Realtor-Only Showings vs Hybrid Models

Charlotte, North Carolina
Marketing Your Property
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Realtor-Only Showings vs Hybrid Models

Maranda TuckerPro Member
Property Manager · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2022 · 152 posts · 118 votes

I wanted to spark a conversation about a topic that’s been gaining traction in our industry: the balance between realtor-led showings and self-guided tours for properties.

As landlords, we all want to maximize engagement and find the right tenants as quickly as possible. In my experience, using a hybrid model—combining traditional realtor showings with self-guided tours—has proven to be an effective strategy. It allows potential tenants the flexibility to explore a property at their own pace while still having the expertise and guidance of a realtor at their disposal.

That said, I’m curious about your thoughts on this approach. How comfortable are you with the idea of trusting agents to lead showings versus allowing prospective tenants to tour properties on their own? 

As landlords or property managers, what has been your experience with these two methods? Are there any pros or cons we may not have considered? 

I’d love to hear your experiences, opinions, and any tips you might have for successfully implementing these strategies.

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Vince Scipione
Realtor · Scranton / Pocono Mountains, PA · Member since 2020 · 99 posts · 33 votes
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Exposure is great, but quality of tenants far outweighs quantity. Realtors typically pre-screen rental clients to make sure their time is not going to be wasted. Usually prospective tenants that agents bring to showings will be more qualified to rent in my experience. I think eventually a VR set up will be common online or at RE offices. Where buyers/tenants can view dozens of properties in a day to screen out less desirables then schedule with a real agent to see the home in person! Would be an interesting change!

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  • Vince Scipione
    Realtor · Scranton / Pocono Mountains, PA · Member since 2020 · 99 posts · 33 votes
    1y

    Exposure is great, but quality of tenants far outweighs quantity. Realtors typically pre-screen rental clients to make sure their time is not going to be wasted. Usually prospective tenants that agents bring to showings will be more qualified to rent in my experience. I think eventually a VR set up will be common online or at RE offices. Where buyers/tenants can view dozens of properties in a day to screen out less desirables then schedule with a real agent to see the home in person! Would be an interesting change!

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  • Maranda TuckerPro Member
    OP
    Property Manager · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2022 · 152 posts · 118 votes
    1y
    Quote from @Vince Scipione:

    Exposure is great, but quality of tenants far outweighs quantity. Realtors typically pre-screen rental clients to make sure their time is not going to be wasted. Usually prospective tenants that agents bring to showings will be more qualified to rent in my experience. I think eventually a VR set up will be common online or at RE offices. Where buyers/tenants can view dozens of properties in a day to screen out less desirables then schedule with a real agent to see the home in person! Would be an interesting change!

    This was the assumption we operated under until December 2023. In just the past week, I've had to deny six applications from agent-led showings because the agents didn’t conduct proper due diligence upfront. It's hard to say how many properties those agents showed to those prospective tenants without any return—what a waste of time!

    Currently, agents aren’t significantly rewarded for showing rental properties to potential tenants. The highest fee I've seen for assisting with tenant placement is 10% of one month's rent. With average rents in Charlotte hovering around $1,800 to $2,000, that means an average agent fee of just $190—if the management company even pays the showing fee.

    I understand that this may vary by market, but in mine, I don’t see agents being incentivized to work with renters. Nonetheless, I am committed to ensuring that agents are compensated for their efforts in showing and placing tenants in our properties.

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  • Vince Scipione
    Realtor · Scranton / Pocono Mountains, PA · Member since 2020 · 99 posts · 33 votes
    1y

    In my professional oppinion I feel as though the influx of agents joining the field since covid significantly watered down the quality in the industry. I believe only 74% of Agents sold a home in 2024. That is dissapointing that they did not vet the people they would be spending hours and hours touring properties. Where I operate In PA it is customary to list the rental at 1 months rent and split the commission 50/50 between the agents. I don't find even this split worth my time, even as a listing, on my last rental listing I was stood up well over a dozen times last minute! Perhaps you are onto something with virtual tours... 🤔

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  • Vince Scipione
    Realtor · Scranton / Pocono Mountains, PA · Member since 2020 · 99 posts · 33 votes
    1y
    Quote from @Vince Scipione:

    In my professional oppinion I feel as though the influx of agents joining the field since covid significantly watered down the quality in the industry. I believe only 74% of Agents sold a home in 2024. That is dissapointing that they did not vet the people they would be spending hours and hours touring properties. Where I operate In PA it is customary to list the rental at 1 months rent and split the commission 50/50 between the agents. I don't find even this split worth my time, even as a listing, on my last rental listing I was stood up well over a dozen times last minute! Perhaps you are onto something with virtual tours... 🤔

    I misspoke. 74% of agents did not sell a home* 
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  • Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
    Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
    1y
    Quote from @Maranda Tucker:
    Quote from @Vince Scipione:

    Exposure is great, but quality of tenants far outweighs quantity. Realtors typically pre-screen rental clients to make sure their time is not going to be wasted. Usually prospective tenants that agents bring to showings will be more qualified to rent in my experience. I think eventually a VR set up will be common online or at RE offices. Where buyers/tenants can view dozens of properties in a day to screen out less desirables then schedule with a real agent to see the home in person! Would be an interesting change!

    This was the assumption we operated under until December 2023. In just the past week, I've had to deny six applications from agent-led showings because the agents didn’t conduct proper due diligence upfront. It's hard to say how many properties those agents showed to those prospective tenants without any return—what a waste of time!

    Currently, agents aren’t significantly rewarded for showing rental properties to potential tenants. The highest fee I've seen for assisting with tenant placement is 10% of one month's rent. With average rents in Charlotte hovering around $1,800 to $2,000, that means an average agent fee of just $190—if the management company even pays the showing fee.

    I understand that this may vary by market, but in mine, I don’t see agents being incentivized to work with renters. Nonetheless, I am committed to ensuring that agents are compensated for their efforts in showing and placing tenants in our properties.


    i pay the agent first month rent but I expect them to do the background etc.  I would never ever let tenants go alone.. risk of theft and getting your property stripped or worse sqauatter is just far to great.
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  • Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
    Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
    1y

    one of my clients that has a pretty big PM company.. had a unique way of doing this.

    He offered 50% of the first months rent or 500.00 minimum.. he would have 4 or 5 agents at the weekly meeting handout the list of vacants .. each of them would go place a sign in the yard and first come first served.. he found that potential tenants would call the first sign if no answer they called the next one until finally someone answered.. it worked pretty awesome for him.  Kept those agents motivated to answer the friggin phone

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