Show Yourself, but Don't be Weird
Showings are a key part of the sales process. As the seller, you prep your property for the purpose of showing it off and bringing in buyers by the gaggle. But, as soon as the house hits the market, you’re inviting people into your personal space, and it can honestly feel a little intrusive and weird. There are some truths to showings, and understanding them will make the process a little easier and save you some heartache.
People are curious by nature
Go ahead and put away family photos, diplomas, and professional awards. Clear your desk area, and make sure that you don’t have any financial or legal documents out and about. There’s no need to provide added information or personal details.
People are going to move your stuff.
They’ll open doors and drawers to get a sense of the space available. They’ll turn on lights and may or may not turn them off. They might shift a piece of furniture to see where the nearest electrical outlet is located or open a window to listen for neighborhood noise. They are generally good about putting things back how they found them, but buyers are also distracted and trying to soak in all the info as they tour a house, so they may leave things a bit shifted.
People forget things.
As agents and buyers tour your property, they’ll be chatting away. It’s the agent’s responsibility to ensure that doors and windows are left locked, but don’t assume that they are. If someone was distracted by questions and conversation, they may forget to lock something up. If a lock is the slightest bit tricky, they may walk away thinking that they had secured the lock when they had not. When you return home, always do a quick round to check that all entry points are secure.
People don’t always follow directions.
Every listing has a spot for showing instructions, and I frequently see notes instructing buyers and agents to remove their shoes, do NOT let the cat escape, sanitize their hands before entry, and a host of other instructions. Some people pay no attention to instructions and others simply miss seeing them or forget them. If there are instructions that are highly important, other solutions may need to be considered and discussed.
People appreciate a clean home.
Upgrades are great and renovations fun, but what buyers really need is a clean and tidy home. Trust me, some people get real weird about other peoples’ dirt, and no one will give feedback that includes notes about the house being too dirty. Seriously, people will not share that the state of the house turned them off, so a dirty home will sit on the market without any helpful feedback. Do yourself a favor, splurge on a professional cleaning service right before you list your property, and keep it tidy for showings to prevent coming home after a showing to find that something unsightly was left out for all to see.
Listing and showing your home can be terribly exciting, but it can also be terribly frustrating at times. A little bit of precaution, reasonable expectations, and a healthy dose of humor will get you through.