Scheduling Showings: How Far is Too Far in Advance?
Giving sufficient notice of when you'd like to view a property is a common courtesy. If the home is occupied, it gives the seller a chance to get things in order just in case life is happening while they wait for the next showing. You want to make sure that you don't catch sellers by surprise when you show up on their doorstep.
I have had agents to contact me and schedule a showing a week in advance. And while I appreciate their diligence in providing proper notice, I do think that a week in advance may be a bit too much in advance. A lot can happen in a week and people often suffer from short term memory or perhaps they've had a hectic week and could possibly forget about an appointment made a week in advance.
Also if showings are scheduled a week in advance, it is still a good idea to follow up with the listing agent to double check and make sure that the sellers remember that you are coming and bringing a buyer. Also be sure to check the listing again because the status of the listing could possibly have changed from active to pending or in some cases even sold (for those listing agents that don't update to pending when a contract is deemed viable).
In short, always try to give reasonable notice when scheduling a showing, but be cognizant of when notice may be outside of a scope of reason. And there is nothing wrong with confirming the day before or even the morning of the showing
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