What is the best thing you can do when your house is being shown?
Disappear! Have you ever gone shopping where the sales clerk, clearly on commission, seemed to hover, shadowing your every move? How comfortable did that make you feel? Did you want to hang around and keep shopping? Did you feel relaxed and enthusiastic about their products? Did you want to LEAVE as quickly as possible? Well, guess what! That's how buyers feel when they're trying to take in your home and you're not letting them. Now, of course that's not your intention (just like that sales clerk didnt mean to drive you away). But that's how it feels to the buyer. Put yourself if the buyer's shoes. They've stepped into a stranger's home and are trying to look around. There are certain things they're trying to absorb. Things like ... - Is the kitchen big enough?
- Will there kids have a place to play?
 - What will they do with all their toys?
- Does a yard have a fence for their dog?
- Will their king-sized bedroom set fit in the Master Bedroom?
- What about their big 60' television?
- Is there a formal dining room?
- How old are the appliances?
- What kind of shape is the house in?
- Is it well maintained?
- Will they have to replace the carpet
- Are the closets big enough?
- Are there enough of them?
- ...and the list goes on!
And the fact is that you want the buyer to feel as comfortable in your home as possible. You want them opening up closets and checking out the kitchen cabinets. You want them standing at the kitchen window looking out over the back yard. You want them sitting down and "feeling" at home. Those are all really good buying signals. But if they feel as though they're in YOUR space, they won't do those things. The more present you are in your home, the less likely the buyer will feel it could be THEIR home! Remember, just as you had your reasons for falling in love with your home, they may not be the same reasons someone else will. And yes, you may know your home better than anyone else, but more often than not the things that are important to you may well not be the same things that are important to the buyer! They won't care that your applicances were "top of the line" when you bought them 10 years ago if they're going to replace them! And the fact that you just spent boucoups bucks replacing the roof is of little consequence to them. They expect the roof to be decent. While the agent who is showing your home may not know it nearly as well as you do, they do know the buyer! They know what the buyer is looking for and will help forcus the buyer's attention onto those things in your home that match the buyer's priorities. And if there is anything about your home that is not readily observable, their agent will contact your agent to gather up those details. You've hired a professional (hopefully) to represent your interests. Let them do their job! |