Listen, sellers: If you want to get your home SOLD, don't sabotage the sale of your house during showings. Follow these simple steps.
- Don't turn down any showings.
You never know when that one perfect buyer will walk through the door. It could be somone who is just in town for the day and can't come back to suit your schedule. Let the house be seen when the buyer wants to see it. - Get out.
Leave the house before the buyers get there. Don't be a distraction. They're there to see the house, not you. - Go away.
Don't hang out in the front yard raking leaves, don't wash your car in the driveway. You'll still be a distraction if you're on the property. - Go FAR away.
Don't walk up and down the street; don't drive up and down the street. The buyers may think there's a stalker in the neighborhood. - No, go FARTHER away.
Parking at the end of the street, watching to see when the buyers leave could still be thought of as stalking. Take yourself to a movie, go get a cup of coffee, or visit the library. Leave the neighborhood for a while.
When I take buyers through homes, I'm often surprised by the actions of sellers. Just last week I showed a home for the third time (once to one set of buyers, and twice to another family) and each time the seller was there. The first time the seller remained in the house. The second time, after opening the door, she went and sat out in the garage. The third time, she answered the door in her bathrobe and went to hide in the closet. Did the sellers talk freely about the house with her there? No. Did they like the house? It had potential. Did her behavior influence their decision to not make an offer? Possibly. Had the buyers felt more comfortable in the house, they would have spent more time there and looked around more carefully.
Remember, sellers, you want the house to be memorable, not you or your actions. Don't sabotage the sale of your house.
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