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From a prospective buyer's perspective, the ideal way to preview a listing is when the seller is out of the house and the home is looking its best. This means that all the essentials you need for your day-to-day life must be kept out of sight—toothpaste containers, hair dryers, newspapers, sponges, dishtowels and kitchen appliances that clutter countertops.
Keeping your home ready to show on short notice and then leaving when buyers show up can be trying and inconvenient. But there are ways to make the experience bearable.
First, set up showing instructions that you can live with. Ideally, your home should be available to be shown when buyers want to see it. The easier it is for agents to show your home, the more often it will be shown. There's usually a direct correlation between the number of showings a listing receives and the time it takes to sell it: the more showings, the quicker the sale.
A vacant listing can be shown any time without disturbing the owner.
But, if you're living in a property that's on the market, insist that agents call you before they come. Most agents will respect these instructions. However, occasionally an inconsiderate or unwitting agent will show up with no advance warning and with an eager buyer in tow.
A seller in Contra Costa County, Calif., who worked at home was continually annoyed by agents who showed up without calling first to let her know when they'd be showing the house. Agents simply opened the lock box, took out the house key and let themselves in with no advance warning.
To gain peace of mind, the seller asked her agent to remove the lock box and leave it with her. This way, agents could not gain access to the listing without talking to the seller first. The seller put the lock box on the front porch for agents who had made appointments in advance.
HOME SELLER TIP:
To cope with short notice viewings, keep plastic bins handy so you can quickly scoop up toiletries and kitchen utensils and hide them out of sight in a closet or cabinet. Not only will this make it easier to clean up quickly, it'll make it easier to find what you need later.
Pets can be problematic when a home is on the market. If your cat is to stay inside, put notes on exterior doors to remind agents not to let the cat out. Dogs require a little more planning. Some people are afraid of dogs. If unsuspecting agents show up at a listing with their buyers and there is a barking dog, they may decide it's too risky to enter.
Some sellers have the dog stay elsewhere when the house is on the market. If this isn't possible, make sure that agents know that there is a dog in the house and that they need to arrange showings with the seller. One solution to the problem is to take the dog for a walk during showings. Plan to take pets away during open houses.
Cooking can be messy. Also, some cooking odors are offensive. So, plan to eat out more often while your home is on the market, especially during summer months when listings are often shown after work hours.
Entertain someplace other than home if your listing is being shown a lot. Rather than have children's overnight parties at your home, see if other parents can make their homes available.
THE CLOSING:
The less you have to pick up and clean up, the easier the selling experience will be.
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