I wanted to talk about something that I believe is keeping some of you from being able to sell your home and that is Realtor access. How easy is your home to show? Over the past eight months or so I have noticed a number of homes that I literally needed an act of congress in order to show my clients the home. This baffles me beyond belief as the easier it is for me to show a home the more likely it is that I am going to do so.
This starts with the Realtor. There are these things called ARMLS lockboxes, you can set them to only open during certain times of the day and they keep track of every Realtor who entered the home. Why would you not have one of these on your home (rental or sale?) You may say, “my clients did not want one on the home.” Might I say that in very extreme cases I understand this but in most cases I believe you are not doing your job of explaining WHY it is a necessity and the benefits of doing so.
This is the microwave age, we like things easy. No Realtor wants to call, text, email and write a 14 page letter explaining in detail why their client should be allowed to view a home. They want to come in, take a look and leave. Having been on the listing side of things for over 8 years I am actually amazed that Realtors do not do a much better job of explaining “easy access” to their clients. Let people in the door…one of them may want to buy the place! You may say, “you don’t understand my clients or their situation.” No, I do and what I understand more is if you do not do a good job of explaining this “ease of access” to you clients another Realtor will in 6 months when your home expires and they will sell it.
Enough picking on Realtors, let me talk to you, The one selling the home. Let’s say we have 10 Realtors that would view your home with qualified buyers. Now however, you want to put limitations as to when and how those Realtors can gain access to your home. Remember, you do not know where the ONE buyer, that might pay more than you are asking for you home, is going to come from among those 10 Realtors. So lets say that you decide no one can show the home unless you are there and they have to call you personally to set up an appointment. You just reduced the number of agents that are going to show your home…don’t think so…can you say “easy Access.” What if their clients cannot look at the times you are available to show due to work conflict?
Lets say that you now determine that the home can only be shown on certain days or at certain times…again, you just reduced your potential buyers. What if the ONE person who would pay more for your home than you are asking needs to see it on Thursday at 9AM because that is the only day they have off of work?
Now lets say, you will not let your agent put an ARMLS lockbox on the home…guess what..you just lost more potential buyers. It’s all about “easy access.” If you have valuables, lock them in a safe or put them in a bank or something. Just make your home as easy as possible for Realtors to show. Keep this in mind the ARMLS lockbox tracks who and at what time people were in your home. It also allows me to set showing times and will not open outside of those times. You have control and without a lock box you need to be available from 9am to 8pm every day of the week so that you don’t lose that ONE buyer you are looking for.
I recently spoke to a lady whose home had expired, which means it failed to sell. She kept saying that all she wanted was traffic (people in to see the home.) I spoke to her for awhile and this is what she kept saying…I just want traffic, I just want traffic. You will not believe what else she told me and no I am not making this up. She did not want a for sale sign in her yard, she did not want a lock box on the home and she did not want to hold open houses??? How in the world were people supposed to know she wanted to sale her home?? Sounds pretty foolish doesn’t it…so are some of the stipulations that people put on Realtors when it comes to allowing us in to show their homes.
Having said all that, let me say this. I understand in CERTAIN situations and with CERTAIN homes viewings should be by appointment only. In most cases that will not apply to the majority of you reading this however. Let us in the door, we just might have that ONE buyer that is willing to pay more than you want for your home.
Need to sell? I can be reached at: 623-853-6644.
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