This is the final installment of the What to Expect When You’re Listing series as I will transition into the What to Expect When You’re Buying and more specifically working with a Buyer’s agent. For ease of continuity, I would recommend reading last week’s article as I will pick up where I left off.
Although house showings may only take ten or fifteen minutes, oftentimes REALTORS® will schedule an hour shift for the showing. This is because the REALTOR® is likely showing several properties over a period of time and the houses may be spread out within a given area. For example, the REALTOR® may schedule eight (8) homes to show a potential buyer between the hours of 10:00 am and 5:30 pm and yours may be the 5th home in the tour. The REALTOR® will schedule that hour shift to accommodate travel time and varying lengths of showings at other properties. Once the showing is complete, your REALTOR® will solicit feedback from the showing agent. This feedback is valuable as it will help direct you with some areas you may be able to improve upon future showings. There are some areas that are outside of your control, for example road/interstate noise, location, room flow and layout, and our favorite… the ‘neighbors’. There are some areas in which you DO have control. Possibly the most effective feedback we can provide new listings is to DE CLUTTER. Anything you don’t use regularly should be removed from the house. Consider renting a storage unit for a temporary basis to store Halloween and Holiday decorations as well as off season clothing and exercise equipment that hasn’t been used since it was assembled.
Consider household odors that may be offensive to others. Pet dander and smoke can permeate into the soft goods of a room (carpeting, bedding, furniture, etc) and cause potential allergies to flare. Sometimes a deep clean and an air freshener can do the trick. Other times, it may be too far gone and there may be a need for a seller concession if carpet needs to be replaced. Your goal is to remove any and all ‘distractions’ from the potential buyer seeing THEIR belongings in the house. They want to be able to picture where the sectional couch will go and if the family room will accommodate the flat screen TV. The less objects their mind has to remove to see that image… the better.
Finally, if your house is vacant, re-read my Winterize Your Home article or consider other winterizing jobs to keep your house comfortable, showing well, and avoiding costly damage. Believe it or not, the peak selling season is right around the corner. If you’re planning on listing your home this Spring, now is a good time to start tackling some projects that you have put off. Invite a local REALTOR® to visit for further suggestions on what you can do to make your home more marketable.
Until next time, Love where you Live… and if you don’t, contact your Local REALTOR®.
Brian Haufe, 2022 MBOR President
