Facebook
X
Pinterest
Copy Link
There are times where it-is-clear that a seller has gone above and beyond to romance the buyers and the buyers agents of the world, and I find myself swept off of my feet. Here are ten details in my experience showing homes, that help create the BEST showing experiences possible for me and my buyers.
1. The house is vacant: there is no seller present, and if the house is owner occupied, you can barely tell! My buyers might say, “wow, is this how they live or is this staging?”
2. The house is beyond tidy, it is SPOTLESS. It feels like a group of trained professionals came in and really gave the place a quality, detailed cleaning. All of that dust and animal hair that accumulated on the baseboards, gone! If there is carpet that is not new, but in great condition, it has clearly been professionally cleaned. The interior paint looks fresh, or relatively new, and the floors are sparkling. Elaborating on cleaning more (yes, I may place a high value on order and cleanliness myself), let’s focus on details. Bathroom grime- get rid of it! Caulking needed around the tub? Handle it! We will notice those details; or at least, the people willing to pay more for those details being handled, will notice.
3. The lights were left on, and it was clear it was intentional for the showing. All-of-the doors are open, so you don’t have to wonder what is behind any of them. Maybe the basement door is shut, but if it’s in an obscure spot, it is labeled.
4. If it is winter, the heat is on, so me and the buyers are not freezing while we are admiring the house. Warm houses make showings feel less rushed, and we tend to take our time looking through the house. Subconsciously when we enter a home that is warm and clean, we get feelings of comfort and associate that with the home itself!
5. There’s light music left on in the background. This can be tricky to execute properly, but when the music is perfectly in tune with the vibe of the house, it definitely adds to the showing experience.
6. There’s a mat to wipe your feet when you walk in. Buyers usually don’t have issues taking their shows off in a house that is inviting, warm, and clean. If you leave a mat to wipe our feet, that is extremely helpful! Especially by doors leading to the yard.
7. There are one or two keys that open every door, and those two keys also open any outbuildings. It is a pain when there are 4+ keys, even if they are labeled… but if you must have 4+ keys, please make sure they are labeled!
8. When a seller leaves bottles of water, chocolates, or another type of thank you for viewing the home. Especially if they have done all-of-the above. This is super classy and one of the least common things I see, even at great showings.
9. It isn’t a pain to get into the house. This one isn’t super romantic, but I am telling you, it makes a difference when it takes 5+ minutes to figure out the “trick” to getting the front door open. Don’t make frustration be the first emotion the buyers or their agent feel when trying to view your home. If you know the door is tricky, fix it prior to having it available for showings. Make it easy and painless to show your home.
10. The sellers agent follows up asking for feedback. They do this via text or email, within the first two days after the showing occurs, and they provide an image of the home, not just the address. Buyers agents show many homes, so providing an image of the house so the agent doesn’t have to look it up is extra helpful and makes giving feedback easier! The sellers agent thanks the buyers agent for showing the home, even if their buyer isn’t interested in placing an offer. That same buyers agent probably has other buyers they could show it to. Keep it professional and friendly! The goal is to get more showings, after all.
Presenting your home like it is a high end, quality product (yes, even in the 200k-300k range where it is even easier to stand out!), where even the smallest of details have been paid attention to, will make a significant difference in the quality of offers you will attract. Do the work upfront sellers, and you will see the results.
Read my post about how to not creep buyers out during showings, here
