Leave the House as You Found It
Why not make it easy to show rather than require a checklist??
These complaints are, IMO, not well founded:
- Lights left on
If a $5 increase in the elec. bill is critical for a seller, disconnect the elec. at the panel box.
- Rear door left unlocked
Prove it!! I know it's not normal, but often I can't remember whether or not the door was unlocked or if I unlocked it. My habit is to make sure all doors are locked when we leave but I have also been in homes where the back door, even front door, was unlocked when we arrived. Now, if I get to a home with an unlocked door, I try to telephone the listing agent and alert them, but all I can usually do is leave a message.
- Cat was let outside, contrary to showing instructions.
Neither home buyers or buyer's agents are animal keepers. If an animal is left loose in a home for sale, the risk of the animal escaping is the seller's. That's what animal pens are for.
I've been to homes where it was impossible to even enter the front door without fighting a cat at the door. Who can contain a cat??? Not I.
These matters are simply barriers to sale. Why not make it easy to show AND SELL???
Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.
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I got a nice compliment from a seller client that was nice to hear, but the reason for it wasn't as nice. She told me that I was by far the most professional agent she has dealt with in selling her home, which was why she listed with me. That was great to hear. Then she lamented her experiences with some of the agents who had shown her home, and that was jaw dropping.
The level of carelessness demonstrated by the showing agents was appalling.
- Lights left on
- Rear door left unlocked
- Cat was let outside, contrary to showing instructions.
She also noticed some agents showing up dressed like they were on their way to the beach. That was less of an issue in my mind, but still lame when you consider that we are talking about a three quarter of a million dollar piece of business. Slovenly dress I can overlook; slovenly actions, not so much.
The ethos of our industry has always been to leave homes we show in the same condition as we found them. If you turn lights on, turn them off before you leave. Secure the property to the same level as you found it (translation: lock the door!). And don't lock pets in rooms where they may make a mess or worse, let them out where they could be killed.
It isn't too much to ask. Leave the property as you found it.
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