Setting Limitations: Setting Yourself Up For Failure   
Written by Loreena Yeo Copyright 2007

As a kind word of advice for Sellers in this Buyer's real estate market:

For buyers to view your home (with your hopes of a pending sale) can really be tainted if you set too many parameters for viewing your home. With the amount of properties on the market at the moment, should you have hindered your showing activities can impede the sale of your home.

Some of the common constraints:

• Appointment required only: Some agents and their clients might be viewing your neighbor's property. Then, they noticed your property was for sale too. (You had great curb appeal and they had to come in to take a look). But when the buyer's agent make the call to view the property, it says Appointment Required. So happened, you were in the movies and you didn't pick up that call. Guess what? The buyer's agent and buyers move on (not remembering about your home). Suggestion: Request for a courtesy call.
• xx hour notice: Some showings may require 1 hour notice. I have seen some that needs a 24 hour notice. If you set yourself such parameters for viewing, again, drive-by agents and their clients do not have time to wait for 1-hour before viewing your property. While we understand that you might need a few minutes to grab your child and stuff, as long as a courtesy call is made, your potential buyers should be able to walk into your house after given notice (again, in this market).
• No showings before xx a.m. or after xx p.m.: Buyer's agents would typically make appointments as early as 9:00 a.m. or ends their showings at 8:00 p.m. So, do not restraint them to come in during this time-frame. We can understand not to show the house at 7:00 a.m. or 10:00 p.m. I am not saying make your house a revolving door, but if you limit yourself, you might not catch those "early birds" or the "late night owls". In my personal experience, I have seen a showing instruction to not show the house after 6:00 p.m. That makes showings very difficult for the sale of your home. Guess what? Most buyers view houses after work, while you are trying to get home to prepare dinner. It will be inconvenient - and the home-selling process is never convenient. I take it that if you are bothered so often, those are good signs that your home has great showing activities. High showing activities lead to a contract eventually.
• No showings between 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. (seller's child takes naps): This is really a big question. Should you restrain showings like this? Could your child take naps at an alternative location when a showing is pending?

Think about your showing parameters. In a market such as this, you would only hope many, many showings are made for your property until you could barely stay in. That, will be a good sign for a sale is near. If you set too many showing parameters, you are only setting yourself up for failure.