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Sellers, don't put yourselves through this. Don't pack up the family and the dogs and drive around the block for an hour. I've done it and I won't again.
As a buyer I don't care if you are at home when I look at your house. It's your home. In fact, I probably feel more inclined to strike a favorable deal if I have met and spoken with you, or at least waved to you in the yard. There is more trust.
Same thing as a seller. I was just loading the dogs into the car when a young woman and her realtor arrived. We didn't speak, but just seeing the person made me think about "the nice young couple" who might buy my house and how they could probably use the washer and dryer, etc, etc.
The realtors (no offense intended) may not want to lose this much control, but I'm telling you it can be good for business to personalize it.
As a seller, I do agree. Two of my offers came from the nicest families. I was so hoping that one of them would be the buyer. Not meant to be. I understand that buyers might feel uncomfortable though. We just had a showing for 2pm. We left at 1:55. Realtor calls and leaves a message at 2:05 saying she's at my house and no one is home. She did use the lock box, but I was surprised at the message. I didn't know she expected me to be there. Can't win!
I agree too. We viewed our current house and loved it, so put in an offer after the first viewing. The owner had already moved far away, so we thought nothing of stopping back a week later there just to admire it again, take a few photos for family, get some ideas for landscaping... and D'OH! she's there, inside!!
But she was SO nice, and we all had a lovely visit (she'd come back for a few things, and to tidy up for us she said), and she was able to tell us things that were wonderfully handy to know after moving in. My only regret was that she hadn't moved closer, so we could stay in touch.
Nice people are a huge asset to viewing a house, I think. But I suppose real estate agents have seen too many sales inadvertently ruined by naive (or just moronic) sellers. That's a whole 'nuther thread!!
As a buyer, I do not want to see the seller while I'm trying to evaluate the house. I don't even want to see them scurrying out the back door, stuffing that huge slobbering dog in the car or racing down the driveway.
As a seller, I don't want potential buyers to see me. They are there to see and evaluate the house, not me. Ideally, for me, the whole transaction should be impersonal. I like to meet my buyers/sellers once we have a deal underway, but until then, everyone stays out of the picture and the house becomes the star.
I would prefer not to see seller when I am first going to a house, but we did meet the sellers when we came for the inspection and well after the offer. We chatted for a bit and then they left. I felt it was to our advantage as they knew we came a long way and didn't bring any furniture or doo-dads , plus I think we are nice people -- so they left what they could for us and did a great job cleaning and we really appreciated that.
We stayed while the realitors showed our home several times. We did stay out of their way but the person who did finally buy our home was not at all bothered by us being there. And I met some very nice people looking at our home. Infact some came back without the realitor and we answered some questons the realitors did not or could not answer. I didn't see a problem. Perhaps if I was looking at a home to buy and the owners were there and were slobs or very rude I may have had second thoughts about buying their home but I personally would not be bothered by nice homeowners being in their home while I was looking at it!
This can work both for and against you. Many buyers don't feel comfortable really looking at the house when the seller is there. They may rush through the house and not really get a good feel for it that way. I also know that when I've shown houses to buyers, and the seller is there, they often open their mouths about things they shouldn't and give me tons of ammo for negotiations. Most of the time, they don't realize they said anything that I can take and use against them.
On SOME properties, I don't mind the sellers being there, because they may be very savvy and knowledgeable about the house. As long as they've got a good personality, that can help create a bond between the buyer and seller.
If you're going to stay, don't say a word about pricing, condition or anything else about the deal, as you may ***** yourself in negotiations.
Sellers, don't put yourselves through this. Don't pack up the family and the dogs and drive around the block for an hour. I've done it and I won't again.
As a buyer I don't care if you are at home when I look at your house. It's your home. In fact, I probably feel more inclined to strike a favorable deal if I have met and spoken with you, or at least waved to you in the yard. There is more trust.
Same thing as a seller. I was just loading the dogs into the car when a young woman and her realtor arrived. We didn't speak, but just seeing the person made me think about "the nice young couple" who might buy my house and how they could probably use the washer and dryer, etc, etc.
The realtors (no offense intended) may not want to lose this much control, but I'm telling you it can be good for business to personalize it.
Ann, check out some of my posts...I've about seen it all...
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