Leave The House
We know this is really hard to do. You’re leaving your trust in a buyer’s agent you’ve never met and hoping she stays with her customers as all goes well. I can tell you from many experiences that when an owner stays home for a showing and I walk buyers through, it is awkward. Buyers will stay silent if you’re at home and they won’t explore and take note of the features and benefits your home has to offer. Head to a coffee shop, walk the dog, go to the movie or do just about anything other than staying home!
Set Your Home Up For Success
Turn every light in the house on. It may seem like overkill but people love bright spaces. If you aren’t at home just before the showing, let us know and we’ll happily drive over and turn the lights on ourselves.
Make it Easy for People to see Your Home
It would be ideal if buyers made their appointments 24 hours (or even days) in advance but that rarely happens these days. Buyers want to see homes on their own schedule and will often make showing requests only hours in advance. If you take my advice on selling, you’ll have your house ready for showings every night before bed. That way, you can accommodate last minute showings like these. Also, keep in mind how buyers make their showing requests. Buyer’s agents will organize a list of homes and make all of the requests. If you deny a buyer’s request to see your home, odds are they will simply skip it. It is highly unlikely they’ll come back at a different hour or day.
Don’t get Upset When the Unexpected Happens
I’ve shown buyers homes and halfway through they fall in love and decide they want to put in an offer. This means they’re skipping the remainder of homes they’re scheduled to see and I have to let the sellers down. This happens so don’t get upset. We’ll get the next one!
Make Sure you do These Things Before Every Showing
I always encourage my sellers to take 15-20 minutes each night before bed to make their home perfect just in case someone wants to see it the following day. Some of the things you should do are:
- Make all of the beds when you wake up
- Take out the trash
- Do your dishes and remove clutter from the kitchen counters
- Freshen up the bathrooms
- Clean the kitty litter box and replace litter as needed
- Vacuum
That’s That!
Following these 5 tips will set you up for home selling success! It’s tough being a seller—we know that. However, if you routinely set yourself up for success by following these steps, your home shouldn’t be on the market very long!
