The purpose of a tour policy is to assist in maintaining a level of safety, security, privacy, respect, courteous conduct and an elevated professional standard of care by our SILVAR members when entering and touring the property of the consumer.
- Tours, tour meetings, and tour sheets are for the exclusive use of members of SILVAR and other REALTOR® organizations and are not available to the general public. The tour is an exclusive viewing of properties listed on RE InfoLink. Tour sheets may not be reproduced without permission from SILVAR, and may not be distributed to the general public. Any advertising or sponsorship of tour meetings is to be limited to SILVAR members only.
- To put a property on Tour, an Agent/Broker must be a member of RE InfoLink. The Agent/Broker must enter “SILVAR” in the Association Tour 1 or Association Tour 2 field on a listing in order for it to appear on the SILVAR tour sheet.
- The Agent/Broker responsibility includes ensuring that the property Owner and Tenant have authorized a touring of the property. A client may tour a property on tour with the consent of the listing agent/broker.
- If the property is occupied, the Agent/Broker or designated representative must be present for the entire scheduled Tour.
- Vacant houses must be identified as vacant and listed as such in the Tour Sheet remarks. The Agent/Broker or a designated representative is encouraged to be present during the scheduled Tour hours. If not attended, the property must have a visible working lockbox. If the house is "staged" or furnished, it is NOT considered vacant for the purposes of Tour.
- Drive-by properties and Status 2 and 3 properties must be specifically noted as such in the Tour Sheet remarks.
- Retours are only allowed after a 30-day period has elapsed since the last Tour.
- Retour 30-day exception is if a property has had a 5%(+/-) price change or a status change.
- Alcoholic beverages are not allowed at properties during Tour.
- Tour Cancellation - If an Agent/Broker needs to cancel the property Tour:
- The agent must make every attempt to cancel the property Tour on RE InfoLink BEFORE the computer deadline, so that it is not published on the Tour Sheet.
- If an Agent/Broker needs to cancel the Tour and it is AFTER the computer deadline, the property will still show on the Tour Sheet, so the Agent/Broker must make every effort to inform the other agents prior to the Tour, have an announcement made at the Tour Marketing Meeting (if applicable), AND place a visible sign at the property indicating that Tour is cancelled.
Violation of the Tour Policy will result in a $100 fine for the 1st offense, $250 for the 2nd offense, and $500 for the 3rd offense. Other fines may be administered by the SILVAR Grievance Committee. Any member of RE InfoLink may file a report on a violation of Tour Policy. The name of the complainant will remain confidential. Call SILVAR at 408-200-0100 or click here to obtain a "Tour Policy Violation Reporting Form."
Tour Policy Enforcement
- Tour Violation is reported to SILVAR on a Tour Policy Violation Reporting Form.
- SILVAR staff will review for completion and forward to the Regional Tour Policy Committee (RTPC).
- RTPC reviews complaint and if determined that Agent/Broker is in violation of Tour Policy, a letter from SILVAR is sent to the Agent and the Agent's Broker stating the violation and requesting a fine as outlined in the Tour Policy. An offer is made to allow the Agent/Broker to appeal back to the RTPC by submitting a written statement to SILVAR.
- The RTPC reviews the appeal and (1) if the RTPC agrees with the Agent/Broker appeal the matter is dropped, documentation is filed, Agent/Broker gets a letter in writing from SILVAR that the matter has been dropped and no fine is assessed, or (2) if the RTPC still feels the Agent/Broker should be fined, then the Agent/Broker is contacted in writing and given an opportunity to pay the fine. If the Agent/Broker still disagrees, the matter is turned over to the SILVAR Grievance Committee for due process.
