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Traveling & Showing Your Home

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Beam & Branch Realty TREC #547752

 

House

When your home is on the market and you need to be gone for awhile, not to fear.  There are many steps that you can take to insure a worry-free time while you are away regarding your home.  Perphaps that is when you will get it sold!

 

Here are a few tips to follow when you have your home on the market but are heading out of town:

 

1.  Call your listing agent and let them know the dates that you will gone.  Make sure they know of any

     special showing instructions that might change during your absence.

 

2.  Have a neighbor or friend pick up newspapers, your mail and any deliveries so that they don't stack up

     around the house or on the porch.

 

3.  Do not advertise on social media that you will be away!

 

4.  Have lamps throughout the home on timers so that they come on at scheduled times.

 

5.  Keep some shades open so the house will look light and bright during showings.  Having it all closed up

     screams "we are out of town"!

 

6.  Lock up valuables and put away all medicines.

 

7.  Take out the trash before you leave!  Nothing worse than last nights fish stinking up the place while

     you are gone!

 

8.  Leave the home clean and tidy!  Laundry up, cat boxes emptied, toilet seats down, beds made!

 

9.  Unplug computers and other electrical items that could be damaged during a storm or outage.

 

10.  Make sure your listing agent has a local contact person to call in case of an emergency and you are

       not able to be reached.

 

Preparing a few things ahead of time can really help you head out of town with a lot less stress.  Don't wait until right before you are leaving to do these things!  Begin preparing early!

 

Enjoy your time away!

Posted by

Comments(10)

Sheila Anderson
Referral Group Incorporated - East Brunswick, NJ
The Real Estate Whisperer Who Listens 732-715-1133

Good morning Paula. Very good information and absolutely well presented.

Nov 29, 2014 09:10 PM
Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate
Fred Griffin Real Estate - Tallahassee, FL
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker

A great list, Paula.  Many of these items (especially #6) would apply to Sellers that are NOT traveling!

Nov 29, 2014 09:45 PM
Raymond E. Camp
Ontario, NY

Good morning Paula,

Great lists for the out of towner. Would also be good for the snow birds that want to sell.

Most of my snowbirds let me stop by once a week to check and make sure their homes are ok.

Make yourself a great day.

Nov 29, 2014 10:01 PM
Michael Dagner
Brokers Guild Classic - Denver, CO
Your Denver Homes Realty Expert

Paula, what a great list. Very smart list of to-do's while away.  Most folks probably wouldn't bother with #9, but there are many times that would be a mistake.  

Nov 30, 2014 01:46 PM
James Dray
Fathom Realty - Bentonville, AR

Morning Ms. Paula as always good advice for those who can get away.  

Nov 30, 2014 06:58 PM
Endre Barath, Jr.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA
Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

Paula great advice too often we find out that there is a "house guest" that did not know the home was on the market... and that adds a new dimension to the sales process...Endre

Dec 03, 2014 02:50 PM
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Paula McDonald this is a great post especially this time of year when families are traveling for the Holidays.   Here in Denver we would have to be sure someone is ready to shovel too, just in case we get a snowstorm. 

Dec 09, 2014 02:22 AM
Debbie Reynolds, C21 Platinum Properties
Platinum Properties- (931)771-9070 - Clarksville, TN
The Dedicated Clarksville TN Realtor-(931)320-6730

It is the time of the year for lots of traveling. I have had sellers leave and never tell me. I can't imagine that. So now I ask them at teh listing to let me know if they are going out of town.

Dec 10, 2014 11:59 AM
Patricia Feager, MBA, CRS, GRI,MRP
DFW FINE PROPERTIES - Flower Mound, TX
Selling Homes Changing Lives

This is good advice Paula! Good neighbors appreciate knowing when their neighbors are gone too! I hope you get featured!

Dec 10, 2014 01:39 PM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400
HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400 - Pikesville, MD
Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome

Good advice any time of year ! This is the special service your sellers come to expect from you.

Dec 27, 2014 03:38 AM