5 minute read
Handling showings when you are the contact
How agents will reach you, how to schedule without losing your week, lockboxes, and what to do during a showing.
How agents reach you
Your phone and email are in the MLS showing instructions, which agents see and buyers do not. Expect calls and texts from agents, mostly the day before they plan to tour. Public sites show the brokerage number; with call forwarding those calls reach you with caller ID.
Scheduling
Set windows you can honor (for example weekdays after 4 and weekends 10 to 5) and put them in the showing instructions. Ask for an hour's notice. A scheduling service, included in the Managed package, lets agents book and cancel without a phone call and collects their feedback afterward.
Lockbox or not
A lockbox lets agents show the home when you are out and is the norm for agent-listed homes. If you use one, note it in the showing instructions and keep valuables and medications out of sight. Without one, you or someone you trust lets people in and steps out.
During the showing
Leave. Buyers talk more freely and stay longer when the owner is not there. Turn on every light, open blinds, set the thermostat comfortably, and take pets with you. Afterward, ask the agent for feedback; the pattern across five or six showings tells you whether price or presentation is the issue.
Updated September 11, 2026. General information for North Carolina and South Carolina sellers, not legal or tax advice.