Buyer Representation File Management - URGENT

This original suggestion is from 5 years ago. Are we anywhere closer to seeing this become a reality? The agents at my brokerage are continuing to ask for this feature.

This seems quite simple to me. It would function the same as adding a New Listing. Right now the only way to keep track of a Buyer is to create a Transaction - or not utilize skyslope.  We do not creat a transaction when starting a listing. Then we create the fields that are required or needed from our Brokerage under the Buyers tab. The screen can show "View Transactions", "View Listings", and "View Buyers". Then when a buyer is under contract a transaction can be created just as happens with a listing.

To all, I have decided to abandon SkySlope because of this unresolved issue. I wish everyone the best of luck with getting them to make some changes to their system to facilitate a buyers workflow.

It's crazy that this has been on people's minds for 5+ years and it still isn't moving. 

OK, here's what I envision:

You get some buyers in hand, and you open a buyer file in Forms, so you can send them some preliminary paperwork for their signatures. Our brokerage requires the Broker Representation Agreement and the Disclosed Limited Agency Agreement in Oregon. These must be reviewed by a managing broker, so the Forms file should then be able to be converted to a Skyslope Transaction file, or the Skyslope file opened from the Skyslope side with the Forms file as the one to choose.

Just as with listings, we (the brokerage) dictate what files are required and what are optional, but the file is still named the clients names. The MB can review the paperwork and approve it like they do with listings.

Then when the buyers get an offer accepted, the user can convert the file to an open transaction with an address and all the other parties, etc. I'd expect it to operate very similarly to a listing workflow, because there's contractual paperwork on both ends before the buyers and sellers even meet.

Hello Elinor and Ryan, 

Charleigh from the Product team here at SkySlope. Thank you for taking the time to add your feedback! While I do not have an update to share at this time, I would love to get additional perspective for our product management team. To the commenters here, what workflows would you expect to see in a Buyer Representation Experience? What should differ from listings and what should stay the same?

Thanks again and have a great day!

Agree. We need this option in Skyslope, and the ability to keep track of buyers and their offers. This desperately needs to happen.

Another vote for this. More and more brokerages, ours included, are requiring paperwork signed by buyers before they make an offer on a home, and need to have it reviewed by our managing broker. We'd love to see this, like a listing pipeline, because otherwise we have to make a fake file with a fake address in order to submit paperwork for review.

Charleigh, I am happy to meet again with one of your product managers, if this issue isn't resolved in the next few months I will surely be switching my back-end software to Dotloop, Zipforms, or something else that provides the proper functionality to keep track of buyers. Thanks.

Hello all,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about Buyer Representation files. We understand its importance and we're actively considering all feedback, including yours! While we haven't implemented it yet, please know that your input isn't being ignored. We're committed to enhancing our product and your suggestions play a crucial role in our decision-making process! If you have more ideas or thoughts on this topic, please keep them coming!

To help us gain a deeper understanding, would you be open to meeting with one of our Product Managers to discuss this further? Reply to this thread and our team will reach out via email to arrange a call.

Thanks again,

Charleigh, Product Operations

Ian your response was perfect! This feature is desperately needed. I remember Skyslope saying years ago that they were developing something like that and it never happened. 

I personally am getting to the point where I expect that I will need to change my back end software because Skyslope apparently seems to be ignoring this important compliance and user interface issue. Note that this thread began 5 years ago!!

This would be super helpful!

This is an issue that seems to appear in multiple feature requests over the years and should really be addressed sooner than later. 

All real estate transactions start with a client, either a buyer or a seller. In my opinion all files should be started as a client, either a Seller/Buyer or Landlord/Tenant not as a listing, address or as a transaction. Only after basic client information has been added should a listing or a buyer or a transaction be created. 

The ideal workflow in SkySlope should be: 

1) Enter New Client - at this stage basic client information needs to be entered. This should be the first step for everything. You have it right in the Forms App and this is the way is should be in SkySlope as well:

In DigiSign the New Envelope dropdown should read as follows:

• Choose Client
• Create New Client (linked to appropriate entry form)
• Choose Property
• No Client or Property   

2) Create New Seller or Create New Buyer (also consider adding Landlord/Tenant as options) - at this stage a new listing would be created with a Listing Documentation Checklist (I would rename it Seller Documentation) or a new Buyer would be created with a Buyer Documentation Checklist. Agency agreements are used both with buyers and sellers but the forms used in each case vary so the checklists for Sellers and Buyers should be named similarly. Having a checklist section for Agency Agreements would be fine but it is not as important as allowing agents the ability to add agency agreements and other forms into files before they go under contract.

I believe that the ideal would be to have the following checklist types: Buyer, Seller, and Transaction rather than the only two checklist types currently available that are Listing or Transaction. You might also want to consider adding checklists only to be used for landlords or tenants.

3) Create Transaction - once the Seller (Listing) goes under contract or the Buyer goes under contract then a transaction should be created by converting the Client (Buyer or Seller) with the appropriate Transaction Checklist applied. This is the point where all the necessary transaction items can be added to the files up until closing.

The impact these changes would have on the productivity of the agents and their managing brokers would be substantial. Right now I am struggling to figure out how to be able to timely review buyer side transactions along with all the associated paperwork involved before a buyer goes under contract. It is not unusual for buyers to submit multiple offers on different properties before they go under contract on a home they eventually purchase. If agents don't have a way to store and have their buyer files reviewed by their brokerage before actually going under contract there is a huge gap in the SkySlope system that creates unnecessary liability for Brokers, Agents, Company Owners etc. Most if all states that I know of require brokerages to keep accurate records of all their agents agency agreements, offers made on behalf of buyers, listing agreements, and the like that are created before a binding contract/transaction is created.

I am hopeful that you will be able to improve your systems to better accomodate the needs of your SkySlope clients and the various regulations that we are supposed to abide by.

Many thanks!

This is a critically needed feature. Had I been able to use your software before purchasing it, I would not have  signed a contract to use it. The management of Buyer Representation files is mandatory in my state, Texas. I can honestly say if this software suite does not incorporate this software, soon, I will write this off as a bad investment and begin searching for my DotLoop replacement again.

Hi Jim,

Thank you for reaching out! I just sent you an email to get you in touch with our product management team. Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

-Kylee, Product Operations