Information for Sellers:

Showing Your Home

Be Ready to Show at All Times

Sellers should be aware that same-day and even last-minute requests for showings are common. You should always be ready for a showing, so keep your home organized and clean. Tell the kids to put their toys away when they are done playing and make sure you don't let those dishes pile up in the sink.

Keep it Flexible

Most agents do try to arrive within the scheduled showing time, but sometimes it isn't possible. They may get stuck in traffic, or the house they saw prior to your showing took longer than expected. It happens, and sometimes it happens too late to be fixed by a phone call.

If this happens you may want to stay away from home a little longer than you think is necessary, just to make sure you don't interrupt a showing.

Pets Must Be Controlled

Pets should be out of the house during showings, especially large dogs, since many people are afraid of them. A gruff bark coming from inside the house is enough to make some home buyers turn around at the front door.

Because most people are not aware of odors in their own home, such as those from a pet, you may want to keep the pets outside or in a controlled area, or maybe just use an air purifier or freshener. You don't want buyers to remember the home as the house that smells.

Should You Stay or Should You Go?

When agents are showing your home to a prospective buyer, sellers often wonder should they stay or should they go? Some reasons sellers want to stay are because they think agents and buyers won't be able to find everything, that they must be there to point out important features. Truthfully, most just want to be present to see buyer reaction firsthand.

Perhaps You Should Go...

Sellers should be aware that at the very least buyers feel uncomfortable when they are present, and that it can actually kill a sale. Buyers often won't even open closet or cabinet doors when the seller is home, and when they cannot view a house comfortably, they'll hurry up and move on to the next one.

Sellers want to talk, and not just about the house. You never know when a buyer will be turned off by the mood of the seller, or by a statement the seller makes. Buyers are there to look at the house, not chit chat about hobbies or the weather or worse--politics and other controversial topics.

If you (the seller) must be home during a showing, perhaps just go outside, take the dog for a walk or stay put in one location, do not wander around with the agent and buyers.

A Good First Impression Helps Sell Your House

It can't be overstated; when it comes to buying a house, the first impression is everything. If you're selling or getting ready to sell in the coming months, one of the easiest and most dramatic ways to enhance that first impression is through paint.

Fresh paint makes your house look clean, bright, and inviting.

Painting your house's exterior and interior before you put it on the market give the biggest bang for your fix-up buck.

Agents agree that sellers shouldn't take curb appeal lightly, especially when so many buyers are doing their homework and looking at the exterior of houses before they even contact an agent.

If nothing else, paint at least the door, door frame, and foyer or first room the would-be buyers will see.

Use fresh, neutral colors. If you're painting the exterior, make sure the color blends in with the neighborhood. Opt for whites, creams or neutrals. The PQI says these colors appeal to the greatest number of people.
Whether you paint yourself or hire someone, make sure all the prep work is done, washing all dirt away, and patching and repairing any necessary areas on the surface before it is painted.
Paint railings, window frames, trim, and other accents to freshen up the exterior.
Promote any recent painting in your ads, flyers and online descriptions of your house. Homeowners and buyers place a high value on the painted appearance of a home. Include the date the paint job was completed and the quality of paint that was used.