Your house should always be available for show, even though it might sometimes be inconvenient for you. Let your listing agent put a lock box in a convenient place to make it easy for other agents to show your home to home buyers. Otherwise, agents have to schedule appointments, which is an inconvenience. Most can just skip your home to show the house of someone else who is more cooperative. Most agents will call and give you at least a few hours notice before showing your property. If you refuse to let them show it at that point, they will simply skip your house. Even if they come back another time, it will probably be with different buyers and you may have just lost a chance to sell your home.
Try Not to be Home
Home buyers will feel like intruders if you are home once they visit, and they may not be as receptive toward viewing your home. Visit the local coffee house, yogurt shop, or take the children to the local park. If you absolutely cannot leave, try to stay in an out of the way area of the house and do not move from room to room. Do not volunteer any information, but answer any queries the agent may ask.
Lighting
When you know somebody is coming by to tour your home, turn on all the indoor and outdoor lights – even during the day. At night, a lit house provides a “homey” impression when viewed from the street. During the daytime, turning on the lights prevents harsh shadows from daylight and it brightens up any dim areas. Your house appears more homey and cheerful with the lights on.
Pet Control
If you own pets, make sure your listing agent puts a notice together with your listing in the multiple listing service. The last thing you would like is to have your pet running out the front door and getting lost. If you know somebody is coming, it might be best to take the pets with you while the home buyers tour your home. If you cannot do that, it is best to keep dogs in a penned area in the back yard. Try to keep indoor cats in a specific room when you expect visitors, and place a sign on the door. Most of the time, an indoor cat will hide when buyers come to view your property, but they may panic and try to escape.
The Kitchen Trash
Especially if your kitchen trash can does not have a lid, make sure you empty it each time someone comes to look at your home – even if your trash can is kept under the kitchen sink. Keep in mind that you wish to send a positive image about each aspect of your home. Kitchen trash does not send a positive message. You may use up more plastic bags than usual, however it will be worth it.
Keep the House Tidy
Not everybody makes his or her bed every day, however when selling a home it’s recommended that you simply develop the habit. Pick up papers, do not leave empty glasses in the family room, keep everything freshly dusted and vacuumed. Try your best to have it appear as if a model home – a home with furniture but nobody really lives there.
Another great article by The Slopes Real Estate This article, Make Your House More Appealing To Home Buyers is released under a creative commons attribution licence.
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