Selling a home in this market is not easy.  The obstacles seem endless, from competing with foreclosure prices,newly renovated homes,better locations and now what seems an unfairly matched battle of obtaining correct appraisals..why would any seller want to add to the challenge?

I’m sure you wouldn’t, but YOU may be adding to this unknowingly.

Currently, we have just about 200 single family listings  “available” in the 30310 zip code.  I present my sellers with as much data as possible to prepare for the challenges we may face when listing, and to understand that this process will not be completed over night, in a week and may even take a few months before we obtain a solid buyer.

Initially this could be fine, but once the home is on the market-anxiety often sets in and “is my home being viewed?’ becomes a constant thought.

As an agent, there are a few punch list items we can do to make sure your home is being viewed, but most importantly- availability is KEY.

It is more of a challenge to sell a home listed as “Shown by Appointment Only” or a home that is occupied by a tenant with an unpredictable or varying work schedule.

Buyers AND agents love the flexibility of being able to show a home anytime- at the buyers request and this could come as soon as they see a listing. Often giving the agent less than 24hrs notice.  While working as a buyers agent, it has been my experience to schedule appointments to show a home, and then to line up readily available homes to show my buyer THAT DAY.  Usually, after we view the ‘available and vacant’ homes, we have an idea of which we would like to make an offer on, leaving us to either cancel our appointment or briefly view out of courtesy but without the intention of moving forward.

I have lost many viewers by not having my homes available “now” to view while an agent was out touring my community with their buyer.  Keep in mind, buyers and agents may not live locally and it isn’t always convenient for them to come back another day to view 1 home.

If you are listing a home, although you may feel a bit uneasy with it, having a Supra (agent computerized) lockbox really is best! There are many

ways to ensure your home(and personal items)are protected. Your home should be available for your listing agent to adequately preform their job.

Also, Surpa boxes are a great way to track viewers! Your agent and print off a list with contact information to agents that have shown your home. It’s a good reporting tool and a great way to measure your homes performance.

Another challenge, which could hinder the sale of a home is listing a home currently occupied with a tenant who has a lot of furniture.

I remember viewing one home and feeling immediately over whelmed, and I do this professionally– I can’t imagine what my poor buyers felt.(Well, I can since we did NOT go back to view nor did we make an offer)

Once we left-neither of us could remember if the home had hardwood floors or carpet.

It is difficult for buyers to feel comfortable going through closets, and even bathrooms of these homes. No matter how neat and clean the tenant may be, it feels very intrusive-as if we’re snooping.  Buyers spend less time in these listings and therefore walk away feeling unsure or not at all familiar with the layout.

In this day, no one wants to lose money- so I do not recommend losing a tenant to list your home, however you must make it very clear to have the home in “show” condition daily, and that a lockbox will be added to the home. You might even want to offer a bonus or incentive for your tenant to motivate them to help the process.

Asking agents to “courtesy call” the tenant prior to showing is reasonable and could make your tenant feel better about the process and lockbox.

These are just a few challenges I’m up against on my listings,and hope this will help you when you make your decision to list!

Nia