This is so true, Marie.  I have had difficulty finding many houses w/ GPS and so many people don't make their numbers obvious.  I point that out to people if they are about to sell or if they just moved in as their family/friends/delivery people will have challenges, too.  Great idea on the yellows - so are so right on all counts.

- Debbie

     The missing lockbox!  Is it on the side door?  The back door?  The water faucet?  Tell us, please!  

I remember an early seminar held by Barb Schwarz (I think she was the first professional "stager" I ever met), and she repeated her catch phrase of "If they can't see it, they won't buy it" or something very similar to that.  I was a rookie agent then but I am reminded of it each time I see a hidden driveway with no markers, or trees blocking the view or the house etc.

It is so frustrating when one is trying ot find a "hidden" home.  I love the idea of the yellow flowers.

Welcome . . . to our world!  Indeed Marie, if they can't find it, or get in to it, why make it difficult?

I'm showing vacant land tomorrow and praying that the agent has a sign or some other distinguishing mark on the property.

Marie, yes, its been a challenge to find some homes. The biggest challenge sometimes is...

where the *#%! is the lockbox!

Poor directions to begin with, pin in the WRONG place on the MLS map, call for appointment - and do not return the call.  Do you really want to sell the place or just list it.  There is a difference between a place on the market and a place for sale.

Marie - Lots of good ideas.  I really like the idea of yellow flowers.

Between GPS glitches and the case of the invisible lock box this post could not be more spot on!

It drives me crazy when people blame everybody else and then 

Ah, the great lockbox hunt in my fabulous shoes.  My least favorite hide and seek game.

This is so true - I have definitely struggled to find some homes.  They have to be visible!

Realtor.com recently had my listing mapped in the wrong county! However, they corrected it when we called. Never take anything for granted.

Isn't part of the fun trying to find the lock box??    We have issues sometimes when the home is brand new construction and not on the GPS yet.  

Online or on the street, if you don't see it you won't buy it. Great post!!

I have fears when trying to find a street in the country where signs can disappear and agents don;t have directional signs out

Good morning Marie,

What an excellent post! It is the simple stuff that comes back to haunt us!

I love the yellow flower idea. Well-written and informative post, Marie.

I sometimes come across homes where you cannot even find the address. Not on the mailbox, home or street curb...Come on...now

thanks for the tip about the yellow flowers and other highlights. I had not heard of some of your tips.

Marie, all of your advice sounds so obvious, and still you're right!  So many listings are very difficult to find.  We should all do whatever it takes to make it easy for our colleagues to show and sell our lisings. 

Also, Jim Weichert once told me that yellow is a color that says "Hey!  Slow down!" which is why his company's signs can attract bugs at night.

Marie, those are great tps.  If we can't see the house number we are not real likely to show it.

Great reminder and tips for agents. I shared it with my FB business page it was such  a good reminder. 

I ask my sellers to step out of the house and look at it from the curb.  Pretend that they are a buyer.  This helps this visualize how other people see their home.  It gets the point across.  Thank you for the tip with the yellow flowers.

Great tips here. In my area the GPS on addresses doesn't get updated very often, so many buyers/agents have to rely on the directions on the mls sheet. I have had many instances that the directions are incorrect, signs are down, etc... which means that they may lose the showing, or the buyers will be so agitated by the time they arrive they aren't going to like it anyway. The key to solving this problem, is to spend more time on your listings and signange! Thanks Aaron

Congrats on your latest gold star!  Great tips throughout this post, Marie!

Some good ideas, I like the photo of the entry way, very inviting.

Marie, it seems so obvious that the house numbers must be visible when a home is on the market, but it's surprising how many times I've had trouble finding them ... either they're old and faded, or a tree has grown and partially concealed them, etc.  Good post!

Think guy in audience far away, not playing Christopher Columbus looking for properties. Those guys and gals late at night are looking for your videos, those open houses on demand. Not behind the wheel of a car for the street scene hunt and peck. Looking for the silent salesman.

Marie - these are such great tips - just like that squeeky door inside or the lock that doesn't exactly work correctly, the exterior is equally important and I love how you emphasize the location - we all drive around and drive right to a property but for buyers unfamiliar with the area it's not quite that simple - great remarks!

Great tips.  In our area we've had a lot of growth and until recently a lot of locations wouldn't show on many popular online mapping tools and/or GPS.  With such a vast amount of information online about available properties, knowing where to find a specific home is imperative.

We have this issue in certain areas of our town because some areas have changed the zip code, as well as the actual home addresses. If you don't have an updated GPS system, you may not find the new address.

Hi, Marie!  Just to let you know - I included this post in today's Last Week's Favorites!

If I can't find a house; I know most Buyers will have the same problem. Your post is on target!

 

We have that problem with new construction homes.  Sometimes they're too new for google maps.  

Good morning Marie. This is wonderful and so well written. Glad it was featured. Enjoy the day.

Marie

Some great suggestions for finding those hard to find homes, and even those that are not. We have some rural areas here, along with some screwy numbering on streets, that make finding properties in some areas a challenge. And sometime the signage is terrible, and the GPS even gets confused

Jeff

I had one of those weekends and had to drop by, again, to re-read this.  I try to make it a fun game now . . . like hunting for Easter eggs!  

Marie, I think your post is fantastic!  You have so many ideas - all helpful to get the house sold.  I will start encouraging yellow flowers.  And I love that you hit on my pet peeve - showing homes in condo/townhouse complexes where there are multiple buildings and you have no idea where the unit is!

Marie - like many, I'm sure the directions to the property is often the biggest frustration.  I especially (don't) like the ... "Use GPS" as a direction ... what exactly is it you're selling?

Great post, good informamtion, thanks for sharing.

So many things hide in plain sight if they're too simple. Don't be afraid to be a little different, a little colorful or even a little personable and to go above and beyond to maintain wellness while also being professional. It is a line I walk constantly. It's totally worth it though!