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Your house
should always be available for show, even though it may
occasionally be inconvenient for you. We will put
a lock box in a convenient place, to make it easy for other
agents to show your home to their clients. Most agents will call
and give you at least a couple of hours notice before showing
your property. It really is in your best interests to allow your
house to be shown at any reasonable time, rather than take the
chance of losing a buyer whenever possible.
COORDINATING
APPOINTMENTS
All sales
associates interested in bringing a buyer through your property
will call our office to request an
appointment to show, or preview your property. The office
appointment coordinator will call to inform you of requests for
appointments.
IF YOU CANNOT BE
REACHED
If every attempt
to reach you has been made, the appointment coordinator will go
ahead and confirm the appointment with the requesting sales
associate. Unless specifically instructed by the seller,
it is presumed that you do not want to miss any opportunity to
show your property to interested parties.
APPOINTMENT TIME
FRAME
A request for an
appointment could be immediate ( as soon as a few minutes), or
as distant as next week. The time frame requested is generally
over the period of an hour or two. Sales associates attempt to
be punctual, however circumstances may cause them to be earlier
or later than expected. In the event it is necessary for an
associate to cancel his/her appointment, you will be notified as
soon as possible.
SPECIAL
INSTRUCTIONS
We will see that any special instructions you have
communicated are noted in your property records. Appropriate
information (pets, security, etc.) will be provided to the
requesting sales associate when the appointment is confirmed.
THE SHOWING
APPOINTMENT
Unless
impossible due to specific circumstances, you should plan to be
away from the home for all showing appointments. It simply
makes most buyers uneasy to have the sellers home during the
time they are viewing the home. This goes for pets too!
Try to keep pets confined or if possible make alternate
arrangements for them. Especially large, or even a small
dog that barks a lot. We want to insure the visit is as pleasant
as possible for any perspective buyers!
IF YOU PLAN TO
BE AWAY
Please inform
your us of any extended period of time when you
will not be available to give permission for appointments.
You should provide us with a number where
you can be reached in the event a buyers’ offer needs to be
presented if you will be away for an extended time.
PREVIEWING
PROPERTIES
Sales Associates
who preview your property, without a prospective buyer along,
are simply educating themselves on current properties on the
market or are attempting to match the needs of their client. If
your property meets the needs of their client, they will call
and make another appointment to show your property.
UNEXPECTED
REQUESTS
For your own
safety and convenience, if anyone stops by without an
appointment to see your property, ask them to call us using phone
number on the "For Sale" sign to set up an appointment. Even an
individual identifying themselves as a Realtor needs to
coordinate appointments through the listing office.
HOME SECURITY
Be aware that
even though a prospective buyer will always be accompanied by a
licensed Realtor when touring your home, it’s much better to be
safe than sorry. Refrain from leaving cash, jewelry or any other
small valuables out in the open where they may become a
temptation for someone to steal.
DAILY UPKEEP
If you’ve
already spent a fair amount of time and effort in "staging" your
home to sell, enlist the help of all
household members to keep it ready on a daily basis for
prospective buyers. A few minutes spent tidying up each morning
before leaving the house can make the difference for a showing
in the afternoon. Clutter tends to keep accumulating during our
busy family lives and it would be a shame to allow it to take
control again after you’re worked so hard to get rid of it!
Refer to the
following checklist when you know that someone is coming by to
tour your home:
Lighting—turn on
all the indoor and outdoor lights—even during the day.
At night, a lit house gives a "homey" impression when
viewed from the street. During the daytime, turning on
the lights prevents harsh shadows from sunlight and it
brightens up any dim areas. Your house always looks more
cheerful with the lights on.
Fragrances—Do
not use scented sprays to prepare for visitors. It is
too obvious and many people find the smells of those
sprays offensive, not to mention that some may be
allergic. If you want to have a pleasant aroma in your
house, have a potpourri pot or something natural with a
light scent. Or
turn on a stove burner for a moment and put a drop of
vanilla extract on it. It will smell like you have been
cooking.
Pet
Control—If you
have pets, make sure your listing agent puts a notice
with your listing in the multiple listing service or
notifies the person with whom showings will be
scheduled. The last thing you want is to have your pet
running out the front door and getting lost. If you know
someone is coming, it would be best to try to take the
pets with you while the homebuyers tour your home. If
you cannot do that, it is best to keep dogs in a kennel
or cage of some sort. Try to keep indoor cats in a
specific room when you expect visitors, and put 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—Especially
if your kitchen trash can does not have a lid, make sure
you empty it every time someone comes to look at your
home—even if your trash can is kept under the kitchen
sink. You may go through more plastic bags than usual,
but it will be worth it. Remember that you want to send
a positive image about every aspect of your home and
kitchen trash or dirty dishes in the sink do not send a
positive message.
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