Real Estate Blog

The spring selling season is underway and with the warm weather we have been experiencing on Staten Island the home buyers are ready to move in before the full blown summer heat is upon us.  With that in mind, many sellers are eager to know what would get their home sold as fast as possible so they can move on to their next dream home.

The number one rule in selling is if you think about it a no brainer...and that is to SHOW THE HOME.  Now you may read this and think that I must be kidding with you.  Of course sellers show their home, why wouldn't they.  They know they have to show to sell.  You would be correct in thinking that sellers show their home.  However, as a full time agent working with both sellers and buyers I can tell you first hand that the showing of a home is where a lot of sellers go wrong.  Let me explain from my own experience what typically happens especially over time.

The sellers often times do not realize the importance of putting the buyer first and catering to the buyer's schedule not their own.  The buyer wants to see the home when it is convenient for them, not the seller.  They have many choices of<a href="http://viviankokkinos.aboutsiny.com/" target="_blank"> homes</a> and if they don't get in when they want to see it they are gone.  I have seen it repeatedly...once a showing is declined, most times the buyer does not reschedule to see that house again.  In a buyer's market especially, it is imperative that the seller stick to the showing time requested by the buyer.  The buyer does not care that your child has to go to bed when they want to see it at 8:30 at night.  They also don't care if you have plans for the weekend or you are having company over and can't show it.  Once you lose them they may never come around again.  Not to mention that if you decline them more than once they think you are unmotivated so they don't even want to make an offer on your property.  It is just human psychology...if you don't want me, then I don't want you. 

In most parts of the country, the use of a lock box is common practice.  The Realtor installs a secure device where your key is stored and it also monitors which agent showed the property and time of the showing.  Not only is this common practice for unoccupied homes it is also common practice for owner occupied homes as well.  This way if a Realtor wants to show your home when you are at work or otherwise engaged there is never a loss of any showing.  A Realtor is a professional and you can trust them to show your home even if you are not there.  Take out your valuables just to be on the safe side and you will improve your chances of selling by using a lock box.

Lastly, there are some sellers of homes that think that their listing agent should accompany all showings to show the home and cover for them if they can't show it themselves.  What a huge mistake that is!  First of all a good listing agent who is top notch, and hopefully you did your research and hired one to market your property, is a busy agent.  If you want them to accompany all showings, what ends up happening is that they will pass up showings by rescheduling to fit their schedule.  As I already said that could mean passing up showing to the one who might have been the buyer for the property!   

Bottom line advise is put a lock box on the house, or commit to be available for all showings even if it means hiring the neighbor's teenager to house sit for you.  You never know if the one you say no to is the one who would have bought your home if only you had let them in.