If you've never sold a home before — or it's been a few years — you might not know how showings actually get booked. It's not phone tag and manual scheduling anymore. Here's exactly how it works when you list with us.

The Showing Request

When a buyer's agent wants to schedule time in your home, they submit a request through the RealTracs MLS showing portal — the same system where your listing lives. No calls, no emails back and forth.

You'll receive a text message with the proposed date and time. From there, you can approve it, or decline. If your home is vacant, we can set showings to auto-accept so you're not fielding a text every time a request comes in.

You Control the Schedule

You're not obligated to take showings at inconvenient times. The system lets us set whatever notice requirement fits your situation:

• Minimum 2 hours' notice (recommended)
• Day-before notice required
• Specific times or days blocked entirely

If you have a recurring work call on Wednesday mornings, need Friday evenings free, or want to block off a week while you're out of town, we handle that before your home goes live. Just tell us what you need.

🐾 Pets: If you need time to secure or remove animals, let us know upfront. We'll include it in the showing instructions so agents know what to expect before they book.

What the Showing Agent Receives

The moment a showing is confirmed, the agent automatically receives showing instructions — details about the home, access information, disclosures, and any notes relevant to their visit. 

We aim to set 30-minute showing windows. It's enough time for a thorough walkthrough without leaving your schedule open-ended.

The Lockbox

We use SentriLock boxes — a significant step up from old-fashioned combination lockboxes. A few things worth knowing:

• The access code changes daily. Yesterday's code doesn't work today.
• The agent must be actively licensed and using the SentriLock app to generate a valid code. No app access, no entry.
• Every entry is logged. We know exactly who opened the box and when.

Your home isn't accessible to just anyone who knows a four-digit number.

Feedback — the Honest Part

After every showing, we send the agent a text at the two-hour mark, then two email follow-ups over the next couple of days. We're asking what their client thought.

Fewer agents are responding than they used to — it's a frustrating industry-wide shift we've written about separately. TL;DR: buyer's agents have a fiduciary duty to their client, not to you, and the legal climate around showing feedback has changed significantly. When we do get a response, we pass it along to you. When we don't, we'll tell you that too.

What we can always read is the pattern. Showing activity — frequency, repeat visits, radio silence — tells its own story even when individual agents don't write anything down. We watch that closely and give you our read on what it means.

Common Questions

What if I need to cancel or change a showing that's already been approved?

It happens. Let us know as soon as possible and we'll reach out to the showing agent directly. Cancellations are occasionally unavoidable — we just try to give the agent as much notice as we can, since they may have a buyer driving across town.

Can I be home during the showing?

Technically, yes. Practically, we advise against it. Buyers are more candid — and more comfortable lingering — when the seller isn't present. It's not personal; it's just how people behave in someone else's home when the owner is watching.

What if there are a lot of showings but no offers?

High showing volume with no offers is useful data. It usually points to pricing — buyers are interested enough to visit but not interested enough to write. We'll have that conversation with you directly if we start seeing that pattern.

What if there are very few showings at all?

Low showing activity in the first couple of weeks is its own signal — usually pricing or presentation. We keep a close eye on showing volume from day one and won't wait weeks to flag a concern.

James & Stephanie Crawford are Nashville natives and the broker-owners of Nesting Realty. With 22+ years of experience and 500+ closed transactions across Middle Tennessee, they specialize in helping sellers navigate the process with clear communication and no surprises. Reach them at (615) 751-8913 or nestinginnashville.com.