4 B’s of Home Showing
Be Organized
No last-minute surprise showings is one benefit of selling the home yourself. Although potential buyers could just ring your doorbell, in most instances you will be scheduling showings and will have some lead time as well as the opportunity to find out a little bit about buyers via the Internet before they arrive.
As you decide what hours to offer visitors and how many time slots per day or week you will make available, keep several things in mind:
Be flexible. Offer timing that works for you, but put some thought into stretching your availability into as many time slots as possible to accommodate buyers. Flexibility is the key.
Don’t over schedule yourself. Make sure you have time between showings to record your impressions about your visitors and decompress a bit before the next appointment. This will be especially crucial to keep in mind on weekends when you might be tempted to offer back-to-back slots all day Saturday and Sunday. Leave yourself time to replenish refreshments and make sure all is in order in the house before your next showing, too.
Showing Know How
Selling by owner means you can extend a warm greeting to buyers. Ask them what characteristics are most important to them in a home. Then, as you show the house point out features that match their characteristics. Also, offer suggestions if a room could be adapted to meet their needs. Point out areas with the potential for multiple uses such as spaces that could become a homework hub, a reading corner or place to pay bills.
Show the buyers supporting documentation on the property. Keep copies of your rates notice on hand so you can show potential home buyers what those costs might be if they buy your home.
As you take people through the house, let them enter the room first. Be ready to answer questions and offer information but also give them a chance to react to the space. Keep the discussions centered on the house rather than your relationship with the house. You want buyers to begin envisioning building their own memories in the home.
Host an Open House or Two
Pick a time when open houses are typically held in your area. In many places Sunday afternoons are typical. Let your neighbours know you are holding an open house. Gather directional signs to put up at intersections directing people to your house.
Follow all the protocols for a showing with a few additional steps.
Make sure you have copies of any brochures ready for viewers. If possible have your spouse or a friend on hand, so you have an extra person in the house. Station them in a location other than the front door or have them move between the rooms.
Have anyone attending fill out the signup sheet before going through the house. And be sure to follow up with a phone call or an email the next week.
Consider having another open house just for your neighbours. Plan on refreshments and make it a neighbourhood event.
Be Informed
You want to make sure to make a good first impression on buyers as they come through your door. To do that, it’s important to be informed and prepare yourself for some questions or situations that may arise. Buyers usually ask a lot of questions, especially regarding schools and crime.
Answer with facts rather than opinions.
For example, if your local district or schools have won awards point them out. If you are under any duress to sell or have a tight deadline, don’t volunteer this information in your conversations with potential buyers. You don’t want to invite a lowball offer which might come if buyers think you are selling under stress.
If the buyers are accompanied by a buyer agent, ask the agent if the buyers are prequalified; what their timeline is and what other houses they’ve seen or are considering. Be sure you have the correct spelling of buyers’ names and their phone numbers and follow up by phone or email the next day. Offer to answer any additional questions they may have.
Be Ready
If every space isn’t sparkling, clean again or have a professional cleaning done. The key to readying your house for showings is all the deep cleaning, which you’ve already done, and advance planning to make it easier to keep it “buyer ready” day-to-day. Here are some things that can help you stay ready.
Clean Sweep in the Kitchen
Make a clean sweep of kitchen counters before showings. This might sound daunting but planning ahead of time where to stow countertop appliances out of sight makes this task easier. Kitchen counters are usually magnets for paper — mail, kid’s notices from schools, newspapers. Corral these items in a basket or clear out a drawer that you can use to keep them during showings. And don’t forget buyers will look in kitchen drawers and cabinets as well as appliances.
Keep Children and Pets Out of Sight
During showings and open houses, make care arrangements for children and pets ahead of time. If possible, have someone watch your children, preferably off the premises. If you are unable to have your pets off the property, consider crating them. Then they won’t be in the way and there won’t be a chance that someone will inadvertently let them out the door. Better yet, set up a secure corner or space for their crates. Dress it up with new bedding and a few toys in coordinating colors. Be sure water bowls are sparkling. If necessary, buy new ones and, yes, make sure they blend with the colour scheme.
Don’t Forget About the Details
If you don’t have a place to keep dirty laundry, decide ahead of time where you will stash your gym clothes or your child’s soccer uniform. Decide where you can keep toiletries out of sight during showings. If you can, purchase a new set of towels for each bathroom and only bring them out when buyers are coming through or for an open house.
Another detail not to forget about is your bathrooms. They really do have to sparkle. Right before a showing, give fixtures and faucets a quick once over to renew the shine. Make sure counters and sinks are clean. Be sure the view from any doorway is attractive, especially powder rooms and small bathrooms since many buyers won’t actually go into the room. Make sure what they can see is bright and appealing. Don’t forget what’s reflected in the mirror too.
Right before a showing, open the shades and turn on the lights (even during the day). General advice is to make everything light and bright, but also let common sense be your guide. If the lights in your kitchen can be as bright as an operating room, you might want to bring them down a bit.
Be Enthused
That’s a commodity that real estate agents typically possess in mass quantity. It’s practically a requirement for the job. Channel your inner agent by being certain that you maintain a high level of enthusiasm whenever you interact with a potential buyer. Very few people will respond to a dreary showing presentation. You don’t want to pretend your love for your home knows no bounds (if it did, why would you sell it?), but you want all potential buyers to know that you view your home as a real asset and a great place to live.
Be an Advocate
No one knows your home better than you. From the time you sit down to write your listing ad through the showing process and negotiating an offer, stand firm behind your view of what your home is worth and what its strengths are, and tell the world.
Be Prepared to Answer Challenging Questions
Find a way to put even your home’s weaknesses in the best light. Look through your home receipts and warranties as appropriate and do research to bolster your knowledge base.
For example, let’s say your home’s heat source is a 20-year-old in-built gas heater. Home buyers could be wary of a heater that old, but in reality the lifetime could be quite long. A little time spent researching the pluses will help prepare you to answer any question about your gas heater with a positive spin.
Follow up with Buyers
Once you have a showing or open house, nothing is more important than following up with a call to anyone who has viewed your house. Be courteous. This is an opportunity to start a conversation about the property, especially if they seem willing to talk. The important thing is to gauge your questions based on the type of response you are getting. Ask if they have any questions regarding the home. Find out it if it suits their needs. If they are not interested, you could ask why.
Get Buyer Feedback
Find out what buyers really think of your home after a visit. If you end up reducing the price, you can also call to tell them about the price reduction and ask if they would be interested in seeing the property again.
Be Safe
In today’s world, you just never know. You’d like to trust anyone who comes to view your home, but when strangers are involved trust needs to end at your front door. For your personal safety and to secure possessions as best as possible, follow these suggestions about safety during showings. By doing so, you will vastly improve the security of your home showings and open houses.
Rules for Being Safe When Showing Your Home
Rule #1:
Don’t show your home or conduct open houses alone. There’s just too much risk involved if an unstable person shows up at your door.
Rule #2:
Coordinate your schedule with your neighbours if possible so they are alert to any odd happenings while you have visitors in your home.
Rule #3:
Store out of sight (or even off premises) as much of your stuff as possible throughout the showing process.
Rule #4:
Create a plan for securing/hiding/removing any items of value that remain in the home before each showing and open house.