Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Regardless of who tells you what, it is your home and you are in control of the sales process. Just be sure to read you contract if you use a salesperson to get exactly what you want, or you can always do a for sale by owner. Privacy and security are real concerns so do what is best for you and there is no need for appologies. If in any doubt, consult a real estate lawyer, it is worth the cost.
Pets are the reason I do not allow a lock box. I have a large dog that needs to be removed and I scamper home before showings to make sure there is not dog hair everywhere and grab the dog. I usually park around the corner and watch since I have left the house unlocked.
Next day notice is a lovely thought, but in reality does not happen. Even if it is in the agent remarks it rarely happens.
Good idea! If there is no lockbox no way to lock the door I guess.
I did the lockbox thing when I sold my last house and that's why I don't want to do it again. Plus, the owners of this house when I bought it did not have one. Plus, I just want more control in the process. The last realtor who sold my house was a real disappointment.
When we were looking for a house last year, I looked online first, and then I would drive by, to see if it was what we were looking for. If it looked good, and if there was a sign in front, then I'd ask our realtor to show it to us. But if there wasn't a sign? Then I'd assume it was one of those outdated listing, where the owner has either yanked the house off the market, or the buyer has already taken possession. There are SO many outdated listings online - it wasn't worth wasting our time if there wasn't a sign out front.
Regardless of who tells you what, it is your home and you are in control of the sales process. Just be sure to read you contract if you use a salesperson to get exactly what you want, or you can always do a for sale by owner. Privacy and security are real concerns so do what is best for you and there is no need for appologies. If in any doubt, consult a real estate lawyer, it is worth the cost.
Thanks, Heidi. I will make sure I drive the car this time around. I wish there were not a way for this neighbor to know I am selling, and maybe it could slip through the cracks without a sign in my yard, although I sort of doubt it, but maybe. And I do have concerns about leaving people alone in my house with my "stuff" so I do want to control who comes and when to a certain extent. Of course, I know I need to be flexible too.
When we were looking for a house last year, I looked online first, and then I would drive by, to see if it was what we were looking for. If it looked good, and if there was a sign in front, then I'd ask our realtor to show it to us. But if there wasn't a sign? Then I'd assume it was one of those outdated listing, where the owner has either yanked the house off the market, or the buyer has already taken possession. There are SO many outdated listings online - it wasn't worth wasting our time if there wasn't a sign out front.
But isn't it really the realtor's job to find the properties to show you? I know what I've done is say this is what I want, they send me listings, I give them feedback, they get an idea for what I want, they find the houses, and then they show me the houses.
Only time I'm aware of there was no sign was when an associate pastor at my church (10,000 + members) was getting ready to move to a different church in a different city and he hadn't announced it yet.
Lack of sign or lockbox is certainly going to impact your showings. But as others have said, it is your decision. But it's also an agent's right to decline listing it.
For the last 3 houses I've sold, there was no lock box. I have large dogs (the small one is the pitbull) and I don't want the liability even if I crate them. People do stupid things around dogs. I put them in the car and backed down the driveway so folks could see the yard.
I really don't understand the no sign thing. If you house is going to be listed on the MLS anyone can see it. You would probably be surprised by the number of people who check out listings where they live just to know.
Personally I would want to do everything possible to help sell my house.
But isn't it really the realtor's job to find the properties to show you? I know what I've done is say this is what I want, they send me listings, I give them feedback, they get an idea for what I want, they find the houses, and then they show me the houses.
That's one way to do it, sure. But not the only way!
And this is a generation that likes to research things... we Google everything! So why rely on a real estate agent to find houses you might like, when you can do it yourself? I had a GREAT time looking for our house - it was fun! We were perfectly willing to look at anything the real estate agent suggested - and he found us a few really good houses - but in the end we bought one of the houses I found.
If you have compelling reasons to not want a sign in your front yard, that's fine, but just know that there are buyers like us who rely on those signs to know if a house is *really* still for sale, and not just an outdated listing... And there are other buyers who like to take a drive through neighborhoods they like, and check out houses for sale. Not everyone lets the real estate agent do all the initial work finding a house.
Bottom line, if you opt out of having a sign out front, you will lost out on some potential buyers - and only you can know if that's worth more or less to you, than having your neighbor not know your house is for sale. But, since in this case he's a broker? And he's right next door? I doubt it'll take him long to find out!
I'm curious why you think he would try to sabotage the sale? If you and he don't get along, it seems like he might be glad you were selling? And besides, if your house sells quickly and for a good price, that reflects well on his home. I guess I can't see any advantage to him, to try to sabotage your sale?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
