The In’s and Out’s of Showing Your Home

July 26, 2016 | Selling Your Home | By: Jamyn Page

HOW SHOWINGS WORK

and Tips for Showing Your Home

 

As a rule of thumb, the more people you get through your door, the more likely you are to sell your home – more likely to sell it quickly and for more money.

So, it is imperative that while your home is on the market, it is as available as possible for showings.

 

CONSIDER THESE QUESTIONS

  • Who is the primary and secondary contact for showings? How do you/they prefer to be contacted (call, email or text) to ensure the quickest response time for all inquiring parties?
  • Are there days and times that absolutely will not work for showings (perhaps a baby’s naptime)? Try to keep these to a minimum!
  • Are there days and times the house can always be shown? For example, Monday through Friday 9am-6pm? See below for automatic showing approvals!
  • Do you have pets? If so, they should ideally be out of the house for all showings. Think about how you will accommodate showings with your pet(s). Do you have a neighbor willing to host your pet during showings? We have seen dogs and cats scare off buyers at the door!
  • How much notice do you need for showings? Some people work fine on no notice whatsoever, while others need 24 hours. One or two hours is usually a good happy medium.

 

SHOWINGS ARE HANDLED ONE OF TWO WAYS

AGENTS CONTACTING SELLERS/TENANTS DIRECTLY

Sellers are the best keepers of their schedules, so we typically recommend this option. In this scenario, buyers’ agents can contact the sellers (or tenants) directly via phone/text.

This eliminates the middle man and can make it much more likely a showing agent will keep your home on their showing tour. The harder it is to show your home and the longer it takes for a response, the possibility of an agent NOT showing the home increases.

We recommend the app Showing Time, available for all smartphones. It’s ideal for the “on-the-go” seller. Agents can go online to easily mark out the time they would like to see the home. Sellers then receive an email or text to confirm or deny showing requests. It also keeps all requests in one place so you can reference all showing times together. Another option is to set the app so that showings are automatically approved, but you receive notice of the time and date the showing will occur. For people who are not home often or have flexible schedules, this option works well.

AGENTS CONTACTING THE LISTING AGENT

Buyer agents can also contact your listing agent directly. Your agent will then contact you to confirm whether the showing time works for your schedule, then will call the buyer agent back to confirm. Or, if that time does not work, they will work together to find one that does.

 

WHICHEVER YOU CHOOSE, THE PROCESS IS SIMILAR

  • You will be notified of a showing request.
  • You will accept or deny that showing request.
  • Agents will gain access using a lockbox with your key inside of it. They gain access to that box using a special card ONLY agents have that must be updated daily with a PIN specific to that agent. **In some instances, we will NOT recommend putting a lockbox on your home. We would then personally accompany the agent and their buyer to your home for access**
  • Please plan to be out of the house at least 15 minutes prior to the appointment window and remain away from the home until at least 15 minutes after the end of the appointment window as often they can be early or run late. If a specific time is given, please consider it a 30 minute window – meaning you would be away from the home for about one hour.
  • It’s OK to have overlapping showings. This is a good thing and can show other buyers and agents that there is strong interest in the home. It might help them move forward with an offer sooner rather than later.
  • Be sure to have your home in “Show Ready” condition at all times.

AFTER THE SHOWING

  • Email us at the end of the day with any showings that occurred. While the agent’s information is recorded when they access the lockbox, we don’t receive the notification from the lockbox company until the Realtor has updated their lockbox card again (which can be immediate or take days or even weeks!).
  • We will follow-up with the buyer’s agent immediately to get their feedback. Keep in mind that not all agents respond quickly to our requests for feedback! We will follow-up on a schedule we have determined is persistent without being pushy to our fellow agents.

 

IF YOU LIVE IN A CONDO…

The process above still applies to condos – but with a few extra steps. Be sure to provide your agent with more specific information to ensure that the buyer gets the full experience while touring your home and the building. You are selling your home as well as the lifestyle the community provides.

  • How does an agent gains access to the building. Is there a special agent or building code?
  • Does the agent need to sign in at the front desk or register their vehicle?
  • What are the front desk hours (if this applies to your building)?
  • Where do agents park for showings?
  • Where are the lockboxes allowed to be hung? On unit doors or is there a designated location? If so, where?
  • Where are the amenities, storage units, and trash rooms located? How does one gain access to them? Provide and instructions and any keys or fobs needed for access.
  • If there are storage units and parking spaces assigned to your condo, what are the unit and space numbers?

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

Agents and buyers should be respectful of your time and the fact that you are still living in the home (if that is the case). As the seller, always have your home show ready and be flexible in accommodating showing requests. Often, buyers and agents won’t reschedule if a showing time is rejected. The more people we get through the door, the more likely your home is to sell quickly and for more money. And THAT – is always a good thing.

 

Want to talk about selling your home? Reach out below! You can also click here to see the value of your home, or here to see our top showing tips & recommendations!

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