Why Would A Realtor® Even Show Someone Through a House they Can't  Afford?

I had a conversation with a friend the other day it went kind of like this. Oh so your aRealtor®? Me: Yes I am. Friend: My neighbor is selling her home. The other day there was a showing at her home. She said the people just loved her house and she was excited she might get an offer. A few days went by and I asked her if the offer ever came in. She said her Realtor® told her the people couldn't qualify for the house. My friend looked me straight in the eye and said 'Why Would A Realtor® Even Show Someone Through a House they Can't  Afford?

I mentioned there are many reasons a Realtor® may have shown someone through a home they couldn't afford.

1) In the market today people are hearing about the fantastic deals and  may be shopping a little above their range thinking they could send a low-ball offer to a desperate home owner and get it.

2) The client may not have fully disclosed all of their debts or obligations to the Realtor® (This risk can be lessened by going through Pre-qualification process)

3) Sometimes clients are trying to establish in their own minds how much home they can afford. (I really like to discourage this with my clients. If you go through homes you can't afford it will make it harder to 'settle' for the home you really can afford)

4) Some Realtors® will get a call from a potential client (customer) that wants to see a listing and arrange to show them through a home without having met with the potential client previously. (Establishing agency is very important at the beginning of the Realtor®/client relationship, and is as good for the client as it is for the Realtor® If there is no buyer/broker agreement between the buyer and the agent/broker the prospect is a customer, and not a client. The obligations of a Realtor® to a customer are very different than the obligations of a Realtor® to a client. )

As I said at the beginning of this post 'there are several reasons why a Realtor® might show someone through a house they can't afford.' I didn't say that they were all good reasons, only that there were several reasons. Most of them don't really have merit. Oft times the clients are reluctant to sign a buyer/ broker agreement early on and the Realtor® doesn't want to press for it fearing driving them away. The buyer broker agreement is designed to protect both parties and creates a contractual agreement specifying the relationships and obligations of each party. The buyer might 'just be looking' and doesn't want to commit yet to a Realtor®. It is much easier for a Realtor® to represent you and do a great job for you once you are a client.