The best showing pointer we can give you is that you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression! Your goal as a seller is to stand out among the crowd of homes (similarly priced homes) and be the one that sells. Give special attention to the following details so that your home will be show-ready!
Exterior
- Carefully mowed, edged, mulched, fertilized and watered lawn.
- Trimmed trees and shrubs; edged, weeded and cultivated flower beds.
- Keep driveway and sidewalks free of any ice, snow and grass clippings.
- Fresh exterior house paint or ascertain that the exterior paint is in good condition and clean.
- Make your front door shine! A fresh coat of paint and polished handles/knobs/key locks are imperative.
- Ascertain that all door locks open properly and provide easy access for your buyers.
- Be sure that the roof is in good condition.
- Repair any tears in screens and screen doors.
- Is the exterior lighting in working condition, with fresh bulbs?
- Remove all clutter in yard and driveway including toys and decorations which may not be appealing to every buyer.
Interior
- Clean all walls, making sure that they are unmarked; a fresh coat of paint with neutral colors is preferrable.
- Clean the windows, both inside and out.
- Are all light fixtures in working order with fresh bulbs in each?
- Be certain that all plumbing is operable.
- Rid your home of all cooking, smoking, pet or other objectionable odors.
- Clean and caulk all sinks and tubs; faucets in good repair.
- Remove all clutter from drawers, closets, attic, basement, garage and other storage areas; your potential buyers WILL open drawers, closets, cabinets and storage doors.
- We will advise you as to what should be rearranged or removed from your home to give your home a more spacious look.
Showing Your Home
We will make an appointment with you for each showing, giving you as much advance notice as possible. To help facilitate a favorable impression during showings, here are a few tips:
- Open all draperies and curtains.
- Turn on enough lights to brighten every corner, both during the day and night.
- Remove all dirty dishes.
- Make all beds.
- Be sure that all rooms are dusted, vacuumed and clutter-free.
- Make your kitchen and baths sparkle! Remove all clutter on counter-tops.
- Soft background music is acceptable; we recommend classical or jazz.
- Keep the pets out of the house. Even the friendliest pets are not always welcomed by perspective buyers!
- Place valuables such as jewelry and cash in a safe or remove them completely from the home.
- It is strongly recommended that you leave the home while it is being shown. You NEVER want to enter into a conversation with a prospective buyer. Let their real estate agent answer any questions the prospective buyers may have. It is best for you to leave while the house is being shown.
- If a prospective buyer comes by unexpectedly without a real estate agent, get their name and phone number. For your own safety, do not show your home! Have the unescorted buyers call your real estate agent for an appointment or give the name and number to us to contact them.
How Appointments Are Made
Calls for appointments to show your home will come through ShowingTime showing service. The call center will take care of scheduling all of your showings for all Realtors® from other companies as well as our agents.
Timely Appointments
Please understand that sometimes Realtors® cannot be at your home in the time frame which they have requested. Oftentimes a buyer is late for the appointment, or perhaps they stay longer at one or more houses throwing them off schedule. Some buyers take five minutes, while others may take 20 minutes to tour a home. We often have no way of knowing the buyers’ pattern, especially on their first day of touring. This can delay them, throwing their tour schedule completely off. Please be understanding; Realtors® will do the best that they can to notify you, should they be running a little late, or decide not to view your home at all that particular day. Which leads us to changes in buyer’s interests regarding what they want to see.
No Show Appointments
On occasion, a real estate agent has to completely change areas, communities or even cities in some cases, leaving them with an entirely new itinerary for the day. The Realtor® may not be able to phone you immediately to cancel the appointment, or they may phone you (through ShowingTime showing service), who may only have your home number. If you’re not at home, you may not be aware in a timely fashion of the cancellation. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience if a “no show” occurs but, understand that the scheduling system works for the majority of our showings; It is not commonplace that cancellations occur but, we will contact the other Realtor® in an effort to find out why the showing was cancelled.
What to Do During Showings
We strongly recommend that you to leave home each and every time a showing is scheduled. If you work from home or have small children or pets, it is perfectly acceptable for you to wait until the agent and buyers arrive. You can excuse yourself and take a walk outside, or if the weather does not permit, hop in your car and drive to the end of the street. This way the buyer will feel comfortable making comments about your home to their agent. Talking to the customer can be detrimental to your negotiations – casual remarks that you feel are harmless could possibly detrimentally effect your negotiations or worse yet, can lead the prospect to eliminate your home altogether.
Tip Top Condition
We do understand that it is difficult to keep your home in ‘showing’ condition at all times. However, keeping a home tidy is a small price to pay for a shorter term on the market. The condition of a home speaks volumes as to whether you care to your potential buyers and that is extremely important during showings.
Clutter-free cleanliness, freshly-baked cookies, lights, music…ACTION! Let’s work together to get your home SOLD!
Charlotte North Carolina Real Estate
Debe Maxwell, CRS, Realtor®/Broker
THE MAXWELL HOUSE GROUP
RE/MAX Executive
2901 Coltsgate RD, Suite 100
Charlotte, NC 28211
Mobile: (704) 491-3310