Ottakee Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 If you are trying to sell your house, please be reasonable with agents that want to SHOW your home. I was supposed to go see a house nearby for a friend of mine who is currently in Alaska. The realtor called on Tuesday to set up a showing for 1pm on Thursday. Well, yesterday I get a call about noon that we CAN'T see the house in an hour as scheduled but we could see it Tuesday night at 6pm. I guess the owners have a dog and didn't know what to do with it for a daytime showing. Well, I am a stay at home mom, our realtor has more time during the day and so a daytime showing is much easier for both of us. This happened for us when we were looking last year. Our realtor tried several times to get us into a house that was perfect for us---land, barn, bedrooms, even my hot tub on a deck. The location wasn't our ideal one but certainly could have been a strong possibility. We kept being told NO we couldn't get in this day or that one or yet another one..................and guess what, over a year later the house is STILL on the market. Maybe they didnt' want to sell. What happened is that after we were told no on that house 2 more listings were added and in one morning we looked at both of them and bought the 2nd one............which had only been listed for a few hours-----and the realtor called them at 9am for a 11 am showing and we GOT IT and by noon we had put in an offer and by 1pm it was accepted. We had another house on the back burner that we had put in an offer on the day before but it was rejected (she actually RAISED her price) that if we couldnt' have seen our current house in very short notice, we would likely have gone back and bought that first one. All that to say, if you have a house listed, please try to be available for showings if at all possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cajunrose Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I'm selling my home..and while I mostly agree with you and yes, I have been able to show every time, there are times when it simply would not be possible. I have to go out of town sometimes for all day events. My husband does not live at home 2 weeks out of the month. When I'm out of town, I have NOTHING I can do with my dogs and they are BIG dogs. My friends are all busy people and really, getting them out of the house is a feat in itself so I wouldn't ask them to try to do that. So far, it hasn't been a problem, but I wait for the day that it is. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 It's been a long time since I was involved in selling a home (2000), but I sure as heck hated the whole process. Having to wake a 2yo from his nap nearly every single day for weeks because of last minute showings makes for one unpleasant mommy! I think it's probably pretty rare that any homeowner WANTS to inconvenience potential buyers. But they ARE trying to live their lives while all that goes on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 It all comes down to whether or not they really want to sell. We sold quickly after ending over backwards to accommodate potential buyers. It would have been nice to move before listing, but that was just not possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 When we looked at the house we now own, the owners had a labrador. They had him in the storage room, which is a fairly good size. They had a sheet of paper taped to the door with a picture of the dog and a note of what his name was and that he was normally friendly so we could open the door and look if we wanted to, but to please make sure he stays in the room when we are finished looking. They had a bed in there and a bowl of water so the dog was quite comfortable. We missed out on looking at some houses too, but I don't know the reasons. We were aiming to purchase a house that weekend so we only made a decision based on what we saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 We wanted to look at one house where they just would not schedule a time for us to go see it so we gave up . Other houses we have gone to see they will have their dog in a crate. Other times in houses with dogs, we have have the sellers ask if we can come by at lunchtime so they can come home while we are there. For our house that we are trying to sell, we have never turned down a showing or changed a requested time, we just adapt and have it available for when the people want to see it but then I don't have small dc anymore or dogs, just cats which can go outside before the people show up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cajunrose Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 The size dog cages I would have to get would scare anybody that came in...rofl Not to mention, I have no place for them and I can't leave them outside b/c it's just way too hot. Like I said, so far, it has not been an issue. I have had 12 hours notice so I just rearrange what I'm doing and stay home to remove the dogs. Hopefully, it'll continue that way or we'll get lucky and my husband will be home when they call. I keep banking on that..lol The house next door had been empty for YEARS and we knew the owners well so I was really hoping that when we listed our home, theirs would still be empty and on one of the showing days, I would just put them over there...or when we went out of town for the day...but alas, they sold that house..rofl So much for that. It would have been perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I had a sick preemie when I was selling my place. You have no idea what agents will put you through. She was NOT supposed to be around people, and it was the middle of winter. We were very clear with our agent about only serious people, and still that didn't happen. We actually had one agent bring a guy in and proceed to have a 2 hour meeting at our house while we were driving around with a preemie. We finally went back to the house, the 2 of them were sitting at the table "having a discussion about other options." "Oh, we thought you were at work for the day." :glare: I probably have 20 stories like that. After about 50 useless showings I finally refused to leave, and refused to let people in my daughter's bedroom. When someone was serious, then I let them come back alone and have as much time as they needed, and they bought the place. My experience has been that anyone and everyone will waste your time looking at a house. IMHO that's fine for open houses (which we had) but not for showings. Not that YOU were doing that, but a lot of people are inconsiderate and do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arstephia Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 We sold our house a few years ago because of our flexibility. My realtor called and said she had a buyer from out of town that was ready to buy and wanted to get it done and they had looked at all of the scheduled houses already but she drove them past ours and they thought our house would be perfect but wanted to see it NOW. She wanted to know if I was willing to waive the 24hour notice to show it. I had two kids napping and the house was a wreck with toys. I told her I needed an hour. She said, "You have 10 minutes otherwise we are going on to XYZ suburb." I said, "OK!" I tidied up a bit quick and was just going to get the kids up when the agent and the prospective buyers arrived. I told them I had to go get my kids up from their naps quick and then I'd be out of their way. The woman was so gracious and said, "Oh, just let the little ones sleep, we'll just take a quick peek and not disturb them." So I just stayed out of the way and let them look around the house. They were there about 20 minutes and thanked me for my flexibility. They gave us an offer the next day that we happily accepted. I was SO glad I didn't stick with the typical "24 hour notice" that I was entitled to. I would have missed these buyers if I had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 We sold our house a few years ago because of our flexibility. My realtor called and said she had a buyer from out of town that was ready to buy and wanted to get it done and they had looked at all of the scheduled houses already but she drove them past ours and they thought our house would be perfect but wanted to see it NOW. She wanted to know if I was willing to waive the 24hour notice to show it. I had two kids napping and the house was a wreck with toys. I told her I needed an hour. She said, "You have 10 minutes otherwise we are going on to XYZ suburb." I said, "OK!" I tidied up a bit quick and was just going to get the kids up when the agent and the prospective buyers arrived. I told them I had to go get my kids up from their naps quick and then I'd be out of their way. The woman was so gracious and said, "Oh, just let the little ones sleep, we'll just take a quick peek and not disturb them." So I just stayed out of the way and let them look around the house. They were there about 20 minutes and thanked me for my flexibility. They gave us an offer the next day that we happily accepted. I was SO glad I didn't stick with the typical "24 hour notice" that I was entitled to. I would have missed these buyers if I had. I love this story. I've never had to sell a house while living in it. This house (our third) will probably be the one when I have to do that. I get that realtors and buyers would like people out of the house. I also get that a spic-n-span house is more attractive overall. Still, when we were looking at houses we were aware that people lived in them and weren't aghast when we saw a hamper of laundry or a messy closet or dishes in the sink. I hated it when we arrived at one place and had to wait while a mom stuffed her toddlers in the car. They could have stayed home! One house we looked at was uncomfortable because the owner was watching tv in his recliner and I felt like I couldn't walk into the room. If he'd changed his demeanor a bit and not looked put out by my prescence, we might have bought that house. A sweet new widow at my church will not allow Sunday showings at her house. She is steadfast and has lost a lot of opportunities to show her house because of it. I think I would go spend Sunday with my kids and let the realtor work if he wanted to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 When we sold our house, I had a 2yo and a 7mo and a puppy. I moved in with my mother during the week and moved home on the weekends. They house could be shown at any time m-f. When the house was under contract I moved back in. A couple drove by and wanted to see the house in 10 minutes. The house wasn't show ready, but tidy. Since the house was under contract I could have gotten snooty and not let them in, but I let them see the house. They made a second offer for more money. They first contract fell through and they got the house. Remember, you want to sell more than they want to buy (mostly). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted July 13, 2012 Author Share Posted July 13, 2012 I understand trying to live a life, having little ones, etc. It was just that we requested this showing more than 48 hours in advance and they waited until 1 hour before the showing to let us know it wouldnt' work. We had my friend's daughter meeting us there and had even figured out how to use Face time on my son's ipad using the realtor's hot spot to "instant video" the house to my friend in Alaska. If this is a problem, it would have been nice for their listing agent to either know this or make it known in advance---like showings only in the evening and weekends, or must have 3 days notice, or whatever.......but to wait until only an hour before the showing after 48 hours advance request to tell us it won't work just isn't considerate. My friends are pretty serious buyers and are financially stable so they have the financing to purchase when they find the right thing. Hope we get to see it Tuesday. It has 5 acres and is only about 2 miles from my house and we could ride horses to each other's homes, walk easily from one to the other, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeteranMom Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I've been in both positions- seller and buyer. Your request isn't an unreasonable one. As a seller, I still remember the people that showed up in front of my house, made the call to my realtor's office to request a showing, and then immediately removed the key from the lock box to enter my home. I was just getting out of the shower and was wearing a towel:blink:. We had requested a 1 hour notice to show the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 As a seller, I still remember the people that showed up in front of my house, made the call to my realtor's office to request a showing, and then immediately removed the key from the lock box to enter my home. I was just getting out of the shower and was wearing a towel:blink:. We had requested a 1 hour notice to show the house. WOW!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I've been in both positions- seller and buyer. Your request isn't an unreasonable one. As a seller, I still remember the people that showed up in front of my house, made the call to my realtor's office to request a showing, and then immediately removed the key from the lock box to enter my home. I was just getting out of the shower and was wearing a towel:blink:. We had requested a 1 hour notice to show the house. Yep, I had a realtor with buyers calling me from right out front. We let them see the house but still. The only time I said no was Easter. Come on people it's EASTER. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedchaos Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I agree with being flexible. We just sold our house a few months ago. The buyers requested a short notice showing on a Saturday night. We always said yes and had about an hour to get the house ready. It was a chilly night and we had the fireplace going; we just decided to leave it for coziness factor. We did keep the house pretty picked up and both dh and I were home so it wasn't a major deal, but we do have 3 kids so the house was never really "show ready." The buyers put in an offer the next day. Had we needed 24 hours or even a few hours we would have lost out on the sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threeturn Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 When we sold last year we went the first week with no showings at all and then the first people wanted to see it on Good Friday. Of course I said yes, but hated having to take the kids and find somewhere else to go that day. (I guess I should have gone to the church, but there was the 6, 4, and 1 yo to contend with.) They bought the house and then we had to rush to find our new home in the next town. We tried to get into one place a couple of different times and kept getting excuses that renovation work was being done. Finally the realtor told them we were making a decision that day. They still wouldn't let us in. I guess they really didn't want to sell. The market is tough here. I have friends who have had houses on for well over a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbookbuzz Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 As someone who wants to move and is wondering how I'll evere get mt present home "show-ready" I find this all good advice! Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 we actually had people request to see our house on Christmas Day (they made an offer but then withdrew it when a house down the street came on the market). We had other people see it on 4th of July (these are the people that were upset that we have cats even tho they were told that we have cats before they came). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_midori Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 When we sold our house, I had a 2yo and a 7mo and a puppy.I moved in with my mother during the week and moved home on the weekends. They house could be shown at any time m-f. When the house was under contract I moved back in. A couple drove by and wanted to see the house in 10 minutes. The house wasn't show ready, but tidy. Since the house was under contract I could have gotten snooty and not let them in, but I let them see the house. They made a second offer for more money. They first contract fell through and they got the house. Remember, you want to sell more than they want to buy (mostly). Something similar happened when we were buyers! We drove 4 hours with my 70+yo in-laws and 2 little kids to look at houses in one area that we had pre-set with the realtor in town to look at. Unfortunately, none of them were "right" - so we started stretching into new areas & were able to see a few more houses. Still, nothing quite clicked... until we found one 1/2 an hour South that was almost perfect (from the photots/info) and decided to check it out. It was WAY further South than we planned, so we certainly hadn't set up anything in advance!! When the realtor called, the owner told us that the house was under contract with negotiations in progress, but that if we really wanted to come by and see it we could. We did see it, and decided it was just right for our needs - but we had to make an offer that day in order to cut out the other negotiations. So, we did - and we've lived here happily for 4 years now! :) I am grateful that she let us all come look (she was home) and that she talked frankly with us about the situation (apparently she really didn't like the other buyer - he was rude & forceful & causing problems). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 We sold our previous home because we were willing to have a last-minute showing. It was a Saturday morning and we were having a leisurely breakfast when we got the call. I had kept the house spotless for several weeks, but that morning it was pretty messy. We tidied up as quickly as we could and left the house. We had an offer by that night. :) I do understand that there are situations that make it difficult to have a showing, but I think you really need to be as flexible as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 My experience has been that anyone and everyone will waste your time looking at a house. IMHO that's fine for open houses (which we had) but not for showings. Not that YOU were doing that, but a lot of people are inconsiderate and do that. Having a virtual tour available will cut down on these kinds of showings. When we were house-hunting in 2009, it drove me NUTS when the selling agents didn't have a virtual tour up and I wound up having to waste everyone's time with a quickie showing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted July 15, 2012 Author Share Posted July 15, 2012 Having a virtual tour available will cut down on these kinds of showings. When we were house-hunting in 2009, it drove me NUTS when the selling agents didn't have a virtual tour up and I wound up having to waste everyone's time with a quickie showing. That would certainly help here. My friend is currently in Alaska and coming home in 2 weeks but if this home is perfect, she can come down earlier. We are hoping to do a "virtual tour" using my son's ipad and the realtor's hot spot and face time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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