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I based my previous post on what you said "I don't have any intentions of accomodating theirs either." which, yes, is unreasonable. Here we have an elderly seller possibly, or she just is not motivated to sell. Elderly folks have a difficult time "leaving". I've even had some take it off the market because they couldn't bear to sell it, although it was necessary. And then call 6 mos. later when they were motivated enough.
See, this is why we always need more, and clear reasons on both sides of an issue, more details, to be able to weigh these posts. Now we know 6 pm is a good time for you, which is not unreasonable. Try 5 pm, that ay make a difference. At this point, she may have given her broker such a hard time about showings that the broker is no longer interested in the listing. Your agent should be talking to her agent, and if they are one in the same, and you are still interested, then her agent needs to have a serious talk with this client and set certain showing hours. Such as: can be shown only between 4 and 6 pm let's say. She will most likely never sell her home the way it is going. Give her agent 3 choices of times ... if they don't accomodate a reasonable showing time with sufficient notice, then move on. Some houses are just not meant to be.
If you had read all of my earlier posts then you would have seen I'd already posted that 6pm was a good time for me
It's great that 5pm may work for her, but it hasn't worked for me. Again, I'm not accomodating her schedule, I'm working within my own. If there is an opening between the two, great! If not, well, that's just fine too. I understand you view this as an unwillingness to compromise on my part, I feel I'm simply being practical. I'm not "paying" several hundred dollars, in the form of lost income, to view a house that I may not buy as it's simply not that important to me. I dont' think the owner is unreasonable in limiting her showing hours anymore than I think I'm unreasonable in limiting my viewing hours. If she becomes more motivated to sell her house then perhaps she'll expand her hours, if I were more motivated to buy that house then perhaps I'd miss work to view it. As it stands, I've got plenty of other houses that do work with my schedule and she apparently has enough buyer interest that works within hers.
Lovehound, I don't know my realtor presents it when making an appointment but as an example, I'll tell her I'm available from 6-8 on Tuesday. Depending on the location and the day we might be able to squeeze something in 15-30 minutes earlier if my SO can leave work and it's not much of a drive to get there. Unfortunately, that's not something we really know until just before he gets off work which unfortunately doesn't provide any real notice to a seller.
If you had read all of my earlier posts then you would have seen I'd already posted that 6pm was a good time for me
It's great that 5pm may work for her, but it hasn't worked for me. Again, I'm not accomodating her schedule, I'm working within my own. If there is an opening between the two, great! If not, well, that's just fine too. I understand you view this as an unwillingness to compromise on my part, I feel I'm simply being practical. I'm not "paying" several hundred dollars, in the form of lost income, to view a house that I may not buy as it's simply not that important to me. I dont' think the owner is unreasonable in limiting her showing hours anymore than I think I'm unreasonable in limiting my viewing hours. If she becomes more motivated to sell her house then perhaps she'll expand her hours, if I were more motivated to buy that house then perhaps I'd miss work to view it. As it stands, I've got plenty of other houses that do work with my schedule and she apparently has enough buyer interest that works within hers.
Lovehound, I don't know my realtor presents it when making an appointment but as an example, I'll tell her I'm available from 6-8 on Tuesday. Depending on the location and the day we might be able to squeeze something in 15-30 minutes earlier if my SO can leave work and it's not much of a drive to get there. Unfortunately, that's not something we really know until just before he gets off work which unfortunately doesn't provide any real notice to a seller.
I did read your earlier posts from the git go. If 6 pm is the ONLY time you can make it, and she goes to bed that early, then forget it. You need to move on and forget that house. Why you are still discussing it is beyond me. Only trying to see the problem from both sides ... and both sides are stubborn. I already told you to try to work it out with her agent or your agent, that's the best advice I have. You are dealing with a possible elderly seller, and I've told you the problems that can surface with them. Maybe she simply doesn't want to sell the house to you. That happens with some sellers. The best of luck to you, I'm sure you will prevail.
Lovehound, I don't know my realtor presents it when making an appointment but as an example, I'll tell her I'm available from 6-8 on Tuesday. Depending on the location and the day we might be able to squeeze something in 15-30 minutes earlier if my SO can leave work and it's not much of a drive to get there. Unfortunately, that's not something we really know until just before he gets off work which unfortunately doesn't provide any real notice to a seller.
I've read your posts and I think you're being reasonably reasonable. Most people have more flexible and/or shorter schedules than you, and same for Ms. goes to bed early. In some instances it's a lost cause and it's just time to move on, as you have stated. Good luck!
Quote:
Originally Posted by QuilterChick
I did read your earlier posts from the git go. If 6 pm is the ONLY time you can make it, and she goes to bed that early, then forget it.
Yeppers, forget it. Just like buses there'll be another house along any minute...
Although the topic title seems to imply it, this isn't exactly what the topic is. I hope nobody will mind if I ask what I think is a question that fits the topic.
How long an appointment window should you schedule? I've been telling all buyer's agents calling for a showing appointment that I'd be happy to give them any time they like. Then I've been scheduling them for a one hour window. For example, agent: "We'd like to see it at 1:00 p.m." Me: "Okay I've got you down for 1 p.m. to 2 p.m." So far all have thought that reasonable.
So what do you think? Is a one hour slot sufficient to allow the agent and buyer some leeway in arrival time and still leave enough for viewing? Or otherwise does anybody have any advice? What is a reasonable amount of time?
I did read your earlier posts from the git go. If 6 pm is the ONLY time you can make it, and she goes to bed that early, then forget it. You need to move on and forget that house. Why you are still discussing it is beyond me. Only trying to see the problem from both sides ... and both sides are stubborn. I already told you to try to work it out with her agent or your agent, that's the best advice I have. You are dealing with a possible elderly seller, and I've told you the problems that can surface with them. Maybe she simply doesn't want to sell the house to you. That happens with some sellers. The best of luck to you, I'm sure you will prevail.
I guess you didn't understand that I wasn't talking about that particular seller or looking for advice on my situation as there are plenty of houses for me to look at that do work with my schedule. I was responding to another poster who said they felt 6pm was too late to show a house and explaining that I don't feel 6pm is too late as it fits my personal availability. If SLJohnson doesn't want to show their house after 6pm and they don't need to sell, I don't see a problem with that. If however, they are really trying to sell without success then they may have to accomodate the buyer's schedule in order to make it happen.
I only brought up my situation with a particular seller to illustrate why I don't feel the need to work around someone else's schedule--theirs can be as crazy as mine is! The longer a seller puts me off the less interested I am, but I also recognize that my interest as a buyer may not matter enough for them to want to accomodate my schedule. I certainly don't take their schedule issues personally and would find it odd if a seller took it personally that I didn't want to take off work in order to view their house.
Lovehound, I think an hour is perfectly acceptable. I've been averaging about 40 minutes to look at a house, less if I know for certain it won't work for me and a little more when I like it and think it may fit my needs. We have stood around talking to the realtor when we didn't need to, but only in vacant homes. If a house was occupied we could talk later or at another location, I wouldn't expect someone to stay gone while we chatted--especially since it's likely the evening hours when we're there.
Showing a house at 6 p.m. is perfectly reasonable, as long as the seller has adequate notice and as long as the seller is truly motivated. Although I'm sure there's some small fraction of sellers who may have personal situational problems that prevent them from showing their houses at specific times or on specific days. If buyer and seller cannot find a mutually agreeable time then no sale.
I've been lucky so far to not have any requests outside of the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. time frame. I'm retired--day of the week means nothing to me. The only day on my mind is closing day!
If somebody spends more than an hour at my house I'm probably going to drop in and find out what the situation is. I don't have any place to go or anything else to do while buyers are viewing my house. If they're having a nice little chat about the houses they saw that day then I'm sure they'll take the hint and go find another place to talk.
And they damned well better not be sitting on my couch watching my TV and sipping my beer!
I understand completely as you still live in the house, and there is bound to be evidence of life and untidiness. You can not always be ready to show house. Discuss it with the realtor, and have her give you at least a 30 minute head start to tidy up.
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