That’s exactly what should be happening if you’re selling a home and you have an appointment for an agent to show your home! The lights should be on and no body should be home!
Even though you listed your home, and maybe haven’t had much traffic through it, your home should ALWAYS be in showing condition. When you list your home, it should always be ready to show at a moments notice, especially in today’s market. However, if for some reason you are slacking, here are some things you need to do to prepare for last minute showings.
Turn on ALL the lights. You want it to be bright during the showings. The worst thing you can is give the feeling that your home is like a cave.
Open up ALL the blinds and/or curtains. Again, if someone walks in and all the lights are off and all the blinds are closed, it kinda feels like walking into the black hole. Not a good impression!
Boil some water on the stove and add a few cinnamon sticks or a few drops of vanilla.
Or if you’re not going very far, maybe just to a neighbors or a walk around the block when they get there, then light some candles.
Turn on some music, like smooth jazz or classical. It sets a nice tone when someone walks in.
Vacuum the carpets!!
Empty ALL the garbage cans
Clean the litter box!!! No one cares to see the litter-box with fluffy’s little surprises in it.
Make the beds. ALL of them.
Close the lids to the toilets.
Put all the clean and dirty clothes away. No one cares to see your dirty underwear. Or clean underwear for the matter.
People look in closets, so don’t hide stuff there. Stuff things under the bed if you have to.
If you haven’t bothered to wash last nights dinner dishes, you need to. If you don’t have time and you don’t have a dishwasher, shove them in the oven and pray no one looks in there. At least they will be out plain sight. (Don’t forget to pull them back out when you get home).
If you have a dog, take fido with you. If for some reason you can’t, then put fido in a dog crate or if fido is small enough and doesn’t bark, put a baby gate up in the laundry room or a bathroom and leave fido in there. HOWEVER, if fido likes to bark, try to get him out of the house. It’s very distracting to have a dog barking non-stop from the time you walk in the door until you leave. And whatever you do, DON’T let the dog roam free. Many people are scared of dogs regardless of size.
Make sure all the magazines, mail, remotes and other clutter are put away somewhere and not left out in plain sight.
If you have kids, make sure all their toys are picked up and out of the way.
Now here’s the big one. Are you ready? And I can not stress this one enough!!! LEAVE THE HOUSE!! Yes, you need to leave during all showings. If you’re there, buyers will not feel comfortable looking through your home, opening cabinets and looking in closets because they feel like they are invading your home when you are there. You being there can be a deal killer!!
So there you have it. A quick list of things to do in case of a last minute showing. You only have one chance to make a great first impression. Make it count!!
So…..Are the lights on in your home, but no body’s home? I sure hope so!!
I can not stress this enough to seller’s. When you are selling a home in Florida, by law you must disclose any known facts that materially affect the value of a property. This includes leaks, plumbing problems, electrical problems, structural problems, mold, foundation issues, roof problems, problems with flooding, A/C or heating issues, malfunctioning appliances (if you are leaving them) and anything else that affects the value of the property.
By choosing not to disclose something you know is wrong or was wrong that you fixed (such as, if you had a roof leak or issues with mold), or things that currently need to be fixed, you open yourself up to the possibility of a potential lawsuit later on down the road if something happens after you sell and the buyer can prove that you were aware of the problem when you owned the property and you didn’t disclose it.
It’s better to be safe than sorry and disclose any issues you’re currently aware of, or that have been fixed since you have owned the property.
This doesn’t mean that you need to disclose any cosmetic defects. But you must disclose any issues that are not cosmetic!
First let me start off by saying that not all agents charge 6% commission. Commissions are negotiable. Some agents charge less and some charge more.
With that being said, let me share with you why many agents charge 6% commission and why most agents won’t negotiate that commission down if you ask them to.
Some people are under the misconception that the listing agent keeps that entire 6% for selling your home. This is not the case. That commission is also split with the buyer’s agent. In most cases the commission is split between the agents 50/50, but once again, this is not always the case. Some listing agents want more than the 50% due to advertisement costs. Some agents offer more than 50% to the buyer’s agent as an incentive. You should know at the time of listing how the commission with be split between the agents. If it’s not in the listing agreement, then ask your agent to add it in there. Does it really matter what percentage of commission you offer to a buyer’s agent? That’s another post I will write about soon. But I digress….
As an example we will say the listing agent split the commission with the buyer’s agent 50/50. So that now leaves the listing agent with 3%.
So now you’re thinking the listing agent gets to keep 3%. Not too shabby, huh? Not so fast. I haven’t even begun to explain what else come’s out of that 3%. Unless your listing agent is the broker of the company and doesn’t have to split the commission with anyone, right off the top, that agent’s broker gets a chunk just for being the broker. Depending on the agents company, that can be anywhere from a few hundred dollars to as much as 50% of that 3% commission.
But wait…there is more! There are plenty of other expenses that agents have to pay.
Signs, sign posts, flyer boxes, info tubes, rider signs and such
Lockboxes
Office equipment (computers, fax machine, printers, scanner, digital camera)
Office supplies
Websites and a contact management database
Advertisement expenses (newspapers, magazines and such)
Business cards
E&O Insurance
Cell phone bills
Car expenses, such as the car itself, car insurance, gas, maintenance on the car
Health Insurance (we are self employed, so we don’t have the luxury of benefits)
MLS dues (local, state and national)
Assistants (some agents have assistants to help them out)
Lead generation
Showing appointment service
Toll free info lines or Talking House
Virtual Tours
Continuing Education
Postage
Uncle Sam (can’t forget to pay him)
Our time (Yes, our time is worth some money too)
I’m sure I’ve forgotten some things agents have to pay for. Please feel free to add to my list!!
Of course if you’re a broker, you have many more fun expenses to pay for like office leases…and well, I digress again….
Hopefully that will shed some light on why many agents charge the 6% commission they charge. As a consumer, you have the right to pick and choose which company you want to list your home and for what commission percentage you will pay. It’s your money. However, I hope I have been able to show you the expenses agents incur for being in the business and why many of them will not lower their commission if asked.
If your home is listed with an agent, you need to be asking yourself this question. Am I SELLING my home, or is my home just “For Sale”?
Let me first explain to you the difference between the two so that you can better answer that question.
Someone that is SELLING their home, has a home that is always clean & has been depersonalized and de-cluttered, the lawn is always maintained, the home can be shown at a moment’s notice, you leave during all showings and there is a lock box on the door for agent access.
A person that has a home For Sale has a tendency to leave the house in not so tip-top condition, hasn’t bothered to mow the lawn in about 2 weeks and it’s now knee high, refuses showings because it’s “bad timing”, likes to hang around during the showings or refuses to let the listing agent put a lock box on the door.
If you’re still having a hard time answering this question, let me ask you some other questions to help you out:
Have you ever refused a showing because you forgot to pick up your dirty underwear or wash last nights dishes which are still sitting in the sink or on the counters, and the agent wants to show your home before you are able to get home & pick things up and clean the house, so you tell them no?
Does your lawn still look like it hasn’t been mowed in about a month and the garbage cans are still sitting at the curb, and garbage day was 2 days ago?
Do you require 24 hours notice?
Do you only allow your home to be shown during your “off hours” from work because you want to be there for all showings to let the agent in?
Do you require your agent to attend all the showings, so thus refusing to allow a lock box to be placed on your home?
If you’re answered YES to any of those questions, then you my friend are not SELLING your home. Your home is just “For Sale.” Having your home “For Sale” in today’s market versus SELLING your home could mean you won’t be selling or moving at all, so you don’t need to worry about cleaning it or mowing the lawn!
You should never be refusing showings unless it’s a family emergency, you have company over, you’re in the middle of dinner or your kids are sick. You’re trying to SELL your home, which means that your home needs to be shown on the buyer’s schedule…..NOT YOUR’S! Your home should always be spotless (or as clean as possible if you have kids), and if that means you have to stay up an hour later each night cleaning and picking up the house, then that’s what you have to do. You should never leave for work with dirty dishes left out, dirty clothes on the floor or a dirty house in any other sort of way. If someone calls at 11am and wants to see it at 11:15am, then you need to be prepared for this! If you want your home SOLD, then live in a home that is in tip-top condition at ALL times or as much as possible if you have kids.
If your lawn doesn’t look AS GOOD OR BETTER than the day it was listed and all the photos were taken, then you have some work to do! If the lawn is not well maintained and garbage cans are laying at the curb with 3 days of newspapers at the end of the driveway that you haven’t bothered to pick up, then it usually means the inside of the home is dirty, which also means you probably haven’t maintained your home in any sort of way, which in turn screams to the buyer to RUN!!!
Why do you require 24 hours notice? Unless it’s a tenant occupied house, there is no reason why you need to have 24 hours notice!! Selling a home in an inconvenience that you will have to deal with for a few months if you want your home sold. By requiring agents to provide 24 hours notice for showings, probably will result in less showings. Many buyers call last minute and want to see a home right away or within a couple of hours. You need to be willing to work with them. Some agents see that requiring 24 hours notice and you refusing showings with anything less than 24 hours notice as difficult people to work with and they may advise their buyer that you are probably not serious about selling and may be difficult to work with. NEXT!!
Ok, so if you’re one of these people that insists on being there for all showings and you have to be there to let them in, GOOD LUCK! You’re gonna need it. Chances are you probably aren’t going to sell your home either. Many people like to look at homes during the day…while you’re at work…and if they can’t get in, then that’s another buyer you’ve potentially lost. Most times, they will NOT call back to reschedule. There are too many other homes that are available to get into much easier. And as much as you think you may be helping the situation by being there to let us in and you’re there to answer any questions…..buyer’s HATE when homeowners are home! They feel like they are intruding in your home and they don’t feel comfortable looking in closets or cabinets. In fact, most times they will rush through the home to get out quickly because it is so uncomfortable having a seller there.
If you don’t allow an agent to put a lock box on the home or you require your agent to be there for all showings….once again, GOOD LUCK, you’re gonna need it! I know I certainly don’t have time to hunt your agent down and drive somewhere else to go pick up a key or to try and work around your agents schedule to show my buyer your property! There are too many other homes on the market to waste time driving some place to pick up a key that I will then have to drive back to return it, or to re-schedule my entire showing schedule because your agent has to be there to let me in and it’s bad timing for them. NEXT!!
Having a “For Sale” sign in your yard and your home listed in the MLS isn’t going to do you one bit of good if you’re refusing showings, allowing showings while your home is dirty, requiring to be there for all showings, not allowing a lock box to be placed on the home, not maintaining the home or the yard or requiring your listing agent to be there for all showings!
As I said before selling a home can be a big inconvenience. BUT, if your home is in tip-top shape and ready to show at a moment’s notice without any hassle or anyone hovering over the agent that is there showing the home, chances are higher that you will sell it faster and move on. If not, then you will probably end up dealing with the inconvenience of selling your home much longer than you really needed to if you’d of just been a little bit more flexible.
You need to be impressing a buyer. Not turning a buyer off! There are way too many other homes for sale that you are competing with and it’s too easy for a buyer to say, “You know what, never mind. We don’t really need to see that one.”
So let me ask you this question one last time. Are you SELLING your home, or is your home just “For Sale”?
If you are wondering what Home Staging (or House Fluffing) is all about, here is a definition for you: MSN Encarta dictionary defines Home Staging as the act of “beautifying a home for sale: cleaning, repairing and updating the decor and furnishings of an older home to make it more attractive when shown to potential buyers.” Actually, I believe that ANY home can use some staging before being put on the market. Remember, the way we live in a home and the way we want to sell a property are two completely different things. When we sell a property, there is no room for emotions - after all, it’s probably our biggest financial investment and, so, we want the biggest possible return on it!
The concept dates from 1970s, when a California realtor and decorator noticed that the properties she took the time to «stage» sold faster and for more money than the average. Today, it’s an important marketing/merchandizing tool in the USA (and spreading to Canada from the West) for the realtors and the home owners alike and it’s especially important in a slow market, where you need every advantage over your competition. TV shows, such as Designed to Sell and Flip that House demonstrate that a bit of effort and a small investment can transform a property and make a BIG difference at sale time!
The logic is strikingly simple: when you decide to sell your used car, wouldn’t you clean, wash and fix it up before reselling it? You should do the same for your house, which is probably your biggest investment and presents an opportunity for a biggest return.
First impressions count for a lot, especially today, when most buyers pre-select the properties they are interested in on Internet. If your photos don’t show your house at its best, you are probably missing out on dozens of potential buyers. The same is true for the visitors - when they come, make them feel «at home», create that first impression which will make them fall for YOUR house.
Statistics vary from marketplace to marketplace but, on average, a staged home can sell 30%-50% faster and for 2%-10% more money than a comparable unstaged home. So, a few hundred dollars invested can bring you back thousands! And a home staging consultation costs a lot less than a first price reduction on the property.
A professional Staging consultant looks at your property with a buyer’s eye and will recommend some easy and inexpensive solutions to enhance its value - such as decluttering, depersonalizing, and reorganizing your furniture and artwork.
The end result: your house «shows» better than its competition and it sell faster and for more money!
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Author Bio
This article is written by Sveta Melchuk, Founder of Home Staging Montreal, a Montreal firm that has been working with sellers and realtors since 2005 to enhance the properties for sale.You can visit www.home-staging-montreal.com for more information, tips and advice on Home Staging and Interior redesign.
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