Please remove shoes? ...Gee, I hope I have my good socks on today (the ones without holes in them). Do not let the cat out? ...Cat? Okay, I'll alert the allergy sensitive buyer, so she can start out on a NEGATIVE note. These are just a couple of the common requests which are made as I try to schedule an appointment to show a house. And, I can actually live by these rules.
But.....24 hours notice? Well, just forget it then. See, the buyers live an hour away and just decided this morning that they want to look at houses THIS AFTERNOON - they won't be back here tomorrow.
What? .....7pm is too late? You want me to try to schedule the showing before 5pm? Sorry, can't do it - the buyer works until 5.
Geeze. What are sellers thinking? In a buyer's market it's not about accommodating the SELLER. If a seller really wants to sell their house bad enough, they need to make it available and EASY to show.
And what about those security alarms?
Last week I was provided confirmation for a showing appointment with the most unusual instructions...
Please remove shoes. OK.
THEN, turn off the alarm. OK
...which is located in the 1st floor master bedroom
...to the right of the entryway
...and behind the door to the master closet.
WHAT? As I listened, I was trying so hard to visualize the distance involved and imagine the amount of time I had to finally find the keypad to the alarm ...which just so happened to be so conveniently hidden behind the master bedroom closet door. And, as I rehearsed this little skit in my mind, I tried to remind myself to take off my shoes and be careful not to trip over them as I sprinted to the keypad in a frenzy.
I thought of my worst fear coming true. Setting off the alarm, police cars swarming, cops with their guns drawn and insisting that me and the buyers come out with our hands up.
And, just imagine ...the real reason the police showed up to arrest us? Perhaps it's because they discovered that we all have holes in our socks!
Sellers: Just turn off that alarm for showings. And, while you're at it, just make it simple for me to sell your house! Geeze!
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