Treyndeb,

Previewing and showing are two different things. Personally, I always let sellers know which one I'm doing mainly because they don't have to leave their home if it's just me. I know that I would appreciate knowing whether I had to leave my house or not if I were a seller.

As far as the photo thing... I don't know for what purpose the photos that agent took are for. Speaking for only myself...Some of my clients are relocating to the area and live thousands of miles away. They're not going to fly in to see a home they haven't seen photos of. With so many agents not posting photos online, my camera is charged and in my car at all times.

And even if there are photos online, sometimes they're edited, manipulated, etc. If I walk into the property and see that the photos have obviously been edited, I'll take my own photos to show my buyers so they don't waste their time (and the seller's time) seeing a home that won't work for them.

I think the agent was wrong for not telling you that she was going to be previewing you home, not showing it. To me they are very different activities. I also wonder, did the agent request and obtain your permission to take photos of your home? In this day of instant photos being posted online to myspace, facebook, etc. so many people don't even think about taking photos everywhere they go and uploading it. But I think it's an invasion of privacy. Since you live in this home and your personal belongings are there, the agent should have obtain permission before taking photos. What did she do with those photos?

I can see why you would be confused. She should have let you know she was previewing just so you didn't get your hopes up at that time. Previewing is not the same as showing but if her client has directed her in what they are looking for and she is trying to meet their needs her seeing the house would serve the same purpose as showing in this instance.
When I am showing or previewing I like the seller to be there, there are several reasons for that: 1. The buyer can ask questions that I can not ask or answer, about the neighborhood or the schools. 2. The seller can point out additional value of the home that the space in the mls description does not allow for. 3. Puting a face on the buyer and seller helps in the negotiation process.
There is always the danger that the seller might say something that could damage the deal so sellers need to be forewarned to be careful what they do say, something as simple as that guy next door has two beautiful basset hounds, sounds ok, but if the buyer doens't like dogs or thinks that they might howl at the moon all night the deal can be lost.
Don't be afraid to ask when they make the appointment if it is a preview or showing, in either case it is a chance for someone to see your home and possibly bring a buyer so it's all good!!

Normally when an out of town client asks me to preview a home, I let the appointment center know I am pre-viewing for a client and also tell them the seller does not have to leave. I can tell you from years of experience that many agents make appts to show when they are previewing for a client. Next time just ask if they are showing or previewing. I can tell your if the home is "buyer ready" and priced correctly it will sell.

I’m assuming, since agents are calling YOU, that you are FSBO or limited service MLS. If so, be very circumspect about any information you give out to the agent, they WILL share it with their buyer.

Yes, the agent should have told you she was previewing the house for many reasons:

You would not have taken all the time to pick up/organize the house for a "real" showing
You really did not have to leave the house, and in fact it would have been great if the Realtor had been able to talk to you about things while you were there!
It would have been the right thing to do!

I am sure she did not intentionally try to deceive, or manipulate you, but in the future ask all agents if they are previewing or showing the house. And also ask if their client is actually able and ready to purchase. Just use this as a learning experience on what to ask Realtors on future calls.

I would have asked if I could preview your home for a client, not ask if I could “show” it. I wonder if her buyer hadn’t shown up and she just went to preview it instead. If I were just previewing a home I wouldn’t ask the seller to leave.

Do you have an agent or are you a FSBO? Either way, welcome to selling your home, although showings usually go pretty smoothly, you’re going to have no shows, early shows, late shows, and shows where people stay so long you think they’ve moved into your house. You might as well learn from each incident and see what you can do to prevent it from happening again, such as asking them to tell you a little about the buyer, or asking the agent to call you when they leave your home so you can return, for example. Of course, if you have your own agent, they will probably know nothing about another agent’s buyer, and sometimes agents forget to call when they leave, but like I said, welcome to selling your home. ☺ Price it right and you won’t have to put up with it for too long.