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IMHO, I believe it is overall stressful for the buyers agents -and- buyers for owners to remain in the home though we did a few times just because we got tired of leaving. It felt as if the buyers couldn't speak freely with their agents...just some thoughts.
But there's a way to work around that. In many cases the homeowners were at the houses we toured. After the first 5-10 homes I found we couldn't keep them all straight in my head, so I began carrying a small notebook with me that allowed me to take notes in each house we were touring. After viewing the house we'd get in the car with our realtor, and during the car ride to the next house we'd review the notes and I'd add comments that my husband made. When walking through the house we'd keep conversation to a minimum or ONLY talk about the positives, knowing that my notebook had the concerns listed out and that we'd add the positives to the list later.
When we walked through the house we eventually bought, the way we knew it was "the one" was that I didn't take ANY notes during the tour. I was too busy imagining how our furniture would fit in the space (to the point where I didn't notice the evergreen carpeting or wallpaper in every room). When we left the house, my husband said, "That's the one," and I immediately agreed.
We recently left NJ, used a sellers agent, and I was getting texts from the buyers agents with them scheduling the viewings. It worked well for us. I can't recall if there was a requirement (in the listing) other than 10 am to 7 pm, because that was our request. We wanted to accommodate working people on weeknights, and we had quite a few evening viewings. Fortunately we had at least an hour notice for all viewings.
You can set your own hours and negotiate a viewing time. Yes it was rude and I understand it is tough with kids, but unfortunately you are selling your house, and realize that if you turn someone down you may lose an offer.
Is the market hot where you live? If so you have some luxury to call the shots, if not you may have to be more flexible if you want to sell quickly and get your price.
With this listing service did you say it was by appointment only? I really only need 30 mins notice. It seems some agents expect families not to actually live in an occupied home.
If you live in the home, it's harder on you because you have to leave for showings a lot. Or at least, it's a good idea, because it can alienate potential buyers to have you at home while they're lviewing it. 15 minutes is very short notice, but on weekends, that's not unheard of, nor is getting a call from the buyer's agent. I agree with all the others that using a listing service would be really helpful.
Our home has been on the market for 35 days. We've had 14 showings in that time. My kids have been troopers but it's tiring to always be on call. It's was a quiet Sunday in my home. The kids were enjoying the A/C & computer games. The mister & I considered making some yummy foods. I sent him to the market and started lunch. Within 10 mins of me starting lunch I get a phone call from an agent. He wants to bring his clients by in 15 mins. I explain I need to clean up the lunch prep and get the kids and pets out of the home and ask for 30 mins. He accepts. I panic, do our pre-show check list and scurry out the door. With minutes to spare, we wait in our vehicle a few houses down the street so we can gauge when we can return home. The agent never shows. I text him and he doesn't respond. I'm aggravated with the lack of civility. I wouldn't think this is common but something similar has happened 2 other times. How can I better screen agents so I'm not wasting my time?
I don't know why people feel they need to make the house "perfect" when they get a short advanced notice. Yes, you should get the pets and maybe the kids out of their way but you do not have to go through the normal checklist as long as the house is reasonably neat (like hide the dirty laundry laying around). The buyers likely were on a short schedule trying to see as many homes as possible in a short timeframe and because they could not come by right then, they decided to pass. Because you want to get as many buyers through the house as possible, you should be more flexible in the showings. Who knows that person could be your buyer but you never know unless they see it. Jay
I don't know why people feel they need to make the house "perfect" when they get a short advanced notice. Yes, you should get the pets and maybe the kids out of their way but you do not have to go through the normal checklist as long as the house is reasonably neat (like hide the dirty laundry laying around). The buyers likely were on a short schedule trying to see as many homes as possible in a short timeframe and because they could not come by right then, they decided to pass. Because you want to get as many buyers through the house as possible, you should be more flexible in the showings. Who knows that person could be your buyer but you never know unless they see it. Jay
Exactly, I would have no issues with buying a house that was a little bit messy when I saw it. The mess will be gone when I move in. However, if the sellers make it a hassle to even get in to view it, I am just going to move on to something else. Ditto if I see them sitting in their car acting like they are staking me out the entire time I am there. I believe that for some people going through the checklist and making the house perfect is less about luring a buyer and more about being embarrassed that someone will see their house in its lived in normal condition.
When people are home in our market, they typically just step outside when the buyers are going through their house. A lot of folks have a deck or patio in the backyard and they'll just stay out there.
I agree, it's awkward when the sellers stay inside the house. It rarely happens around here though.
I've seen realtors disregard the listing agent's instructions to call first, etc., so I would NEVER use a lockbox.
When I sold my last house, I locked the storm door when I was home, preventing anyone from getting to the lockbox without breaking the glass. It worked like a charm in preventing people from just barging in for unscheduled showings. I got a few complaints, but I didn't care, and the house sold in six weeks anyway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by yousah
Imagine a broker showing 20 houses on a weekend. Multiply that times 30 minutes notice and you suddenly have taken 10 hours out of their weekend.
Imagine a broker showing 20 houses on a weekend. Multiply that times 30 minutes notice and you suddenly have taken 10 hours out of their weekend.
Fortunately, we live in an area where electronic lockboxes are prevalent and sellers allow for almost immediate showings. Most agents will filter out those houses that require some sort of advanced notice. The economics of being in the real estate business just don't allow for too many situations of having to deal with sellers who always require notice, while still making a living.
Problem agents have to show a property. It is a Sunday afternoon, and they have a real good buyer with them. Flakes do not shop for homes on Sunday is something a lot of home sellers told me. They are really serious ready to buy buyers. As I never sold single family homes handling investors, I can only take the words of some of the best agents around.
The buyer has not found something they like so far, and the agent goes to additional properties that may fit the buyers needs and wants. Yours pops up, and is near which is the reason for the short showing time. It could not be planned in.
You told them you needed a half hour before they could come. You are telling the agent to sit in the car with anxious potential buyers till they can see your home. The agent turns to the next home on the agenda and they bypassed your home. The buyer likes that home, so they start negotiating a contract on it. Yours is completely forgotten, as it is no longer under consideration.
When an agent asks for a real short notice showing of your home, it is for a reason. They are mobile and cannot wait around for a half hour, or an hour, without showing their buyer a potential home. It is kind of the old saying, "You snooze, you lose." Those short notice showings, are done when the buyer wants to buy and they will only buy a home they can get into and see.
The old rule of real estate is: The harder it is for an agent to get a potential buyer into a home, the longer it will take to find a buyer, the biggest need for price drops, and the harder it is to find a buyer for the home.
My house has been on MLS with a large area realty firm for 2-1/2 months. Lots of showings with great feedback. My town is a highly sought-after CT shoreline resort town, home is in good area. There have been way more "flakes" on Saturdays and Sundays than serious buyers. These people have been in one or more of the following categories, and I've lost count of how many "flakes" have come through:
--out for a drive and wanted a specific destination, picked mine off Zillow
--from across the state, full-time job teaching there, son in jr high there, maybe might sell their house once he finishes his sr year there in 2016
--hubby wants antique home (mine is restored 1805 post and beam Cape), wife wants to stay in their condo, she didn't come with him
--20-something girl who maybe someday some year might possibly want to sell her house and maybe move to my town, and why doesn't my 18' long dining room have a whole wall of closets, and why does my house have plaster walls
--curious about what my house looks like, no intention of moving
and so on.
None of these types had any serious plans to sell their own homes any time this year (or ever) and every single showing was booked either by their own agent or my agent. I am a retired widow who lives alone with my dog, no family nearby. Showings mean I have to completely remove all evidence that anyone lives or has ever lived here, which entails more than just keeping it clean. Dog large heavy wire crate must be folded and hidden, sleeping pillows removed from closet where they live during the day, 99% of the 3 things I keep on my new granite kitchen counters hidden somewhere, on and on. (I'm expecting any day now my agent will tell me to make sure there are no toilet paper rolls in the holders, God forbid a buyer might realize someone has actually used the toilets). And no matter the scheduled showtime, they come as early as they feel like it and get angry when they see me scrambling to get dog in car and leave. Flakes have made up 95% of the showings.
I do understand the importance of not being 100% available to whoever no matter when, but it is really maddening to go through not being able, as my daughter says, to actually live in your home and then find out the showing was to yet more "flakes" again.
It's the reality of the real estate business and the way that the majority of brokers operate in our market. Why would any broker want to have to schedule around some picky seller's schedule? There are far too many listings with easy access that allow a busy broker to more efficiently run their business.
If a buyer finds a specific property that they are interested in then the broker will work around that sort of schedule. But during initial searches, it's very common to weed out properties that are difficult to show. There's simply not enough time in the day to customize a showing schedule based upon picky sellers who can't decide how motivated they are to sell.
I've been in the business for over 30 years and have seen it progress from the early days where you had to drive around and pick up keys at the listing agents' offices- then return them later. We then went to combination boxes, and now electronic keyboxes and automated showing services that contact the seller automatically via a selection in the MLS software.
All of this progress has helped people sell their house more efficiently. One thing that hasn't changed, however, is the amount of time that brokers have to do showings. There simply isn't enough time to customize schedules around the needs of multiple buyers, the broker's schedule, and then also deal with sellers who decide that they don't want to make their house readily available.
This isn't any sort of attitude against such sellers, but represents the reality that it's impossible to deal with too many of these types of sellers and also sell enough houses to stay in business.
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