For every time I have to show up to show any apartments to any clients, I collect a $15.00 "Showing Fee" which is applied to their application fee if they decide to rent. The maximum amount of apartments I show for the $15.00 is THREE if they're within the same general vicinity.

The reason I'm starting to charge this fee is because this is the best way I can think of in order to cut down on the 'murfs' and other timewasters.

I think it's a fair idea, after all who else is supposed to cover the wear and tear for instance on my car, my clothes, my shoeleather and my larynx? I think it's time we woke up and enacted some DRASTIC INDUSTRY REFORM fellow brokers and agents!!!

You should pre-qualify them before you show. Charging wll send everyone running for the hills. It's tasteless.

Let us know how people react and how this affects your net income. I'm guessing there will be negative results with both.

$15 sounds cheap to me, you can't get a cab to take you around a couple of blocks for that with todays gas prices.
p.s. make the fee refundable if there is a lease.

Your earnings are supposed to cover your expenses. Are you going to charge clients for copies of listings? We do not charge by each task we perform. We collect a fee when our service is complete. Hopefully, that will cover your expenses.

I like it. Establish your worth more. If they are too cheap for your fee then focus on those who will pay. And let the time wasting rats run away especially to Jacksonville where apparently tasteless is chic!

They probably will find some other agent who will most likely will roam them around for free.

Most apartment managers in our area will pay a fee to the broker if you find them a renter...if those apartments are not available, i give them a list of others they can call on. I dont take them around. They seem to appreciate this just as much.

If I were the client, I'd be going next door to the next agent who will only charge for doing what I've requested -- closing the deal. This is not about being cheap, I'd want an agent who had the same goal as me. Charging per showing tells me that you'll show me as much crap as you can, because you'll profit if it takes longer to find me the right place. Nope, no way I'd use an agent like that. But I'm interested to see how it works out for you.

I like it! I don't have the nerve to do it, but I do like it! With so many complaints about high REALTOR fees, we could definitely lower fees if there were up front charges. The way "we" are structured now, those sellers/buyers who go to closing pay for all the "tire kickers" who go along for the ride.

When I was in CA, some agents required not only a pre-approval letter but a deposit toward the purchase of a home before any buyer got in their car. (Out there, earnest money deposit was payable to buyer broker company and deposited with escrow company when there was an accepted contract.)

Note - Above I said: When sellers complain about the realtor fees, I remind them who is ultimately paying those fees. Yeah, it comes out of seller proceeds, but who is paying for the house and those fees - it's the buyer! Their loan/down payment is paying all those costs.

Just some early morning rants from Kokomo.

Betty

Mary,
Maybe you need to find a better profession suitable for you...Our business is about "Time and people". You have to deal with what we do in this profession, not everyone is a Buyer,Seller of renter... But, that doesn`t mean that we have a crystal ball, to determine that prior to meeting them..

I agree that it seems as if you shouldn't be showing that much that you have to resort to charging. How does the client know that you're not showing properties just to get the fee?

If the client is wasting time and wanting to see a lot, then something isn't happening in the initial consultation to tell them your expectations and narrow the list. I show the clients ALL available properties and we sit together to narrow the list per their criteria. If they're not motivated to move soon, then you need to just refer them out.

Not sure what New York R.E. law is like, but hope you checked w/your broker prior to implementing this practice. If NY is like Ohio all monies earned in the practice of R.E. must be paid to the broker.

I wish I had Mary's ability to get so many people to talk to me.

Mary's posts are amazing at getting responses.

Up front pricing would only work (IMO) if every single office implemented this concept. Buyers and Sellers are becoming less dependant on REALTORS® everyday. While this makes sense to us who often waste gas on looky-lous, I think it would only give the tech savvy market another reason NOT to use us.