If you try to reach us on a Friday morning, there's a good chance we're walking through a house. Often on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, too. Broker tours are one of the most valuable parts of our week, and one our clients rarely see. So we wanted to share what they are and why we make time for them.
What is a broker tour?
A broker tour is a set time each week when agents open their newest listings to other agents rather than the public. Tours are organized by area, and over the course of a morning we move from home to home, seeing what's new on the market and comparing notes along the way.
We're members of three: the Luxury Home Tour of Paradise Valley, where Grant is the current Board Chair; North Central Phoenix; and Phoenix Historic. We split the tours up among the four of us and share our notes afterward, so between us we see as much of the market as possible. Each of us also attends broker tours for individual properties every week.
Knowing the market firsthand
Listing photos and data tell only part of the story. Walking through homes every week keeps us current on the neighborhoods we serve: what's for sale, how it's priced, the updates sellers are making before they list, and the trends we're seeing. When we tell a seller how their home compares, or tell a buyer whether a price makes sense, it's because we've stood in those homes ourselves.
Hearing about homes before they hit the market
Some of the most useful conversations on tour happen in driveways and kitchens between stops. Agents mention homes that are about to list, or owners who are starting to think about it. For our buyers, that can mean seeing the right home before it's widely marketed, which is a real advantage when the best homes are scarce. It works the other way too. When we have a listing coming up, tour is where we introduce it to the agents most likely to have the right buyer.
Relationships matter
We've been in this business a long time, and if there's one thing we've learned, it's that our reputation and our relationships are what our success is built on. That's true with our clients, and it's just as true with the agents we partner with.
Every sale involves two agents, and how well they work together shapes the outcome. When we already know the agent on the other side, and they know us, there's trust from the first call. Conversations are more direct, issues get solved faster, and when a negotiation gets difficult, there's goodwill to draw on. Both clients are better served.
That trust opens doors, too. Agents call us when they hear about a home that could be right for one of our clients, and they take our calls when we have a listing their clients should see, because they know we'll be prepared, responsive and fair.
None of that is built during a single transaction. It's built over years, week after week, on tour. It's one of the most undervalued things an agent brings to a sale, and one of the most important things we bring to yours.
A quiet sale on Willetta Street
Our clients selling their Spanish Revival home on Willetta Street, in the F.Q. Story Historic District, wanted it marketed quietly. No open houses, and not a lot of people coming through their home. So instead of a broad launch, we introduced it privately to agents in our network, and through those conversations we found the agent who represented the buyer. Our sellers sold their home the way they wanted to. See the home.
What this means for you
Whether you're buying, selling or just looking for insight, the time we spend on tour shows up in the advice we give you. If you'd like to hear what we're seeing in Paradise Valley, North Central Phoenix or Phoenix's historic neighborhoods, we'd love to talk. Give us a call at 602.833.9080 or send us a message.