For buyers, the purchasing experience can be stressful because they've never met the owners, something which creates a considerable amount of uncertainty. Are there hidden problems are waiting to unveil themselves. For sellers, the experience can also be troubling. If we could just meet them, each side thinks, perhaps this process would be easier or at least more re-assuring. Coldwell Banker Realtor Neal Hribar says that the nature of real estate negotiations makes many Realtors uneasy about buyer-seller interactions.
Many brokers advise against it.
Listing brokers commonly ask owner clients to leave before showing a property. Buyer brokers, in many cases, are pleased to show the property without the owners in the house. Their concern is that a purchaser may feel uneasy with the owners around or that a buyer comment may erode their bargaining position. And buyers themselves will have a tough time being frank when owners are within earshot. Derrick Ruiz, a Marina Del Rey, California-based broker known as the Digital Realtor agrees.