

4,788,132
It depends.
How well do I know this client? Is it someone I know well or some random contact? How would they feel if I referred them to another agent?
On my market. Is one hour too far of a distance or too much time to spend driving?
Timing. What is the best use of my time?
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Susan Haughton
Alexandria, VA
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Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
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Lise Howe
Washington, DC
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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John Pusa
Glendale, CA
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Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
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Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Carpinteria, CA
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Candice A. Donofrio
Fort Mohave, AZ
1,545,944
Out here, an hour could be 30 miles depending on the time of day. Not much out there anymore for the low 4's but if I have good music on for the drive I could make $12k on that deal, so yes I'd do it. For me there is no hour south (ocean) or north (wildlife sanctuary), so it's just east or west. West I'm familiar with the area (I have a few rentals out there), east I'm fairly familiar with the area (used to work out there). Worst case scenario for an hour east, I'm close to Inna Ivchenko's territory and can partner with her if I need more detailed info.
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Susan Haughton
Alexandria, VA
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Lise Howe
Washington, DC
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Inna Ivchenko
Encino, CA
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
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Candice A. Donofrio
Fort Mohave, AZ
1,874,708
In my area of the world an hour drive can be less than 20 miles away! Yes I would if I truly knew the area.
If it was out of what I call my area - definate referral.
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Susan Haughton
Alexandria, VA
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Brenda Mayette
Glenville, NY
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Candice A. Donofrio
Fort Mohave, AZ
225,576
It depends on how hard you want to work. I'm not an agent, but I've met with customers an hour away and I would do it all day long. If you're making $12K, how many hours do you feel you need to spend to make that much? An hour here in the Chicago area could be only 15 miles, depending on the time of day you go.
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Susan Haughton
Alexandria, VA
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William Piotrowski
Naperville, IL
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
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Eve Alexander
Tampa, FL
613,494
Whats with this "super familiar" stuff?
You do not need to live there to know how to arrive at value based on MLS, the sold tax records, and driving through the area, sizing up the other properties. Any competent agent can do that. Just like appraisers that are sent to do appraisals from hundreds of miles away.
I was paid to go to another state and evaluate property for a client. It was not hard to figure out that it was overpriced and not a good investment, even though I have never been there.
Yes of course I would drive an hour...we do that all the time when we are stuck in traffic. Refer it? Nope, I would do a better job for the buyer than the agent that farms the area.
Eve
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Candice A. Donofrio
Fort Mohave, AZ
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Bob Betel
Sweetwater, TN
1,657,302
The team Ryan Huggins - Thousand Oaks, CA and me will drive for any real estate needs of all your qualified clients!
And no kidding, I did sell a couple houses in Lancanster/Palmdale area to investors and it was a longer drive:)
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Ryan Huggins - Thousan...
Thousand Oaks, CA
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
1,706,727
I'm going to echo what Debe Maxwell said. Many things impact home value--things you can't see in a CMA. If I don't know an area, I can't advise a buyer properly. An hour here is over 50 miles away. For example, Debbie Reynolds lives in Clarksville TN, just 70 miles from my location but her market is extremely different than mine. I'd be a fool to try and sell properties there. I'd rather send them to an agent like Debbie who'll do a slam dunk. There are only so many hours in a day and if I'm running clients all over the Nashville metro area, it's not in the best interest of my clients.
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Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
602,081
I would make the drive. 100% is better than 25%!!!
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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William Piotrowski
Naperville, IL
3,988,144
It depends if I know the market there. That and time are the determining factors, not the price of the home or distance.
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Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
5,545,838
Oh, gosh, here in Charlotte it can take an hour to get 10 miles so, that's familiar territory for me! I will say that there are places that are an hour and a half away that MOST Charlotte agents will go to but, I have to consider the best use of my time. I refer those out.
Another major thing to consider - do you know about city planning & zoning issues in the area that you're showing? If not, how horrible would it be for a planned highway to begin coming through the neighborhood - that you didn't know about (and which is why the sellers are likely selling)?!
Is there a new waste treatment plant being installed there? I can't tell you if there is one being installed in several of our nearby cities - so, I won't sell there. I'll send buyers to someone who specializes in those areas. It's not worth losing sleep over, losing my license over or having a buyer miserable in their new home because I failed at my duties.
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Tammie White, Broker
Franklin, TN
5,343,163
refer it out!
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
2,871,041
Either or will get the job done. NOTE: I always hide a key on the premises for just such an occasion. But before that, I have vetting criteria that must be met; cash or no cash...If you fail that...the deal is dead before it starts
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Richard Alan Naggar
Riverside, CA
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
3,687,388
Depends. First of all if I wasn't a familiar with the area I'd be darned sure to know what's going on in the market first so I could quide the client. Secondly if the client is referred to me directly from CRS or AR I most likely would handle it myself. When I refer out I want to know the clients are being taken care of by a top shelf agent that cares.
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Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
4,411,703
William Piotrowski It depends on the distance. But, I will work with the buyer.
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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William Piotrowski
Naperville, IL
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
1,466,257
William Piotrowski In my market an hour isn't very far away. However, if I were unfamiliar with the area I would refer it out.
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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William Piotrowski
Naperville, IL
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
5,383,888
My market frequently takes me out about an hour/60 miles, so yes, I would.
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Bob Betel
Sweetwater, TN
1,713,581
I would do the latter.
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Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
129,748
Depends on your time and knowledge. . . if you have no knowedge of the home and surrounding area.. . . refer out the buyer so you do not make any legal errors.
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Nina Hollander, Broker
Charlotte, NC
1,112,058
Oh, Option B all day. And this should be a rhetorical Q, even though I suspect you may have a backstory and are protecting the names of the guilty!
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
1,045,965
Depends I think but it seems like that is a very specific dollar amount.. I might depends probably on the buyer and what is going on mostly...
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John Duke
Burlington, NC
393,103
I use the rule of shopping; if I would drive there to buy, then I will drive there to earn.
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
4,322,295
William Piotrowski - well, my clients are scattered - over a radius of 60 miles!
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Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
3,986,529
I would and do drive that far in my rural area and it has made me be familiar with many areas.
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Debe Maxwell, CRS
Charlotte, NC
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
5,774,106
William
I second Michael Jacobs comment. A lot of factors come into play. In Los Angeles Traffic an hour can equal as little as 5 miles. A
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
3,446,656
It would depend on how many other clients I was working with at the time. I generally do not take on more clients than I know I can serve well.
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
23,871
I would drive an hour easily. Even more so that the buyer is serious and has cash.
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
4,273,331
I have driven an hour and a half plus picked up the client at the airport. Sold them a beautiful house within 20 minutes of my office in the end. That would have been lost commission if I would have referred it to another agent...
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
2,234,865
If you aren't familar with the area you shouldn't be working there. The distance doesn't matter. It's violation of the code of ethics to work outside of your area of expertise. Refer this one out.
In my area that can be a big deal. There might be irrigation and other water rights involved that could potentially hurt you and your client if you don't know about them.
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
809,308
To the hour portion, yes I would and I have for less priced homes. However, the second portion about "not super familiar with" my answer would be no and refer. There are a couple of towns an hour or more away from me that I know and consider my market area and there are other towns and even a larger city only 45 minutes away that I don't know much about and always refer as I consider them out of my area of expertise.
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
5,279,979
If it was a referral from someone yes I would.
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
6,761,903
May be quicker to just drive over and show the property than to interview referral agents.
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
4,434,277
1,157,847
In my area, an hour could mean as little as a few miles away, during rush hour.
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
1,097,040
If one is willing to put in the work then absolutely that's worth doing --- it's not difficult to familiarize with an area, and buyer representation is largely the same in locales an hour within each other.
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
2,613,359
Well, in my area, an hour is long but not that unusual.
However, if it's in an area I'm not familiar with, I'd refer it. If it's a building/house/etc, I'd have to make that trip multiple times - for the showing, maybe a second showing, maybe to town offices to get paperwork, for the inspection, the appraisal, the walkthrough. Spending two hours in the car on multiple occasions in a place that isn't my area of specialty doesn't sound like a good use of time.
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
2,361,566
It would depend on my relationship with the buyer. In any event, if it were an area I'm not familiar, I'd solicit advice from a local agent... either as a referral or on an advisory fee basis. The liability for representing someone in an area you are not familiar is very high... not to mention it's a violation of the COE.
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
929,275
If buyer were truly serious, I would drive, but if that propety didn't work out and buyer wanted to explore same area, might refer out if not familiar enough with it.
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
1,513,143
My first month in the business had a client relocating back to the states;
it was an reo and everyone said no as it would not sell at the list price from the bank. It was listed at $459,000 and we made an offer of $399,000 that was accepted. Remodel cost him about $75,000 and two years later he was getting transferred again and we sold it for $539,000.
It had 459 feet of waterfront and the home was 3212 sg. ft. with 2.3 acres of land.
Now with better connections would refer it out.
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
2,820,193
2nd option for sure. (and that would be below avg property here). Let the expert handle it.
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Anna Hatridge
Farmington, MO
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
2,259,103
Knowing there's a good chance they will eliminate it , I'd take the 25% !
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Michael J. Perry
Lancaster, PA
1,758,537
As Michael Jacobs wrote. Plus, it does not take a great deal of effort to scope out an unfamiliar area and do your research.
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
1,027,657
It totally depends on how I got the client; if they were from a personal referral, I would probably at least meet with them initially and depending on the neighborhood/location, if I weren't comfortable that my knowledge would be sufficient to help them, then I would refer them out. I have done this in the past, but stayed in the picture to some extent and collected 50%. It all depends on the specific scenario and individuals involved. At the end of the day, it is about what serves the client best. And sometimes that means referring them to someone who is a better fit.
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
878,591
Depends upon my relationship with them & how my pending list is looking. I probably would.
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
2,448,581
Great question that got lots of input - I would drive the hour -- I am listening to a great book on Audible so I am happy being in the car right now
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Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
408,904
Well I might drive an hour or even two to stage a property but only with a contract so its a different business
5,174,110
577,950
If I knew the buyer very well, and knew the area I would definitely make the drive.
2,301,300
Factors are should I stay or should I go depend on if I have a listing a half hour out that needs new images without snow, it's a weekend and on my way beyond in same direction to go see my kids, why isn't anyone closer taking the job... am I missing something? Lots involved in yes or no. If buyer says I would not pay more than 300K for place, tops....lots to consider about what else you are neglecting back at the ranch Lone Ranger while gone.
6,051,521
To get to the other side of Denver is more than an hour, and know the City. I would do it.
1,312,376
772,971
We have agents driving 4 hours one way to show property. It is all relative to where you live.
5,585,039
In our market, the majority of agents would go and show....I rarely left the town when I was actively working!!
944,471
Great question William!
I always meet with potential clients before showing any property, cash or no cash....
It's a matter of safety and a good business practice!
An hour in the Raleigh area is still familiar territory, so after we met and the agreement is signed, I'd be happy to show the property.