If you want to sell your house, especially in this market when the odds are in the buyers favor, GET OUT OF YOUR HOUSE when someone wants to see it!!
Many of the homes I've looked at have been unoccupied, no furniture, nothing. And some have people still living in them, but no one was there when we went through. But then there are those houses where the owner just insists on being there. Let me tell you it's awfully uncomfortable looking at someones home with them right there. You don't open closets, don't comment on the floors or cabinets you hate, you wonder about things you are not comfortable enough to ask about or look at with the owners there. Good manners tells you to take your shoes off (a good idea anyway) and to tell someone what a lovely home they have. But that is not what you are there for. You are there to evaluate the home by your own standards, which may mean talking out loud about what changes you would want or need to make whether it is paint colors to removing walls or ripping out some of the homeowners hand picked light fixtures. Not easy to do when the people who picked those light fixtures are within earshot.
There is one home, a cute cape cod that I have been wanting to see. We have asked 3 times and each time the owner would have to be there. After seeing 2 other homes with people in them, I am not willing to do it again. FINALLY I have a couple of days off and the owner has agreed to be home to let us in (no lock boxes for her!) and then she will leave - at noon on Tuesday.
I do not know if she always wants to be there because she thinks we will steal her blind or what, but to me it feels like she really doesn't want to sell her house. Still ... it's on the market and I finally have a chance to see it! Bad side though, trying to see it so many times - I'm bound to be disappointed by what it actually is - but we will see. At least I actually get to go inside! SHEESH!!
So the actual tip is - if you want to sell your house - don't make people BEG TO SEE IT!
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I'd feel funny poking around too if the owner was there.
ReplyDeleteI agree. That would leave a creepy vibe of snooping. It is strange enough as it is when someone still lives there. Them being there would really creep me out.
ReplyDeleteWe looked at a house last year when we bought our home and the people left but they had pets everyone! Fish, gecko's, dogs, etc. The dogs were kenneled but their howling was annoying and all those fish tanks filled with snakes and other critters made it hard to enjoy the tour! I think you need to leave when your home is being viewed. I highly doubt anyone wants to take anything! Yikes! Great post!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100%, get out. We had our house up for sale and my daughter was living in it and our only speculation was if they visited in the afternoon between 2-4 the baby was down having a nap. I couldn't put them out and others had every time around that to visit but luck would have it there were 6 or 7 visits during nap time in 3 months.
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