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Those homes that do sell are frequently cash deals paid by people moving to safer areas than where they were. Maine is in good position in that respect because the FBI says that Maine is the safest state.
I dunno. We just watched a Frontline special recently that was shot in Maine's most maximum security prison; the focus was on the solitary confinement section. There were some really mean SOB's in there who get only worse and more angry in solitary confinement, and many are released back into society.
Those guys were mostly from the Northeast from what I could tell. I wouldn't want to meet up with them after they get out....
I could understand wanting Saturday only showings.
Personally, I work from my home--I do not work for myself, but for someone else. It is considered a privilege to work from home and one can not leave, have guests, take more than the OSHA required lunch/breaks, and then by checking in and out and on a schedule, talk on a personal phone, etc. So, I could not have someone show my house during my workday. That leaves evenings, which are not ideal if one has kids to pick up from day care, feed, bathe and put to bed. So that leaves weekends.
The assumptions that the seller is hard to deal with, etc. may not at all be true, it may be their work or family situation. Maybe they have an autistic kid that does not do well with change, but can go on Sat outings, if that is the pattern set in the kid's life. Or a work situation, or sleep situation. Or an elderly parent who need to go to day care during showings. The seller may just have a complex life schedule.
Would it be better to just say the reason why showings have certain restrictions? Would it make it seem like the seller is not being unreasonable?
Is it worth saying showings can be in the evenings from 6-8? Does anyone house hunt in the evenings?
When I was house hunting last year, we looked at a house with kids there by themselves. They had a 1/2 day of school and were home by themselves. I felt very uncomfortable in the house with 6 and 8 years olds and no adult. And I felt that the situation was not safe for the kids. Personally, I would have preferred to go there on another day than go on that day with that situation. And the kids were fine, just watching tv, but we left quickly as I was not comfortable and did not want them to get scared if we looked around. Might have liked that house, but did not return to look again because of the situation.
You can certainly request Saturday only. Just be prepared to be out of the house all day since you (hopefully) will have showings overlapping and back to back all day.
I could understand wanting Saturday only showings.
Personally, I work from my home--I do not work for myself, but for someone else. It is considered a privilege to work from home and one can not leave, have guests, take more than the OSHA required lunch/breaks, and then by checking in and out and on a schedule, talk on a personal phone, etc. So, I could not have someone show my house during my workday. That leaves evenings, which are not ideal if one has kids to pick up from day care, feed, bathe and put to bed. So that leaves weekends.
The assumptions that the seller is hard to deal with, etc. may not at all be true, it may be their work or family situation. Maybe they have an autistic kid that does not do well with change, but can go on Sat outings, if that is the pattern set in the kid's life. Or a work situation, or sleep situation. Or an elderly parent who need to go to day care during showings. The seller may just have a complex life schedule.
Would it be better to just say the reason why showings have certain restrictions? Would it make it seem like the seller is not being unreasonable?
Is it worth saying showings can be in the evenings from 6-8? Does anyone house hunt in the evenings?
When I was house hunting last year, we looked at a house with kids there by themselves. They had a 1/2 day of school and were home by themselves. I felt very uncomfortable in the house with 6 and 8 years olds and no adult. And I felt that the situation was not safe for the kids. Personally, I would have preferred to go there on another day than go on that day with that situation. And the kids were fine, just watching tv, but we left quickly as I was not comfortable and did not want them to get scared if we looked around. Might have liked that house, but did not return to look again because of the situation.
Would it be better to just say the reason why showings have certain restrictions? Would it make it seem like the seller is not being unreasonable?
.
Yes it would be better, but it the reason was because you work from home you would need an explanation because people would not know why you couldn't show it then. I have a friend who is a work at home supervisor for a telecommunications company and he can nap during the day, and he does because his sleep pattern is bad. I was at his place one day and his roommate and I were in the backyard and he was napping. He gets an alert if he is needed.
Would it be better to just say the reason why showings have certain restrictions? Would it make it seem like the seller is not being unreasonable?
...
Hardly matters.
Regardless, that is a question for the listing agent to field, and is not needed for public remarks.
That is why the agent is being hired, to handle questions.
Thank you, to everyone who makes the point about working from home with a sense of understanding and open candor.
I'm the OP. We are working from home.
I could get into the details and explain why its a "Saturday showing only" but as I read the volley of opinions
it becomes clear that we must do what will best serve our needs and keep us centered.
Maybe it starts a new trend for "Saturday only" kind of people.
.......... Who knows? It might even help to sell it more quickly... the allure of forbidden fruit.
The bulk of showings are on weekends, either Saturday or Sunday. So, yes, you are making it a bit more difficult, and you may suffer in price and time on market. But, it seems that you are ready to accept those points.
You make certain that the public remarks in the MLS listing say, "Showings on Saturdays only, between X and X."
It is not ideal, but it is no big deal. It wouldn't keep me from taking your listing for a moment.
Maybe not for you, but I suspect it would make a lot of realtors refuse to list the home, especially because it's summertime when the kids are out of school. Around here at least, this is the busy season, and buyers want to buy now, now, now, now, now. People see houses every day at all times of the day. Thus, if they find a home they want to view, they don't want to wait up to a week to see it, and will just pass it up in favor of others that are more convenient to see.
[quote=countryswan;40186377]Thank you, to everyone who makes the point about working from home with a sense of understanding and open candor.
I'm the OP. We are working from home.
I could get into the details and explain why its a "Saturday showing only" but as I read the volley of opinions
it becomes clear that we must do what will best serve our needs and keep us centered.
Maybe it starts a new trend for "Saturday only" kind of people.
.......... Who knows? It might even help to sell it more quickly... the allure of forbidden fruit.[/QUOTE
Sorry OP, but I don't think you understand how homebuyers think. My wife is a licensed home inspector who also works from home as part of her job, so we know how both sides of this story work. Buyers don't want purchasing a home to be "forbidden." They want it to be easier, because buying a home is a very difficult process already. The buyer has to look at many homes, hire a realtor, get financing and a lot of paperwork proving income, do the contract, get the inspections, negotiate the contract, possibly do repairs, attend the closing, and finally move in. Most buyers wouldn't want the hassle involved with seeing the house the first time. If you are so concerned with serving your own needs and not being bothered most of the week with showing your home, maybe you shouldn't be listing your home in the first place. A lot of sellers just leave their home for the 30 minutes or an hour while it's being shown and return after the potential buyers see it. It's not a big deal.
Last edited by Scooby Snacks; 06-27-2015 at 09:55 AM..
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