Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to Showami's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page! Here, we've compiled a list of the most common questions our users have about our platform and the services we offer. Whether you're a new user trying to get started, or a seasoned veteran looking for more information, this page is a great resource to answer some of the most pressing questions about Showami. We hope that this page will provide you with the information you need to have the best experience possible while using Showami. If you can't find the answer to your question here, then search our comprehensive knowledge database.
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For Initiating Agents
When is my credit card charged for the showing?
Your credit card is charged 24 hours after the showing agent has shown the property.
Please note that Showami also initiates a pre-authorization when a showing is scheduled which will drop off after a few days.
How will I know which showing assistant is showing my client a home?
Once a showing agent accepts your showing request, you will be notified with a link back to the app. Here, you can view the showing request and the showing agent's information.',
If you'd prefer to work with a particular showing assistant you have the option to do so. You can also favorite agents to ensure that they are among the first to receive notification ofyour new showings. Find out more about favoriting showing agents here: https://blog.showami.com/how-to-favorite-and-block-agents-with-showami
What if my buyer no longer wants to see the home and I need to cancel the showing?
Showami allows you to cancel any showing at any time. To guarantee a full refund, you must cancel the showing at least two hours prior to the showing start time. Cancelations made within two hours of the showing may be charged $20 and the showing assistant would receive partial payment. Cancelations made within 30 minutes are charged at the full price. One caveat is if the showing is canceled within 10 minutes of being accepted, no charge is made.
Can I request a specific showing assistant?
Yes, you can request a specific showing agent to show a property on your behalf. Simply enter the email address of the agent that you would like to work with.
If the agent is already a Showami user and the showing request is in their preferred geographic area, they will have a ten-minute lead time to accept the showing prior to the notice going out to other agents. If they do not accept the showing request within ten minutes, it will then be sent to additional agents.
If the agent is not a Showami user, a link will be emailed to them with information on how to sign up to be a showing agent. They will need to sign up and accept the showing within the ten-minute window.
Why do you need my credit card information?
Your credit card information is required to schedule a showing for your buyer because we need to process your payment in order to create a showing request for you. Showami will initiate a pre-authorization when a showing is scheduled which will drop off after a few days. You will only be charged after the showing is complete.
Credit card information is not required in order to be a showing agent. If you signed up to be a showing agent and see a prompt to enter a credit card, it's likely that you selected the 'I want to do both: assist with showings and receive assistance for showings' option on your profile page. This can easily be changed to 'Showing Agent' on your profile page.
Why do I need to include the buyer's contact info in my showing request?
The showing assistant and the buyer often need to communicate with each other prior to the showing for confirmation and in the event that one of the parties is late.
All Showami showing assistants have agreed to the Application End User License Agreement and are not to contact the buyer beyond the specific showing. The buyer's contact information will be removed from a showing agent's dashboard an hour after the showing has been completed.
What happens if the showing assistant does not show up for the showing?
In the rare event that a showing assistant fails to show up at a scheduled showing, you will be refunded and the showing assistant will be blocked from further showings. Showami will also investigate the occurrence.
What if the showing agent cancels the showing?
At Showami we understand the importance of reliable support from trusted professionals, and we make every effort to ensure that the agents on our platform do a great job. When showing agents cancel showings the buyer's agent is not charged for the showing.
The two most common reasons for cancelations are because the seller/listing agent canceled the showing, or the showing agent has an emergency and can no longer make the appointment. We take no action when the seller/listing agent cancels the showing. We do, however, investigate showing agents who cancel because they are no longer available to show a home.
Please note that you can block agents that you don't wish to work with again. Once blocked, those agents will no longer be notified when you schedule a new showing. Read more about this here.
How does the showing confirmation process work?
Buyer's agents have the option to schedule the showing with the seller/listing agent and provide entry information to the showing agent. It's important to let the seller/listing agent know that you have a fellow agent showing the home on your behalf.
If a buyer's agent wants the showing agent to schedule the showing with the seller/listing agent, there is an additional confirmation step that needs to be completed. Once a showing assistant accepts a showing, they will contact the listing agent to verify that the date and time are okay with the seller.
Once the showing assistant has verified that the date and time are set, they will confirm it in Showami and you will receive notice. Then, the showing assistant will meet your buyer at the property.
What information does the showing assistant give to the buyer at the showing?
The showing agent is not to give any non-public information to the buyer at the showing. The showing agent's only role is to allow the buyers to access the property and be with them throughout the showing.
The showing agent is not to give an opinion of price, condition, or location. We do allow the showing agents to share public information such as the list price, square footage, and age of the home with buyers.
What if a showing assistant tries to steal my buyers?
Showami's Application End User License Agreement makes it clear that showing agents are not to steal clients or make any contact with them after a showing is complete.
It is also suggested that buyer's agents have an Exclusive Right to Buy agreement with all buyers prior to scheduling a showing with Showami. Please notify Showami immediately if a showing agent tries to steal your client.
What are reviews and how do they work?
Showami reviews were created as a way to ensure a great experience for both buyer's agents and showing agents. At the end of each showing, you'll receive an email that allows you to rate the other agent from 1 to 5 stars and give specific feedback. See related blog post
For Showing Assistants
What are the requirements to be a Showing Assistant?
We ask every agent to confirm the following:
- Are you an actively licensed real estate agent in your state?
- Do you have full MLS access?
- Can you schedule and show homes using an electronic lockbox?
If you meet these criteria, please create a profile using the following link: https://showami.com/users/sign_up
If you require any assistance during the sign-up process, please contact us and we'll be happy to help.
Will I get new clients by becoming a showing agent with Showami?
No, Showami is not a way to pick up new clients. Everybody being shown a home is already represented, and the buyer's agent retains their clients after the showing.
Showing assistants (agents) get paid anywhere from $28 to $175 per showing, plus the possibility for a tip from the buyer's agent. That is the only compensation they are entitled to.
Do I get a share of the commission for showing a home to a buyer if they end up buying the home that I showed them?
No, showing agents don't receive a share of any commission made on a property that they showed. By accepting Showami's Application End User License Agreement you waive your rights to any other compensation beyond the showing fee.
How much do I make per showing?
The average payment received by a showing agent is $32 per property shown, plus the opportunity for a tip. You may be offered more or less based on demand, schedule, and location. Showing agents also have the option to send the buyer's agent a counter offer based on the fee, location, and time of the showing. See our counter-proposal blog post for more information.
How many showings will I get each day?
Showing requests are made when a buyer's agent needs help showing a property. You will get requests once you're signed up and approved, but there is no way to know how many or how often.
The number of requests depends on several factors including how many buyer's agents and showing agents are active in your area and how active the local market is. Certain times of the year and days of the week are also busier than others.
A great way to book more showings is to be 'favorited' by buyer's agents for doing a great job for them on a showing. Once you've been favorited, you'll become one of the first agents to be notified of all future showings from that agent. This reduces the competition from other showing assistants and gives you a better chance of booking showings.
How will I be notified of new showings?
Whenever a showing request goes out in your area you will be notified via text message or through push notifications if you install the app, which you can do here. The notifications will take you to the showing information page. That page will tell you the date, time, location, number of homes to be shown, and payment being offered. You can accept, decline, or counter the showing.
Showings are picked up on a first come first serve basis, so the faster you pick up/accept showings, the better.
How long do I have to stay at a showing?
Most showings take 15 to 20 minutes to complete. We recommend that you plan on a maximum of 30 minutes per showing. At that point, it is appropriate to communicate to the buyer that you need to move on to another appointment and that they should contact their buyer's agent with additional questions or to schedule a second showing.
What if I have an emergency and cannot make a showing?
You have the option to cancel a showing within the Showami app, but please save this option for true emergencies. Agents don't get in trouble for cancellations beyond their control. However, no-shows without any prior communication will result in you being blocked from providing further showings.
Why do you need my bank account information?
We understand your concern about entering your banking information on our platform. However, at this time our sole method of payment for showings is via direct deposit.
We process payments with Stripe.com who handles payments for huge companies including Lyft, Zoom, Shopify, and Instacart. This method of processing is extremely secure because we cannot see your bank routing number or account number in our dashboard.
We hope this information is helpful, and if you have any additional questions about payment processing please contact us again.
When will I be paid for the showings that I completed?
Payments are automatically initiated 24 hours after a showing has been completed and will arrive in your bank account within 5-7 days after the showing.
Find out more about how to track payout statuses here and track your current payouts here. If you think a payment may not have been sent to you, please contact us so we can look into this.
What if a buyer does not show up for an appointment?
You will have the buyer's agent and buyer's contact information. If the buyer doesn't show up for an appointment, please call both of them to find out why the buyer is late or may miss the showing.
We do expect showing agents to remain at the property for 15-20 minutes in the event that a buyer is running late. Showing agents still get paid if a buyer does not show up.
What happens if a buyer's agent cancels the showing?
If the buyer's agent cancels a showing at least two hours prior to the showing's start time, the buyer's agent will not be charged and you will not be paid. If the buyer's agent cancels the showing within this two-hour window, the buyer's agent will still be charged and you will receive $10.
Do I need to place my license with Showami?
No. Showami is a service that connects real estate agents when they need assistance with showing properties. We are not a real estate brokerage, so you keep your license with your current broker.
What are reviews and how do they work?
Showami reviews were created as a way to ensure a great experience for both buyer's agents and showing agents. At the end of each showing, you'll receive an email that allows you to rate the other agent from 1 to 5 stars and give specific feedback. See related blog post
How do I pause text notifications?
In your settings tab there is a Pause Text Notifications box that can be checked. This will pause notifications for 2 weeks. See related blog post
Other Questions
Where did the name Showami come from?
We loosely translate the name to "Showing Friend". With the word "Ami" being French for "Friend".
Is Showami legal?
Yes. Real estate agents have always shown homes for other real estate agents.
Is Showami legit?
Yes. Showami has been connecting real estate agents with each other to show homes since 2016. Showami has over 80,000 agents on the platform and assists in thousands of showings each month.
What Is Showami Platinum?
Showami Platinum is an upgraded version of Showami, which includes various benefits to both Showing agents and requesting agents.
What is the cost to join Showami?
Showami is free to join, agents and brokerage owners are only charged for the requests they place in Showami. Additionally, there is an optional upgrade to the platform called "Showami Platinum". Learn more about Showami Platinum
Can Showami help with rental showings?
Yes, Showami has opened its platform up to allowing highly reputable property management companies companies request assistance with home showings. Learn more about Rental Showings
Does Showami have an app?
Yes, Showami can be found in the Apple App Store and Google's Play Store. Learn more about our app
On our showing service app, agents have the ability to request showings and pick up showings. Our home showing app, operates just like our web platform.
Does Showami offer any courses or training for their agents?
Yes, Showami has training courses for both showing assistants and requesting agents on the platform. Once an agent has completed their account, they will then have access to this courses. Access Showami training courses