A lot of cards the first couple of days is a good sign. After that, it's a bad sign. Not only that, but why would any listing agent want her sellers to have access to a pile of a bunch of other agent's cards?

If a lot of cards are sitting on the counter it tells me 3 things. The house has been on the market awhile, no buyer has bought it or wants it and it absolutely worries a buyer that sees that as they think something is wrong. Listing agents are not helping their seller by leaving them in place.

that listing agent should be dismissed....there should not be business cards left in a pile...they should be taken by the listing agent and phone calls made to each of the agents...and a report given to the homeowner....

50 is a bit much, but i don't care if 5 or 10 are there. It shows interest, but if that's isn't followed by offers and a contract after 60-90 days, it then shows rejection.

I'd be more inclined to worry if I saw a stack of different Home Inspector's cards!

Is that a rhetorical question? LOL 

With electronic lock boxes we can see at any time if an agent did show on appointment. With 50 cards and the listing agent not even visiting the house I would call this a dead end, and a bad listing agent.

Mainly, Paul I think it is to show your client/seller that there has been activity. I do believe that you ought to have a time limit to leaving them. On a vacant home, (I have many like this), I'll leave them for a time period so that the seller can see them when they use the home (infrequently, sometimes), but after, say a month, I will put them in a drawer. 

Paul S. Henderson, Realtor, Tacoma Washington I would think in this case rejection since the property is in disarray and over priced.

In our market, homes don't last long, so if you see 20 cards and only has been on the market a couple of days, buyers know they have to put an offer in quickly if they love the home. 

In years past - if the cards started piling up, I would go by at least once a week and pick up the cards. 

In my part of the world, without electronic lock boxes, we leave cards only for the Seller to know we've come and gone!   As a Listing Agent with a vacant property, I would collect the cards and not allow them to accumulate.

I don' think that is always a bad thing.  A lot of cards could have been left at an open house and/or from an office caravan.

It shows a lot of agents are showing the property to the wrong buyer . 

I do not leave cards any longer and other agents are doing the same.  Lockboxes record our information when we get the key so no need leaving cards.

Hi Paul, If I had a listing sticking around, I'd pick up the cards.  In the first week or two, I'd leave them to show interest. Once we hit any longer I'd be afraid of the message that may infer. 

I collect them. I think it protrays rejection.

I try to pick them up - I'll leave a few behind.  I think it looks like the listing agent isn't paying a lot of attention to the listing.

You BETCHA!!  IF I  saw that  I'd Keep an eye on that one and  when it goes expired I'd write the owner a love letter on how I  can do better!  

I see left out buisness cards as "NO" votes. 

After sitting around for so long, I'm sure that those agents won't even remember which clients they had taken out to see that property. Might as well toss the cards, it's no use following up.

It makes me think something is wrong or it would be sold.

Paul,

It sure looks bad, and shows that the house has not generated interest and the agent is in apathy over it.  A

It makes me think there is something wrong with the home and none of these agents clients would touch it.

If there is a massive amount of cards the first few days on market, I leave them there...however, after that, I pick them up because after a few weeks on market, dusty cards indicate a lot of buyers rejecting the property. 

I think it portrays Interest, uless like you said, they are really dusty. If you see different cards there each time you go to the property..that's great!

I pick up the old cards...don't want a potential buyer to see them

I don't allow cards to accumulate. I don't ask for them, don't what to see them. After all, every time the blue box is accessed...I am notiifed.

What is missing from your question is the method of selling the seller selected. There is always a 'NO TOUCH' method at the bottom of the cost range that means exactly that. 

Listing agent hasn't lost interest, but fully aware of the consequences of the sellers choice. 

3 to 10 Card's Show's interest! I agree a Pile of 15-30 Cards indicates they all passed on it!

If there are many cards in the first week buyers realize that there is a lot of interest and may make an offer. If there are many cards after 60 days it shows that many people looked at it and it did not sell.

Whether vacant or occupied, I don't like seeing a ton of cards--sends a message that lots of people looked but said no to the property. I don't like to see more than 3 or 4 cards around--just so other prospective buyers know that there is interest in the property.

 Good Wednesday morning Paul. The stack of cards that show interest; however, it's the executed contract that's important.

As a listing agent I do collect those cards so I can add them to my database of local agents and database of that specific listing to notify them about price reduction, back on market, etc. changes with that specific listing. 

Shows lot of traffic but it does no offers time for me to put in a good low one

I never thought about them as rejections. Interesting. I pick them up and follow up with the agents. 

    We see this a lot with Foreclosures and Zombies.  Sometimes in occupied houses, you can spot a pile of cards that have been rubber-banded and put on a desk.

    In my opinion, the Listing Agent should pick up the cards and get them out of sight.   I pick up cards in my listings; but if I see them in another Agent's listing, I leave them where they are.

As a listing agent I would be neglecting my listing if I didn't pick up the cards and report showing traffic to my client. The dust is a sign of neglect but not mine! 

Paul - I would typically remove the cards when I visited the listing.

Obviously if that many people viewed the home, the price does not match the condition.

Who knows?  The listing agent has clearly left things alone at the property. Whether is going on with that agent, I couldn't say.

Paul, I use the cards as an opportunity to find out why the agent didn't write an offer on my listing. I then use this to fix as many of the issues as possible with my seller.  50 cards on a listing I am showing a buyer, this gives me a clue we can negotiate a good deal for the buyer.

Those cards are like agents marking their territory in my opinion.  I only leave cards in listings that my clients might be interested in, that way they kind of know who I am if I send an offer. It seems like some agents put cards every place they get a chance to put one in case somehow it brings them business. I throw them away unless they are the agent that makes an offer.

I let them collect dust!

The listing agent should be picking up those cards and asking for some feedback. Properly priced homes in our market are sold very quickly.

Paul,
If a show a property with a lot of cards I ask my buyers why all those people haven’t bought the house. Their ideas can be very interesting. On my own listings I don’t let the cards collect.

Sounds like it!  Since I get calls for all showings, I already know who is visiting.  I do not ask for cards to be left at my listings.  A waste of the agent's money.  If I see any, I throw them out (on my listings). 

I usually take the cards if I have a listing like that.  I would want the owner to see the house is showing, but on the other hand, I don't want all of the other buyers that come in to see all of the cards and wonder what is wrong with the house.

I think it sends a negative message to the buyers. So many have looked and passed on it. 

Paul, to me it is a sign that that listing got a lot of activity... and if it is still on the market well that is a problem... now if it was on the first day I know there will be multiple offers...Endre

I believe it shows interest within the first week. I would also collect them after a week if the house is vacant.  For occupied listings, I advise my clients to let them collect on the counter during the first week but to toss them after one week then every time they've returned home after a viewing. After all, they're left behind to let the homeowner know the house has been viewed.

I would suspect that the L.A has lost interest or at least is not doing what he/she is supposed to be doing. The cards should be collected and the showing Agents contacted to see what their impressions were of the house. if there is a price reduction the agents that left cards should be contacted and informed of the price reduction. If 50 dust covered cards are still laying there......not good.

The business cards are left there for a number of reasons. Are you getting a lot of cards and no offers? You may be priced too high.

The other agents are being curtious and want you to call or feedback. It is nice for the seller to know that the property is being shown.

I would pick them up and place them in a agents colaborator file and the next time I get a new listing or an update on this on......shoot them an email! Thease agents are working.

I always pick them up, always.  For all of the logical reasons mentioned in the comments above.

Our market is still pretty brisk and we still have broker caravans with agents leaving cards.  In the beginning days it can let a potential buyer know of interest level but after two months --- I'd say the interest is rather lacking.  

Not sure if the listing agent has lost anything....yet....this could be your chance Paul to pick up an expired listing.   

Either a broker's tour happened there, or rejection. Open drawer, knock 'em all into it and call it good.

 Cards are a good sign of showings, that's for sure.  And I do notice when a few more are added if we re-tour the property again.  From your detail, it does show "interest" but not that much if it's still overpriced and still on the market.  It's just like anything else in real estate, there's no standard answer.  LOL

With lock boxes that give the listing agent a list of who has been to the house, I don't see any value in leaving business cards lying around. If it's not vacant and the listing agent has made an appointment for a showing, it's appropriate for the buyers agent to leave his card just to show they've been there. But to have them pile up? Definitely sends a negative message to agents down the line. IMHO

Sounds like the listing agent is negligent. Wonder if there was any follow-up on any of the showings; does not seem that way.

I think your observations and not necessarily the presence of the cards themselves paint a clear picture of the listing agents interest. 50 Cards is a lot of showings, dusty and disarrayed, means someone isn't paying attention to the appearance of the property. I would conclude that the listing agent hadn't been there in a while.

I take them up and put them in drawer ...in my opinion a property with a lot of showings and no offers means it's over-priced!

Great question!

If the house has been on the market 2 days and there are 10 cards, I tell my buyers to expect a bidding war.