Observe how the house is prepared and presents itself as you drive up. Does the outside look well cared for and groomed?  As you walk through the house evaluate how its size, condition, configuration, and features compare to your home. What aspects of the house do you see that are missing from yours? The Agent should also be providing feedback to you as well. Make sure to take notes on each home.

Also ask the Agent for their opinion on how the house is staged and prepared for showings. What is right and wrong with the way it’s being presented? And most importantly, if the home is priced above or below your anticipated listing price, try to get an understanding of the differences before leaving.

 

Ready to List…

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Establish Showing Guidelines

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It is important to discuss showing guidelines with your Agent before the listing becomes active. Things to consider include are:

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• Will you or your Agent be receiving the calls from Agents requesting to show the home? There are automated systems, such as Showingtime, that allow Sellers to accept or decline a showing request via email, telephone or text. Every Agent has their individual preferences about this process, so work out what works best for the both of you.

• What hours during the week and weekends will you allow the home to be shown? Timed access to your home can also be managed by the lockbox your Agent uses to store the key to your home.

• The lockbox is usually attached to your front door. Any agent showing your home will have to electronically register with the lockbox to gain access to the key. The lockbox can also be programmed to only allow access to specific days and hours of the week.

• If you’re not comfortable with having the lockbox outside your home, consider not attaching it to the front door. This way it can be placed outside only when you are prepared for the house to be shown. The only word of caution with this approach is you could miss out on a potential Buyer. A showing may arise when you are not at home or you simply might forget to place it outside the front door when you leave.

• Traffic is usually the heaviest the first week or two of a new listing. If it looks like a Saturday or Sunday are going to be busy, consider having everyone leave the house for the day. This will help reduce the stress of preparing the home to “show ready” condition between the scheduled appointments.