Amanda and I had a listing appointment last week. The sellers were a family of five, with three young children and two big dogs. They had a lovely home, but you could certainly tell that they had young kids... and dogs.
After walking throught the home, we advised them to paint a few of the kid's rooms, and definitely have the carpets cleaned to help get rid of the pet odor.
We discussed how the process works, and that our office would call them when a showing request came in. We told them that they really needed to have their home ready to show on short notice so they wouldn't miss any opportunities.
It was at that point that the wife said "Man. Having your home listed is a major pain in the butt!" (She didn't say butt, but I'm trying to be professional here.) We all had a chuckle.
It's true though. Having your home listed is a major pain in the butt. You need to keep it as clean as possible, and you need to be ready to pack up the kids and dogs on short notice.
We have had some sellers say that they want 24 hour notice on showings. That's fine, but the Fort Wayne real estate market is hot. Buyers are buying, and they are buying quickly. Just yesterday I set up a showing with two hours notice for one of my buyers followed by an offer to purchase.
We aren't trying to tell you not to list and sell your home, we are just saying that yes... it is a pain in the butt.