Why Two Agents Show Up to Every Showing: A Lakes Region Real Estate Tradition That Out-Of-Town Buyers Often Don’t Expect

KEY TAKEAWAYS

– In the Lake Winnipesaukee market, it is standard practice for both the listing agent and the buyer’s agent to be present at showings, which surprises many buyers relocating from larger metro areas.

– Margot Skelley attends every showing for her listings personally, delivers feedback to sellers after each one, and checks in with buyers to keep all parties aligned.

– This hands-on approach reflects a broader culture of professionalism and community among Lakes Region agents, not just an individual preference.

WHEN OUT-OF-TOWN BUYERS ARRIVE AT A SHOWING

There is a moment Margot Skelley has seen play out more than once. Out-of-town buyers pull up to a Lake Winnipesaukee property, walk through the door, and notice something unexpected: both agents are standing there. The listing agent is present. Their own buyer’s agent is present. And the question follows almost immediately.

“Why are there so many people here?”

For buyers coming from Boston, New York, or other metropolitan markets, it genuinely catches them off guard. They are accustomed to lockboxes, vacant properties, and touring a home with nothing but a printed sheet from an online listing and a door code. Showing up to find the listing agent in the room can feel unusual, even intrusive. But in the Lakes Region, it is simply how things work.

THE LOCKBOX CULTURE DOES NOT TRANSLATE HERE

Margot has spent her entire real estate career in New Hampshire and has a clear-eyed understanding of why this market operates differently. In larger cities, the expectation is often that sellers vacate their property and leave it accessible around the clock so that showings can happen on demand. That model works in certain contexts, but it does not map onto the realities of a community like Wolfeboro or Tuftonboro.

“People live and work here,” she says. While Lake Winnipesaukee is well known as a second-home destination, a significant portion of its population lives here year-round. These are families and working residents who do not have the option of temporarily relocating while their home sits on the market. Expecting sellers to simply clear out and leave a door code does not reflect the texture of this community.

So agents show up. Both of them.

Margot Skelley represents luxury waterfront homes in Lake Winnipesaukee communities like Wolfeboro, Tuftonboro, and New Durham, and she sees the dual-agent showing model as one of the defining characteristics of how business gets done in this market. It is not a quirk. It is a standard that reflects mutual respect between agents, sellers, and buyers alike.

WHAT SHOWING UP ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE

For Margot, being present at every one of her listings is not just customary. It is a deliberate professional commitment. At the end of each showing, she checks in with the buyers to make sure their questions are answered and nothing is left unclear. She then circles back to her sellers with direct feedback from the tour.

“I give feedback to the sellers at the end of every showing,” she explains. That communication loop matters. Sellers deserve to know what buyers are thinking, and buyers benefit from having someone in the room who can speak to the property with genuine authority rather than pointing them toward a brochure.

Margot Skelley specializes in high-end lakefront estates, seasonal properties, and vacation homes with water access and dock rights, and those properties carry real complexity. Dock rights, water frontage, seasonal access considerations, and the particulars of lake living are not things a printout covers well. An agent who knows the property and the lake can answer questions on the spot that no listing sheet ever could.

A CULTURE BUILT ON RELATIONSHIPS

What makes this work is not just individual commitment. It is the working relationships that agents in the Lakes Region have built with one another over years of doing business together.

Margot Skelley leverages 9 years of experience with New Hampshire’s top-performing real estate team to guide clients through Lakes Region transactions, and that tenure has produced a network of trust with fellow agents throughout the area. If a schedule conflict comes up or someone needs a showing covered, the professional culture here makes that manageable. “If somebody’s running late or needs something covered, it’s really not a problem,” she says.

That kind of collegial reliability is part of what she means when she describes the dual-agent presence as a mark of character. It reflects how a close-knit professional community chooses to operate together, not just how individual agents choose to brand themselves.

For buyers arriving from bigger markets, that culture can take a moment to adjust to. But most come to appreciate it quickly.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why are both agents present at showings in the Lake Winnipesaukee market?

It is the standard practice in the Lakes Region for the listing agent and the buyer’s agent both to attend showings. Unlike larger metro markets where lockboxes and vacant homes are the norm, many Lakes Region sellers live in their homes year-round and the professional culture here supports agent presence at every showing.

Does Margot Skelley attend every showing for her listings?

Yes. Margot is personally present at every showing for properties she represents. After each showing she speaks with the buyers and provides direct feedback to her sellers, keeping communication transparent throughout the process.

Is the Lakes Region primarily a second-home market or a year-round community?

It is both. Lake Winnipesaukee attracts a significant number of seasonal and vacation property buyers, but a substantial year-round population also calls the area home. That mix shapes how the market operates, including how showings are handled and how agents serve their clients.