Home Showings: Who Should Attend and Why?
When you’re searching for a new home, walking through it in person is one of the most important steps in the process. Home showings give you a real feel for a property that photos and a listing description simply can’t capture. But who’s actually in the room with you during that showing matters too, and it’s worth thinking through before your first appointment.
This is a different question from who’s responsible for arranging the showing in the first place. Here, the focus is on who should actually be present once the appointment is set, and who’s better off staying home.
Who Should Attend Home Showings?
Home showings give buyers the chance to physically experience a property, picture themselves living in it, and evaluate whether it’s actually a fit. To keep that environment focused, attendance should be limited to the people directly involved in the buying decision.
Prospective Homebuyers
Buyers should always attend their own showings. Viewing a home in person can’t be replaced by photos or a listing description, and listing agents are naturally going to highlight a property’s best features rather than its drawbacks.
If more than one person is actually making the buying decision, like a spouse, partner, or co-buyer, they should attend too. Being there in person means everyone involved can ask questions, get clarification on the spot, and notice the layout, size, condition, and overall feel of a home firsthand, including things photos simply can’t capture, like a lingering odor or how a room actually feels in person.
Touring the property and its surroundings together, even in a neighborhood you already know, helps you make a confident decision when it’s time to submit an offer.
The Buyer’s Real Estate Agent
Having a trusted agent with you during showings is genuinely valuable. An experienced agent knows what to look for, can point out both the positives and potential drawbacks of a property, and often catches details about condition, layout, or the neighborhood that an average buyer might miss. If you’re not sure what a good agent actually adds to this part of the process, that’s covered in more depth in why using a real estate agent to buy a home is worth it for most buyers.
If you’re working with a real estate agent, a written buyer agreement is generally required before that agent tours a home with you, whether the tour is in person or virtual. That’s a separate topic from who should be in the room during a showing, but it’s worth understanding before you start touring homes with an agent, especially if working with more than one agent at once is something you’re considering. It’s also worth knowing where you stand if you’re not pre-approved yet and still want to look at homes, since that can affect what showings are actually available to you.
Who Shouldn’t Attend Home Showings?
Home showings are your chance to explore a property and really absorb it. The more distractions in the room, the harder it is to actually picture yourself living there, which can make you less interested in a home you might otherwise love. Here’s who’s better left out.
Young Children
It’s understandable that families want to involve their kids in the process, but it’s best to leave them home for showings. If possible, arranging childcare can make it much easier to concentrate on the property and have an uninterrupted conversation with your agent.
If childcare truly isn’t an option, one parent can stay in the car with the kids while the other tours the home, then switch. It’s not as ideal as touring together, but it’s a better solution than trying to evaluate a home while also watching a toddler.
Uninvolved Family or Friends
Bringing along family or friends can sound helpful, but it usually isn’t. Even someone with real estate experience of their own doesn’t necessarily know what will work best for you.
You’re the one who has to live there, so your own read on the property is the one that actually matters. Extra opinions in the room tend to create confusion rather than clarity, and bringing people who have no real stake in the purchase through someone else’s home isn’t what private showings are for.
Pets
Ordinary household pets should stay home during showings. They can create distractions, damage property, trigger a seller’s allergies, or run into conflict with any animals already living there.
If you need an assistance animal with you, discuss it with your agent before scheduling the showing so the right arrangements can be made with the seller ahead of time.
Home Sellers
Sellers should never be present during a showing. It creates an uncomfortable atmosphere, even if they’re not actively following buyers around, and it makes it harder for buyers to picture their own life in the space.
It also shuts down the honest, on-the-spot conversation buyers want to have with their agent. Without the seller there, buyers can take their time instead of feeling rushed. There’s no exception to this one.
Listing Agents
Listing agents generally shouldn’t attend showings either. A listing agent hovering during a showing can make buyers hesitant to speak freely with their own agent, and it can cost the seller showings altogether if their agent’s schedule doesn’t line up with the buyer’s.
The one real exception is a spectacular luxury or unique property, where the listing agent’s presence may genuinely be necessary to properly present the home. Outside of that, there’s no reason for the listing agent to be there.
Curious Onlookers or Casual Visitors
Showings should be reserved for people seriously engaged in the process. Sellers put real effort into preparing their home, and that effort shouldn’t go to someone with no intention of buying, especially if it means bumping an appointment with an actual buyer. Anyone who just wants to look around without buying is better served by an open house or a new construction model home.
Contractors, Inspectors, and Other Professionals
If a property is a serious contender, you may eventually want a contractor, inspector, or other professional to take a closer look. That doesn’t mean they should come along to the first showing. Once you know a home is worth pursuing further, talk to your agent about arranging a separate visit with the seller or listing agent for that purpose.
What About Equestrian Properties?
For Wellington buyers, a showing sometimes involves more than just a house. Properties in communities like Saddle Trail Park and Grand Prix Village can include barns, paddocks, riding arenas, or tack rooms, and buyers shouldn’t assume they can freely walk into every part of an equestrian property during a showing. Ask the listing agent ahead of time about any areas that require special instructions and whether horses or other animals on the property need particular handling during the visit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should attend a home showing?
The buyer, or buyers if more than one person is part of the decision, and their real estate agent. That’s it.
Can I bring my children to a home showing?
It’s best not to. Arrange childcare when you can so you can focus on evaluating the home.
Can I bring a friend or family member to a showing?
Generally no. The exception is someone who’s actually part of the buying decision, like a spouse or co-buyer. Casual company isn’t a good reason to bring someone along.
Can I bring my dog to a home showing?
Ordinary pets should stay home. If you use an assistance animal, talk to your agent before the showing so the right arrangements can be made.
Does the listing agent have to attend a showing?
No, and in most cases they shouldn’t. The one exception is a truly high-end luxury property, where their presence may be necessary to properly present the home.
If a Realtor shows me a house, do I have to use them?
Not necessarily, but it depends on whether you signed anything before the showing. If you’re unsure whether an agreement obligates you to that agent, review what you signed, or ask before assuming you’re free to work with someone else.
Final Thoughts
Attending a showing is an essential part of the home buying process, and the buyer and their agent should be the ones in the room for it. Everyone else, including young children, uninvolved family or friends, pets, and typically the listing agent, is better off sitting this one out, and sellers should never be there at all.
That’s what lets buyers walk through a property without distractions and actually figure out whether it fits their needs. If your agent isn’t giving you that kind of focused guidance during showings, it’s worth knowing the signs you’ve hired the wrong agent before you get much further into the process.
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Bringing the kids, the dog, or a friend to a showing? Here's who should actually be there, and who should sit this one out. #realestate #homeshowingsAbout the Author
Top Wellington Realtor, Michelle Gibson, wrote: “Home Showings: Who Should Attend and Why?”
Michelle has been specializing in residential real estate since 2001 throughout Wellington Florida and the surrounding area. Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or rent she will guide you through the entire real estate transaction. If you’re ready to put Michelle’s knowledge and expertise to work for you call or e-mail her today.
Areas of service include Wellington, Lake Worth, Royal Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, West Palm Beach, Loxahatchee, Greenacres, and more.
