1. Objective
This SOP defines how a Virtual Assistant (VA) coordinates buyer showing tours — from the moment the buyer identifies properties to see through the end of the tour and post-tour CRM updates — so the agent can focus entirely on the client while the VA handles all logistics.
The VA is the Tour Director. The agent's job during a showing tour is to read the buyer, ask questions, listen, and help them imagine living in each property. The VA's job — done before the agent ever gets in the car — is to make sure every property is confirmed active, every appointment is booked, every access instruction is in hand, and the tour route is efficient. Logistics that fail during a showing tour (an expired listing on the list, an appointment that wasn't confirmed, a missing lockbox code) reflect directly on the agent.
Where this SOP starts: The buyer identifies properties they want to see — via a saved search alert, agent recommendation, or direct request.
Where this SOP ends: All showings are confirmed and booked, the tour itinerary is delivered to the agent, the tour is completed, and post-tour buyer feedback is logged in the CRM.Success looks like: The agent arrives at the first property with the tour sheet in hand, every appointment confirmed, access instructions noted, and no surprises — and the VA already has the post-tour CRM update ready to complete.
2. Your Role & Boundaries
2a. What you handle independently
- Verifying each property is still active in the MLS before booking
- Booking showing appointments through the showing platform or by contacting listing agents
- Mapping the most efficient tour route
- Building travel time between properties (minimum 10–15 minutes)
- Preparing the tour itinerary — one reference page the agent can use while driving
- Sending the agent a tour reminder with the itinerary on the morning of the tour
- Confirming all listings are still active on the morning of the tour
- Updating the CRM with post-tour buyer feedback when the agent provides it
2b. What requires agent approval before acting
- Adding a property to the tour that the agent has not approved showing to this buyer
- Any showing request outside normal showing hours for a listing
- Confirming a tour for a date when the agent's availability is unclear — always check the agent's calendar before booking
- Any communication with the buyer about the tour beyond standard confirmation logistics
- Any decision to remove a property from the tour without notifying the agent
2c. What you never do
- You never negotiate on the agent's behalf under any circumstances.
- You never provide pricing, legal, or strategic opinions to any party.
- You never sign or initial any document on behalf of the agent, client, or any party.
- You never communicate directly with the other party's client.
- You never book a showing appointment for a buyer without first confirming the property is still active — statuses change daily in an active market.
- You never share showing access instructions (lockbox codes) with the buyer — only with the agent.
- You never skip the morning-of confirmation check — a property that was active yesterday may have gone pending or sold overnight.
- You never assume a showing appointment is confirmed without a direct confirmation from the listing agent or platform.
When in doubt: If a listing status is unclear or a confirmation isn't coming back, remove the property from the confirmed tour and notify the agent. An honest "couldn't confirm this one" is better than a tour that arrives at a home that's already under contract.
3. Schedule & Trigger
Trigger: Buyer identifies properties they want to see — typically by responding to a saved search alert, flagging listings to the agent, or the agent recommending specific properties for a tour.
Response time: Book showing appointments within 24 hours of the buyer/agent confirming the property list. In a competitive market, popular new listings may have showing availability fill up quickly — prioritize booking as soon as the list is confirmed.
High-volume note: For buyers who receive multiple alerts and want to tour frequently, work from the agent's availability window first and build tours backward from it. Do not book showings for dates the agent hasn't confirmed as available.
Sequence context: This SOP runs during the active search phase, after MLS Saved Search Setup is active. It feeds directly into Offer Preparation when the buyer finds a property they want to pursue.
If you are unable to complete this task: Notify the agent at the start of your absence or as soon as possible. Flag any open or time-sensitive items. The agent will determine whether to delegate or defer. Never let a recurring deadline pass without flagging it to the agent in advance.
4. Property Confirmation Before Scheduling
Before booking a single appointment, verify every property on the buyer's list.
Verify each property is still active:
- Log in to the MLS and check the status of each address
- Active / Coming Soon = can proceed to booking
- Pending / Under Contract / Sold / Off Market = remove from the list, notify agent and buyer
Do not rely on the buyer's saved search alert email — listings can go from active to pending between when the alert is sent and when the tour is being scheduled.
Note any showing restrictions:
For each confirmed active listing, note:
- Minimum advance notice required (some listings require 24 hours)
- Occupied property (seller may need time to leave)
- Pet or security notes in the showing instructions
- Approved showing hours
If any property has restrictions that conflict with the buyer's preferred tour window, flag it to the agent before booking. Do not assume the seller will make an exception.
5. Scheduling the Tour
Check the agent's calendar first. Confirm the agent's availability for the proposed tour date and time before booking any appointments. An over-booked agent calendar is not a showing platform problem — it is a VA coordination problem.
Cluster showings geographically. Map the confirmed properties and arrange the tour in a logical geographic order — minimize drive time between stops. A tour that zigzags across the city loses 30 minutes of showing time to windshield time. Use Google Maps or a similar tool to plan the route.
Build in travel time. Allow a minimum of 10–15 minutes between each scheduled showing. For properties further apart, allow 20–25 minutes. A tour that is too tight runs late from the first property and never catches up.
Typical tour length per property: 20–30 minutes for most residential properties. For a first-time walkthrough of a home the buyer is seriously considering, allow 30–45 minutes.
Maximum properties per tour: Confirm with the agent — most agents prefer no more than 5–7 properties per tour session. Buyer fatigue after 6–7 properties makes it hard to retain impressions.
6. Booking Showing Appointments
Book through the showing platform where available (ShowingTime, Aligned Showings, CSS, or the listing's designated platform). This creates a documented confirmation record.
If the listing uses a manual process (call the listing agent directly), call or email the listing agent. Get a verbal or written confirmation before adding the property to the confirmed tour.
Always get explicit confirmation. Do not assume an appointment is confirmed because you submitted the request. Wait for the confirmation response before adding the property to the tour itinerary.
Confirmation documentation:
- Log each confirmed appointment: address, date/time, listing agent name, and confirmation method
- If confirmation is via email, save it to the buyer file → 04 - Tours
- If confirmation is via phone, note the date/time of the call and who you spoke with
7. Tour Itinerary
Prepare the tour itinerary before the tour. The agent should be able to use this as a single-page reference while driving — address visible at a glance, time at a glance, key notes visible at a glance.
Tour itinerary format:
TOUR ITINERARY — [Buyer Last Name] — [Date]
[Time] — [Address]
MLS #: [number] | List Price: $[price]
Beds/Baths: [X/X] | Sq Ft: [X]
Key features: [2–3 bullet points from the listing]
Access: [Lockbox location and code — or "showing platform confirmation sent"]
Agent: [Listing agent name and phone]
Notes: [Any showing restrictions, pet notes, minimum notice confirmed, etc.]
[Repeat for each property]
Total properties: [X]
Estimated tour duration: [X hours]
Delivery: Save to the buyer file → 04 - Tours and send to the agent via their preferred channel. Do not send to the buyer — the buyer receives their own confirmation (see Section 8). The tour itinerary with access codes is for the agent only.
8. Day-of Logistics
Morning of the tour:
-
Check the MLS status of every confirmed property — a listing can go pending overnight
- Still active: proceed
- Now pending or sold: remove from the tour and notify the agent immediately -
Send the agent a reminder with the tour itinerary attached:
Hi [Agent Name] — tour reminder for today, [Date] with [Buyer First Name].
Tour summary: [X properties] starting at [Time]
First stop: [Address] at [Time]
Full itinerary attached. All listings confirmed active as of this morning.
[If any change: "[Address] went pending overnight — removed from tour. Updated itinerary attached."]
[VA Name]
- Send the buyer a brief reminder:
Hi [Buyer First Name] — reminder that your home tour with [Agent Name] is today, [Date] at [Time]. You're scheduled to see [X properties].
[Agent Name] will meet you at [first address / pickup point].
If anything comes up, contact [Agent Name] at [agent contact].
[VA Name]
9. Post-Tour CRM Updates
After the tour, the agent typically has a sense of what the buyer liked, what they didn't, and which properties are worth revisiting. Capture this.
If the agent provides post-tour feedback:
Update the CRM buyer profile for each property seen:
- Buyer's reaction: High interest / Moderate / Low / Not interested
- Specific notes from agent (what the buyer liked or disliked)
- Any action flag: "wants to revisit," "wants to make an offer," "eliminated"
If a property rises to offer-level interest:
Flag it to the agent and prepare to initiate Offer Preparation Checklist.
Search criteria refinements:
After the tour, buyers often refine what they are looking for. If the agent notes that the buyer's criteria have evolved — "they realized they need at least 2,000 sq ft" or "they want to focus on [different neighborhood]" — update the CRM profile and adjust the MLS saved search per MLS Saved Search Setup & Management.
10. Checklist
Pre-Tour Preparation
- ☐ Every property verified active in MLS before booking
- ☐ Agent's calendar confirmed available for tour date
- ☐ Showing appointments booked — each individually confirmed
- ☐ Properties clustered geographically and tour route planned
- ☐ Travel time between properties built into the schedule
- ☐ Tour itinerary prepared and delivered to agent
Day-of
- ☐ MLS status confirmed active for all properties the morning of the tour
- ☐ Agent reminder sent with itinerary — any status changes noted
- ☐ Buyer reminder sent
Post-Tour
- ☐ CRM updated with buyer feedback on each property
- ☐ Any offer-level interest flagged to agent
- ☐ MLS saved search updated if criteria evolved
11. Escalation Protocol
Escalate to the agent immediately in any of these situations:
- A property on the tour is no longer active (went pending or sold) and is discovered the morning of the tour — the tour itinerary must be revised or the agent notified before leaving
- A showing appointment cannot be confirmed with the listing agent and the tour is in fewer than 3 hours
- Access instructions for a property are missing (no lockbox code, no listing agent response) on the morning of the tour
- The buyer contacts the VA requesting to add a property to the tour that the agent has not approved showing to them
- Post-tour: the agent reports a property from the tour is now generating an offer conversation — the CRM and follow-up must be updated urgently
Hi [Agent Name] — tour issue for [Buyer Name] on [Tour Date] needs immediate attention.
Issue: [Property went off-market / appointment unconfirmed / access missing / buyer request / offer interest]
Affected property: [Address]
Time remaining: [Hours until tour starts / hours until specific appointment]
Needed: [Pull from tour and notify / backup property / lockbox from seller / authorize addition]
[VA Name]
If the agent is unreachable: Remove any property from the tour that has gone off-market — a buyer arriving at a pending property is worse than a shorter tour. Attempt the listing agent one more time for access issues. For missing lockbox codes, attempt the agent's secondary urgent contact channel. Document all changes to the itinerary with timestamps.
12. Tools & Access
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| MLS platform | [Confirm platform and listing status verification process during onboarding] |
| Showing platform | [ShowingTime / Aligned Showings / CSS / other — confirm during onboarding] |
| Agent's calendar | [Confirm access method per Calendar & Scheduling Management — must check before booking tour dates] |
| CRM platform | [For post-tour buyer feedback updates — confirm fields and interest tracking per agent's system] |
| Google Drive buyer file | [04 - Tours subfolder for confirmation records and tour itinerary] |
| Route planning tool | [Google Maps or equivalent — for tour sequencing] |