I was out this week showing Simi Valley homes to clients and the bank owned Simi Valley homes (REOs) have enough issues that can be understandable; however, the owner occupied properties could really use some help as well. I shot a few pictures while out and decided to bring up this topic again as Simi Valley home sellers really need to think about how they might approach the sale of their home. I think every home seller needs to ask the following question.
Am I (Home Seller) a willing participant ready to do what it’s going to take in this market to sell my home or am I an obstructionist whether aware or unaware of how I drive buyers away from my home?
Are you shooting yourself in the foot? You want to sell your home but when Realtors call to show your home do you suffer from the following maladies:
- You need time to clean
- Your animals have free run of your house and need to be put away
- Realtors can only come at very specific times with an appointment
There are plenty of Simi Valley homes for prospective buyers to see; if your home is the most difficult and it is not ready, then you might as well take your home off the real estate market.
Simi Valley is not unique to people’s busy schedules, so access for buyers and Realtors is very important. Creating obstacles and barriers to letting your home be seen by perspective buyers will only cost you money and time in the long run, as buyers in this real estate market will have other opportunities.
First, if you have a hard time keeping your home clean it may be a good idea to hire a house cleaner while your home is on the market. The money you add to your home budget will pay off with a quicker sale and maybe even a better price for your home, if your home is in tip-top shape when prospective buyers come through.
Next, if you have not created obstacles and barriers for buyers and Realtors accessing your home; do you have family pets? While we all love our pets, prospective buyers may have fears. Large dogs with free run of homes is a very common occurance. It seems like the larger the dog the more liberty the owners give their pet(s) inside their homes.
I am helping three clients find a home in Simi Valley right now that have a fear of dogs and at least 30% of the homes we go to, have dog issues that distract my client’s full attention when looking at those homes. Other than your dog scaring my clients way from your home, the odor that an indoor pet creates is now noticeable to the pet owner, but can be another distraction to prospective buyers. Yes I know that your dog won’t hurt anyone and that your dog is the nicest dog on the planet, but prospective buyers with a fear of dogs really do not care about those claims. Those buyers will be so concerned about where you are keeping your dog, they never get to enjoy your home.
Last, appointments and limited access. The Lock box system we use in the Simi Valley Moorpark Association of Realtors is computerized and a secure system. The agent’s keys are electronically updated every 15 mins when on and will update when turned on so it is very easy to lock out problem agents. Their is a CBS code (Call Before Showing) that can
be given to the agents before they come over to see your home. The importance of using the computerized boxes we use in the Simi Valley Moorpark Association of Realtors is that a report of who has been in your home is available daily. Also the key automatically calls the system after it is used to open a lockbox and the Listing agent receives an email notification of the showing. Most agents now carry Android, iPhone or Blackberry and can access email at any time.
While I understand the different reasons why sellers would like appointments and a restriction, please remember there are many other homes out there that are easier to see.
Putting all together….Keep your house clean, manage your family pets and make it easy for buyers to access your home. If you remove these obstacles, that will be the first step towards getting more people to show your home and be interested after they have visited.
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Great post — made me smile. I agree that sellers shouldn’t put their houses on the market, if the house isn’t ready!