I just spent two weeks trying to show property to a very serious upper bracket buyer, relocating to the DC METRO area . You know.. the dream client we all want ? Easy going, open to ideas and areas, laid back, smart, and fun to be with?
We took two days of every week to look at homes, so they could familiarize themselves with what the price range gave them in terms of size of home, the community amenities and commute.
Out of nearly 20 homes , 8 of those were difficult to schedule showings , as they were by appointment that fit the seller's time table instead of ours. I can appreciate a home owner not wanting us to show their home at 9:00 AM or at dinner time, but mid morning on a weekday ? We had sellers tell us that it was a hard time for their kids ( after school), or that their baby was napping. As the mom of two sons, I learned early on that babies can sleep almost anywhere and that home work can be just as easily done at the library as at my kitchen table.
Giving those home sellers, the benefit of the doubt- we were forced to work our route around their timing. In none of these cases, was there any reason we could see that we really needed to meet the agent to tour this home. Oddly , none of those homes was the most lavish, be-decked with rare art, nor did they appear to contain items of great value on display. None had a pet, and in fact- the homes that were the hardest to show - ended up being our least favorites for many reasons. They were -frankly- the most unappealing and yet we felt like we had to jump through hoops to get in .
Yes.. they were the listings with ' must give 24 hour notice', and were the homes we had to b met by the agent or a representative of the agent. Add to that , no Sentrilock, so we had to conduct our tour while being chaperoned by the agent or home seller- who in many cases kept us from really seeing the home without interruption.
Sellers.. do you REALLY want to get your precious house sold? Then, make it easy to show.
My client is the CFO of a HUGE company. He was taking time off from his NEW job to see your oh so precious jewel. Because of your high security or control freak issues- we had to re route our tour and back track over 20 miles to be at your listing at your convenience.
And for what? One house was being painted by a crew - so the front door was flapping open, there was post summer camp suitcases in the kids rooms brimming with dirty clothing and not a light was on in the house for us. Yet, I was ' required' to be at the house at a particular time and to 'meet' the agent. Did they think we'd steal the dirty laundry, or were they worried we'd borrow the huge stack of old newspapers left at the front door?
This was true in all but 2 of these showings. No lights on, nothing unique or precious in the home that might have required someone to accompany us ( like a seriously amazing FINE art collection or the crown jewels of England).
One seller had a Dr.'s appointment, so despite our booking 24 hours in advance, then asked us to come hours later. We had to completely re route the tour and by the time we could loop around, my buyer's son was exhausted. It was this house that we spent the least amount of time in? And, it was OFF our list totally.
I'love to think that the reason agents or sellers want to control access is for reasons of security,extreme wealth, accommodating a frail household member, securing a less than friendly pet or such. But I feel that most times it's to add the aura of self important ego issues.
The dialogue? Sellers , please make it easy to show your home and perhaps those 100 plus days on market would be far less , you'd accommodate the truly busy ( and likely financially able) buyers and maybe get the old house sold.
In 22 years, I've always stressed the importance of 'ease in showing' to my seller clients . If you need to feel important as an agent, help get your listings shown to the buyers who want to see them. Having a successful track record on date listed to sold and closes should be enough to bolster your personal self worth in your fancy ad with your arms crossed in front of your body- showing how important you are!
If I am missing the point, I'd love to understand what good or REAL reasons might be for controlled access to the degree in which I've seen this used.
In the meantime, I'm heading out to show my buyers a home or two that requires I follow the showing instructions , but are easy to squeeze in on his lunch hour today. I hope that his family ends up loving one of those homes- and the seller is rewarded for making it easy to get in.
This is a job of service to our clients. This is not access to the White House. Which, by the way, was easier for me to visit than a few of the homes on my last showing tour!
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