Sellers: Do not stay home during showings if you want your home to sell!

When taking buyers through homes in Colorado Springs, they often have something to say about the property while walking through it:  "The paint on the walls is repulsive!", "I love the kitchen.", "What is that smell?", "I can see the neighbor's junk pile from this backyard!" 

Of course, the buyers can freely communicate about the property when the seller is not there but what about when the seller stays inside the home during the showing?  Well, let's just say, it is uncomfortable for many buyers.  So if you are a seller reading this, please do not stay home during showings!  Buyers always cruise through the house quickly when the homeowner is there and feel like they cannot ask questions or say much because the seller is present.  Some even buyers even tell me "let's just go on to the next house." 

Often times, I am not even told by the real estate office that the seller will be present and that makes it even more awkward for everyone.  I recently had a seller say:  "Come on in, feel free to take a look around the house, I didn't have anywhere to go so decided to stay here."  What?!  Please, go anywhere else except staying at the house!  Did your realtor not tell you that important little detail?  I took another pair of clients into a home they were interested in looking at a second time and the whole family just sat on the couch staring at the walls during the entire showing...my buyers did not feel comfortable taking a look in the living room since they were all sitting in there.

                                                                           "Let me tell you why my home is right for you!"

If you absolutely have to be home, it might be a good idea to at least step outside during the showing if the buyers are with a realtor.  One little piece of advice:  Please do not walk around with the realtor and the buyers giving them a lengthy tour of your home.  Some of the details you have about the home may be important for the buyer to know so relay the information to your realtor to pass along to the buyer's agent instead of bombarding the buyer while they are there.  I have had many buyers get aggravated when the seller starts giving "the tour" down to the last little detail that the buyer could care less about.  As a result, the realtor is placed in a little predicament while trying to show the home to their clients as you, the seller follow them around.