I don't think it's the norm in most areas of the country for the seller's agent to be present at showings. We've made several home purchases in several different states and have never encountered a listing where the selling agent was also present. That doesn't mean it can't be done, it's just not the norm.

My mom did it when selling the old family home several years ago. She was elderly and of the old school, did not want strangers traipsing through her home without her agent present. Her agent had no issue with working with my mom and being present at each and every showing. Although I'm sure there are some agents that would not do so.

I personally wouldn't want the extra agent around if I was looking at your house. One more person to "muddle" the picture. Some buyers may feel that they can't talk freely with your agent around. And to be honest, it really doesn't matter that the shopping center doesn't bother you, it matters that it doesn't bother the buyer.

But if it's what you want, talk to your realtor and get his perspective on it. He may have no issue, but then again he might.

From a realtors stand point, it makes showing your house more difficult. Appointments then have to be coordinated with the buyer, the listing agent and the sellers agent, not to mention trying to coordinate a "definite time" that they will reach your house. Its difficult because typically you're not just showing 1 house, you have 5 or 6 or even more. (this is the reason usually a time period is given, between 1:30 and 2:30) If your listing agent happens to have appointments to show some of his/her buyers on the same day that the buyers agent wants to show your home, usually, the appointment doesnt happen. You are risking loosing that appointment forever. The buyers will not speak freely about what they do or dont like about the house. Most agents coach their buyers not to say anything in front of the Listing agent.

The buyers agent (or showing agent) typically represents the buyer and the listing agent represents the seller. As a buyers agent, I would coach my buyers not to speak much about anything to the listing agent. People tend to say the wrong things without even realizing it and they then loose negotiating power.

I recently lost a very high end buyer because the listing agent had to "accompany the showing". When we got to the house, the buyer and the listing agent started hugging and kissing. Apparently, the agent didnt know they were looking and the buyers didnt realize she could show them anything. I stood there thinking to myself, well I can kiss this one goodbye. It makes me think twice about showing homes with accompanied showings now.

As a buyer, I wouldn't feel comfortable with it. I would want to feel able to speak freely with my agent, and I wouldn't want to if someone else was there. The buyer's agent should be able to answer questions about the neighborhood and questions about the house can always be passed on to your agent if the buyer's agent can't answer them.

If you're particularly concerned about buyers missing details about your house, you might ask your agent about putting them on the flyer somewhere. Two of the houses I looked at yesterday had extra information printed on the back of the flyer. One had floor plans with square footage information for every room. The other had a long list of bullets entitled "Things I Will Miss About [Address]." I liked the floor plans; the bulleted list made the seller sound a little odd. Both houses had some poorly-done remodeling, though, and no amount of extra information could have overcome those problems given their asking prices.

When we sold 2 yrs ago our contract stated our realtor would be at all showings. On 2 showings he couldn't make and called to ask if that was okay. We agreed.

It's a bad idea for the reasons that linda and sovra stated. You don't want to put upany impediments to showing your home. Vacant homes are usually the easiest to show, you definitely don't want to make it harder.

Our current home did not have a lockbox. The sellers wouldn't permit it. The listing agent had to be present at all showings. In my opinion, that and a few other mistakes they made cost them dearly.

Their loss, our gain.

In our market, it's not unusual. But Linda's observation that coordinating schedules makes things more difficult is on point. I remember touring homes as a buyer, and roughly half of our showings were two-agent showings. We squeezed in a couple of 'maybe' houses just because they were unaccompanied and fit between scheduled appointments.

We bought one of those.

Don 't do it... The buyers will breeze right through the home because they feel like thier every word and reaction is being listened to.
Getting a buyer to make that leap from looking at a home to making an offer requires the buyer to switch from the analytical part of the brain to the emotional part of the brain. The buyers will have a hard time letting thier emotions "get the better of them" if there is some stranger following them around the property.
Linda117... you don't use Buyer Agency Agreements?

I think it has less to do with the area of the country and more to do with the price of the house relative to the local market. You will see it in the high end tier of each market. When the commission being paid is in the mid/high five to six-figures, sellers and buyers expect to see listing agents at the house, even if the house is vacant.

My listing agent in Mass was at all showings. I'm looking to buy in CA and listing agents have been in all the homes. I don't mind them. If my agent has not seen the house before, the listing agent will give a quick tour with highlights. If my agents knows the house, then the listing agent hangs out in the kitchen and lets us walk around.

Linda117... you don't use Buyer Agency Agreements?

NCRealestate guy, unfortunately, they are uncommon here. We have them, but they arent widely used yet. The problem with trying to use them is the majority of agents arent using them. As soon as you bring something out to ask the buyer to sign, they get skiddish because they can go to the next agent who will ask them to sign nothing. We are lagging behind.

We had our agents at all showings when we have sold our homes(and here in Maine I believe they have to be at all showings). They should be there, they are selling the home to potential buyers. Who else can give actuate information when there are questions? And no they don't follow the buyers around hanging on their every word. It didn't cause any problems. Our houses sold. NancyLouise

They should be there, they are selling the home to potential buyers.

Actually, the listing agent is marketing the home, primarily to other agents. The buyer's agent is considered the selling agent. Of course Maine law may be different.

Yes

Would it be too much to ask that any realtor I hire go to every showing?

Is the house empty?

What's the norm in your area, and most importantly,

How badly do you want to sell your house?

My agent had packets of information on the kitchen island for people/realtors to take home with them. Our house was empty so I wasn't worried about having to run around and pick up before showings. We had a lockbox on the door to make it easy for potential buyers to see the house whenever it was convenient for them.

I would just go with the flyer/info book with lists of relevant info (upgrades, amenities, surveys, floorplan, etc.). I've never had a listing agent at a house when I was buying, nor would I consider asking mine to be there. My agent's job is to market the house to other brokers and agents so that they can in turn market it to their buyers.