Vacant homes can be shown at any time during daylight hours, as long as the listing agent has put an accessible lockbox on the house. Homes that are currently occupied by the sellers will need some advance notice so they can leave the house and you can view it privately. Houses that are occupied by tenants need at least 24 hours’ notice, and sometimes more. You and your REALTOR® must always be respectful of the residents who live in a house, and must comply with the laws, too.
Remember, houses that are occupied may not have a lockbox, which means that your REALTOR® will have to coordinate a showing with the listing agent and/or the residents, and it will be more difficult to view the inside.
Why do you need to make sure you have plenty of daylight before viewing houses? Because it is difficult to really get a feel for a house unless you see it in full daylight. You will miss many of the features if it is dark. View homes during the daylight hours.
Vacant houses may have utilities turned off, which means daylight is the only light you will have. Even during daylight hours, some rooms may still be dark. Don’t worry; your trusty REALTOR® will be prepared with a flashlight just in case.
Remember, in the winter it gets dark early so your home shopping time is limited. That means you may have to take a day off work to view homes.
Actually, weekdays are the best time to view a house anyway, because the seller’s family is at work or at school during the day.
Read more in our book, "Buy Your First Home", http://tinyurl.com/dy2wjx4.
Image courtesy of cuteimage at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
