Oklahoma Metro's showing assistant is a wonderful tool for buyers. However it is useless unless the listing agent knows how to set it up and use it correctly.

For those of you who don’t know what the Showing Assistant is, here is a brief description.

The Oklahoma Metro association of Realtors has invested in one of the best MLS listing systems in the country. This system lets Realtors who are looking for homes that meet your criteria, scan the homes on the market in just a few minutes. In the old days, this was all done on paper and it took a lot of dedication for a real estate agent to find a home that might interest a buyer.

Once we have searched the new computerized MLS and found homes you the buyer would like to see, we can click on the Showing Assist link and it lets us schedule a date and time that will fit your schedule.

If the listing Realtor has taken the time to set up Showing Assist correctly, it will show a grid of times which are available to schedule a showing. If that time is already blocked by another showing, or a request to show, the time slot will be blocked. It is quick, easy and efficient to use and makes scheduling for a buyer a smooth process.

Some Realtors just have a note in Showing Assist that asks you to call them for a showing. This is very frustrating because it puts another lengthy step into the quick process of scheduling. If I am scheduling late at night, I don’t want to call. Many say call the office which closes at 5:00, so scheduling after 5:00 involves the night service sending a message out.

A lot of times we don’t get any response to phone messages we leave and we have to keep trying to call or email. Many realtors are very restrictive about the contact information they put out for us to even see so contacting them can prove to be very difficult and frustrating.

As a Listing Agent who has used Showing Assist from the beginning I must say that it has made my life EXTREMELY easy for me to help my sellers in selling their home. I know how to set it up and customize it for every listing. And I can respond to it no matter where I am or what I am doing. I’ve done it when out to dinner with friends, visiting out of town or in meetings.

I ask in the MLS listing that Realtors use Showing Assist. When they click the link, they select the time. If it is a vacant home and I have previously arranged with the sellers to let Realtors show anytime, then they will get an automatic and instant confirmation at the same time that I get the request to show. They don’t have to wait for me to answer my phone and spend time on the phone. Boom, it is done and they are confirmed!

Now for the listings that are occupied, I get an immediate text and email that a Realtor has requested a showing. It includes their contact information for me to know who it is and when they want to show.

I always discuss with my sellers ahead of time and explain this situation to them. If they don’t mind getting texts, and many prefer to in this day and age, I immediately forward the Showing Assist text to one or both of my sellers and ask if this showing is ok. No need to retype time and date, it is already there.

They almost always quickly respond with a yes or no and a reason why. I can click the link that I received on my Showing Assist email and instantly approve or deny the showing from wherever I am. The whole process takes literally a few minutes to complete.

The great thing about all of this for me is that if I am out showing homes with buyers and I get a text, I can quickly take care of setting up an appointment for my own listing while my buyers are looking through the home we are at. No unnerving phone calls to disturb their time with me and the other Realtor will know quickly if they are approved or denied.

I’ve never missed a showing request when they used Showing Assist. I get a text, email and could get a phone call if I selected that option, and it is all duplicated from the Brokers office to me as well. So I get multiple notifications, usually 3 or 4.

If my client doesn’t text, I can forward the email to them and then I do call to ask them about approving the showing. It is still a quick and easy process.

I have one client with small children and I set up their Showing Assist to also notify them when a request is made. I did this for them so that as soon as a request is made, she can begin to get the house ready.

I frequently talk to Realtors who say they never use Showing Assist and can’t stand it, that it never works right. I want to encourage those Realtors to give it another try after having someone who knows how to set it up and configure it teach them how to use it. I know they will find that it really does make their life easier!

The great thing about the Showing Assistant is that it cuts down on phone calls and makes the home scheduling process so much more efficient. So if the showing assistant is a good tool for buyers, it’s also a great tool for sellers.

Sorry for the long post, but I had to put it all in here!


Rick and Nancy Jackson, so you will know a little bit more about Real Estate in Oklahoma!


Rick and Nancy Jackson - Realtors
http://www.dreamsdocometrue.us/
NAJackson@cox.net
405-921-8449