1. TIME LIMIT – Be respectful of the time you have scheduled for a showing. If the property is occupied, the owner may be on their way home. There may also be other agents waiting to see the home after you.
   
   
2. PETS – Do not let a dog or cat out of the home while you are opening a door. Assume  ALL homes have a pet that could run out at any time.
   
   
3. KNOCK FIRST – Prior to opening a lockbox, always ring the doorbell. The seller may be home and you could startle them by  entering unannounced. You should also announce yourself, “REALTOR!” when you walk through the door.
   
   
4. STAY OFF THE GRASS – Avoid cutting across the grass to get to the front door, always use the walkway.
   
   
5. KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF – Never adjust the air conditioning or heat in a home. By adjusting or tweaking a system, you may be launching a problem that you were unaware of, such as a leaky cooling unit.
   
   
6. DON’T OPEN DRAWERS – Never go through a seller’s furnished home, their drawers, their furniture, or refrigerator.
   
   
7. DON’T SIT ON SELLER’S FURNITURE – It is acceptable to sit in the entertaining areas (kitchen, living room, on barstools) to discuss offer terms, etc. It is never OK to sit on the seller’s bed or to allow children to play with the seller’s children’s toys.
   
   
8. DON’T TALK PRICE – Never discuss price, value, or likeability of a property when you are in the home. With today’s technology, it’s too easy to be recorded and too many “oohs and aahs” could result in a higher price if you decide to make an offer.
   
   
9. DON’T USE THE BATHROOM – Unless an emergency, never use the bathroom of an occupied seller’s home.
   
   
10. TURN OFF THE LIGHTS – Make sure all the lights are turned off when you leave the home.
    
    
11. LOCK ALL EXTERIOR DOORS – Be sure to double-check all exterior doors before leaving – even doors you may not have opened.
    
    
12. LEAVE HOME AS YOU FOUND IT – If seller leaves the interior door to the garage unlocked, keep it unlocked. If you open blinds to allow in light, be sure to close them.
    
    
13. OBEY SELLER WISHES – If a seller has requested no shoes in the house or to give the puppy a treat so they don’t bark, oblige.
    
    
14. KEEP BUYER PARTY TOGETHER – Make sure parents don’t get separated from their children. If this happens, stay with the children and try to reconnect them with their  parents. Children are more likely to go through seller’s belongings than adults. Remember: You are the one responsible for a home while you are showing it.
    
    
15. ALWAYS CALL – If you’re running late or need to cancel a showing appointment, contact the listing office right away.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced Wednesday, May 10, 2023, that it is rescinding a controversial proposed loan-level pricing adjustment upfront fee that was to be based on a borrower’s debt-to-income ratio. The proposed LLPA fee, which would have taken effect Aug. 1, stood to impact borrowers with debt-to-income ratios greater than 40%. The fee would have applied to loans acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which the FHFA regulates.

The National Association of REALTORS® and other real estate industry groups spoke out against the proposed upfront fee, saying it would have put undue financial burden on mortgage holders. “We are pleased our advocacy efforts on behalf of our 1.5 million members and their clients were successful,” NAR President Kenny Parcell said in a statement. “We applaud the FHFA for listening to the industry’s concerns by choosing to drop this fee on borrowers with higher debt-to-income ratios. It would have imposed a cost on borrowers at a time in the market when affordability is already stretched and only made them riskier.”

Earlier this year, NAR wrote a letter to the FHFA, urging the agency to require factors such as higher credit scores or larger down payments to offset the risk from higher debt-to-income borrowers instead of deciding to charge them higher fees. In March, the FHFA announced it was delaying implementing the fee change to learn more from industry stakeholders about the outcry over the proposed fee.

“I appreciate the feedback FHFA has received from the mortgage industry and other market participants about the challenges of implementing the DTI ratio-based fee,” FHFA Director Sandra L. Thompson said in a statement. “To continue this valuable dialogue, FHFA will provide additional transparency on the process for setting the Enterprises’ single-family guarantee fees and will request public input on this issue.”

NAR has worked with the FHFA on LLPAs since the agency’s inception in 2008. “We look forward to a thoughtful and deliberate process for the public, industry and the regulators to clarify misconception and to arrive at the best policy for home buyers and the market,” Parcell said.

The FHFA also announced it was conducting a request for public input on other fees, such as those imposed on borrowers with higher credit scores and moderate down payments. Those fees will take effect May 1.

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