they were sincere, if I thought they were earnestly looking, I would stay with it, otherwise, I would refer them out to someone who may have a different approach and is able to get them closed. 

I terminated one buyer for less but it was a host of reasons. And I showed well over 50 homes to a couple who are friends who ultimately bought.

Yes I have.  Sometime a good deal is getting out of a bad deal.

Currently no, that would not happen.  There are not that many  choices in a particular price range. 

Each time I moved to a different state, when I first go that state's license, I would work with buyers until I could get the listings. Sometimes I would show buyers if they called on one of our listings. 

Before computers, yes, we sometimes would have to show a lot of houses because you only had one small black and white image to go by in the MLS book. Most of the time, the buyers would get the list from me, and then drive by the houses, and then narrow it down to the physical showings - to maybe 10 or 12. 

One older couple - the wife would want me to take her out to show her houses each Tuesday. My broker would tease me that all it was, was a weekly date to keep her company. She was older and very wise and I enjoyed learning about her life, etc. 

This went on for about 4 months. I never counted how many houses it was. But then she and her husband made an offer on one of the houses, then they listed their home with me for sale; there was a bidding war on their listing. They were so happy. 

I had just run away with 5 of my children from an abusive husband. We were hiding out, had a restraining order on him. , and it was a very bad and scary time. 

This older couple invited all my kids and myself out to dinner not once, but 3 times in a week to help us out. They then invited us over to their new community pool at the home I sold them, and let the kids go swimming. It was like having grandparents my children did not have. 

It was a wonderful lasting friendship too. 

Nowadays there wouldn't even be 50 houses to show any buyer- inventory is a lot slimmer.

In the past, yes. After exhausting the inventory & myself I showed them one last house that was perfect for them- matched every criteria they wanted- I thought to myself, if they don't buy this house they'll never buy any house. Not surprisingly they still had issues. That was when I said to myself "I'm done" & that was it. 

There is not 50 home son the market in most areas here , so i look for teh buyer to learn from what they see. To tell what they like, dont like and at least narrow homes we see to what they want to buy. If they are all over the place it is time for a talk and then a refferal if they are not reasonable. 

Yes, I have- but only once.

I would never do that.

Dr. Karen Lewis, Broker - as long as they are willing to work with me only, I'd never terminate the relationship with them.

Haven't expirience that yet, but if I did I would probably let them go and refer them out.

No, I have not Dr. Karen Lewis, Broker - have not terminated a business relationship nor shown a client 50 properties.  Now that could happen with snowbird clients and it wouldn't surprise me!  We have seen clients come back a few years in a row (who have rented each year) who have not yet purchased homes in age-restricted communities.  Either both parties are not retired, or they are looking for a certain model or mountain view that has not checked off all of their boxes.   

One agent I know showed at least 40 homes to a prospective buyer each summer for 6 years before they actually bought.  I asked her what she thought she made per hour with these people and she didn't want to think about it.

no

For other reasons

I like to ask the hard questions before I decide to take them on as a client.

My favorite 3 questions:

1.  What properties have you looked at with other agents and why did you not want to buy any of them?

2.  If you made an offer, what was the list price and what was you offer?

3.  What do you consider a good deal? 

Sure, I have had "professional lookers" years ago, but not recently.  I think too many agents are too eager to start showing and they are afraid to ask questions.  Not everyone out there looking for a house is a real buyer.

Yet, showing 50 homes is not necessarily overkill if they are getting closer to the target...

Eve

Once- to a wonderful friend of mine... We joked that she would never buy so we could keep going out to lunch.  She did buy and then we also manage her rental.

If you do truly beleive they wont buy, have a strong conversation with them and make your choice.  Most people have a reason why they are delaying. 

No. I have never shown 50 properties to a prospect. 

No, not yet.

I showed 100 properties or close to it, when the time came, buyer bought two homes.  It was a matter of establishing a business relationship with buyers, getting to know them as people, not as an income source, that confirmed their intent.   

I rarely work with first time buyer. Prefer to take listing and done with the saga.  I save work for other agents. 

I had buyers a few years ago when it was slower, showed 100 homes, then cut them loose.

You probably knew their weren't buyers several dozen homes ago, but it might've been worth your while to learn the market better by previewing those homes AND you never know...

No, I have shown over 75 to one couple before they found the right one.

I probably should have but I like the people so we saw 75 homes till they brought one.