Dear Seller (Landlord):
I know you want to sell (rent) your home. That's why you went to the trouble to hire a listing agent, and why your home is in the MLS system and why there's a sign outside. Buyers (tenants) are interested in your home, so we made an appointment to see a few. In the last three or so weeks, we've received about 3+ feet of snow, but the roads are fine, so off we went.
Here's how today went for this real estate agent:
Rental home #1: The sidewalk and front steps were not clear and there was so much snow, the door wasn't going to open. I had to shovel the pathway into the home and around the front door. My clients were wearing sneakers, including their three small children. Luckily for the landlord, the clients decided they really wanted to see inside, so they made the best of the situation. Other clients would have gone home and a potential renter would have disappeared.
Buyer House #2: I had shown this house yesterday, and there had been no path or driveway cleared at that time, but I knew the snow clearing had happened yesterday. Yay! However, it snowed after the area was cleared. Not a lot of snow, only 3 or so inches, but my buyer clients did not have proper footwear. Again, they came in anyway (and tracked snow inside) but it would have been much simpler if the path and driveway were clear.
Buyer House #3: We pulled up and I groaned. There was no path to the front door where the lock box was. Luckily, I had a snow shovel in my car, so more shoveling ensued. We made it to the front door, shoveled that out as well, got the key from the lockbox, and guess what. The key didn't open the door and trying to walk around the house to see if it fit somewhere else wasn't going to happen (with the 3 feet of snow/ice). I called the office, the agent couldn't be reached, so we left. This home was not seen.
So here is my plea to Mr/Ms Seller/Landlord. If your house is in a geography that receives snow, arrangements must be made to keep the driveway and pathways clean. That's the only way most buyers or renters will be able to view the property because not all agents are willing to heft a snow shovel. If it's not kept clear, you may lose weeks of selling time. And that's simply not going to help you sell your house.
Sincerely,
Kat
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