From the Ask the Broker Inbox:
I currently live in Idaho Falls, ID. Until 3 years ago I lived in Mesa for 20 years. I’m looking to sell my house in ID and return to the Phoenix area. The realtors in Idaho Falls require my wife and I leave our house each time we have a scheduled showing by any agent or when we have an open house. I have asked the question of my local realtors as to why I have to leave and they all say so the client can feel free to critique the house without my being there.
I am 67 years young, have lived in many cities and bought and sold many houses. I have never been asked to leave my home during the showing or open house, including the house I sold in Mesa.
I have a real problem with that issue now for many reasons but the 2 that are predominant are: I pay your salary why am I the one inconvenienced?; No realtor knows my house as well as I do and is not in a position to answer question beyond what’s in the listing. I have already seen where a realtor was asked a question about an aspect of my house and didn’t know the answer. He also never got to me to ask the question and provide the answer to the client.
I had a mistrust of realtors before, these past dealings don’t endear me to the real estate community any more. I would appreciate your input into the question of the homeowner leaving during a showing or open house.
Well, you’re probably not gong to like my answer either. I think your agent is giving you very sound advice. We *always* advise our sellers to vacate the home any and every time a buyer or their representative is present. This includes initial showings, repeat showings, open houses, inspections and final walk-throughs.
Never, ever make your buyers feel uncomfortable in your home
Yes, it is an inconvenience to have to leave your home. Selling a home is a big giant hassle all the way around. I can assure you that buyers will spend longer in your home if you aren’t there, and they will talk about it more — both the good and the bad.
And that is exactly what you want. You want buyers to spend time in your home. You want them to talk about it — the good, the bad and the ugly. The longer they spend and the more they talk the more emotionally vested they become in the home. And the more they are likely to want it.
Of course no agent will ever know as much about the home or the neighborhood as the person that lives there. But you can certainly educate your agent. Work with your agent to put together a “showing package” for your home and leave it in a prominent place (a kitchen island / counter works well). You can place photos, neighborhood demographics and info, photos, even a letter from the seller talking about your home.
I’ve shown homes to buyers with owners present and without fail the buyers feel uncomfortable in the home. You are trying to sell your home. Making potential buyers feel uncomfortable in it is the last thing you want to do.
The Phoenix Real Estate Guy was started by Jay Thompson, and I have a little blogging problem... he liked to say...
I guess my first question to this gentleman is, why did you hire a Realtor? If you know more and are able to do a better job of selling your home, then why pay the commission? A great agent is trained in HOW to sell the home, overcome objections, qualify the buyer, and get them to the closing table. So, two things come to mind, you either hired the wrong agent, and need to fire him/her, or you should go get your real estate license, since you already know how to do better than 99% of the Realtors in your marketplace.
I could not agree more that the home seller should not be present at showings or open houses. People are not comfortable looking in closets, under sinks, in showers etc. with the seller there. They feel like they are invading the privacy of the seller.
A prospective buyer often wants to spend considerable time in a home trying to visualize themselves living there, where there furniture will go and all the positives and negatives involved.
I do advise the seller to step outside while it is being shown by other agents when it is our listing.
When I show property to buyers, I like the seller to be present some where on the property so my clients and I can ask them questions.
Jay – I agree with you 100% on this one. I spent the first 5 years of my real estate career working exclusively with buyers. In the course of assisting a few hundred relocating clients, I NEVER had a buyer feel comfortable looking around when the seller was present. Even worse is when the seller leads them on a tour to show the buyer the ‘unique’ things…as if the buyer had never seen a walk-in closet before!
I found that most buyers need to stand in a room and discuss where they will put their TV and couch. They need to talk about what they would need to change to be happy with the house. This is even more important when one spouse likes the house better than the other. If you let the disapproving spouse leave without having those discussions (which they won’t have if the seller is present), then that spouse will nix the house off the list. Rarely will the interested spouse be able to talk them into going back to reconsider.
As far as questions, if the buyer likes the house, it’s easy enough to make a phone call to the listing agent and ask.
We expect the sellers to be gone for our showings, etc. as well. As mentioned, the buyers won’t stay long and may not even view the entire home if the seller is there. But the most important reason, is that the seller may know the home & the neighborhood, but they DON’T know the buyer. Quite often the seller will say something that I know will be a complete turn-off for the buyer. In other words, the seller just “un-sold” his home.
The last place i’d like to be as a homeseller would be in the home when potential buyers are there. Not only would the buyer be unconfortable but I would be as well. If you want to go FSBO then you have to be there. If you hire a realtor, stand back and let her do her job!
I personally think it should be done on a case by case basis leaning on the preference of the seller. Your agent should be working with you…
On the other hand I have heard great things about staging, and these days anything that may help is probably worth a shot
Hi Jay –
From a buyer's persective:
While we in the market for a house this summer, the house we liked and put an offer on, the seller was present during the inspection process. Even though my wife and I handled it well, we couldn't be as honest with the conclusions the inspection team made after they finished their inspection.
Although the deal fell apart, it was very disconcerting to have someone there. I wouldn't have had an issue if the seller *worked* from home (my wife had to do this while our house sold in Florida), but the seller sat there an watched television as we took apart the details of the seller's home – very uncomfortable.
I fully agree with you Jay, when the owner is not present it is much easier for the buyer to display his opinion without any restrains.
The owner should never be present when the buyer is examining the house.
Ismail
Unless the seller is handicapped, they are OUT of the house at EVERY showing. Past experience has proven that nothing good can come out of of having the seller be at the showings. I once witnessed a home inspection where the seller, over 85 years old, was being told by the buyers, at every issue, big or small, “You’re going to fix that for us, aren’t you, sweetie?”.. I got SO upset I simply took the old lady out at Dunkin Donuts in My car for two hours until the inspection was over. Seeing my angry “twisted & contorted” face, the buyers decided they did indeed, want the house, and every issue, little or big, magically disappeared.. Not even a price reduction, heh..
I forgot to add, that, in addition to the seller NOT being present, neither should the listing agent. Give me a break about me being lazy, my real value is in negotiating. and actually closing the deal.
As always, thanks folks for contributing so much to the discussion!
@Jay – if the seller is around to answer questions, how do you keep them away from the buyers? I would think their natural inclination is going to be to tag along.
@Paul – thanks for supplying a buyer's perspective!
Quite often the seller will say something that I know will be a complete turn-off for the buyer. In other words, the seller just “un-sold” his home.
Excellent point Elaine!!
@Marc – the problem with relying solely on what the seller's preference is the seller isn't the expert. I agree that the seller's wants, needs and desires should be taken into account, but the seller needs to understand the person they've hired to sell their home is the expert in this situation. An agent that simply bows to every desire of the seller may be doing them a disservice.
When a home seller has hired a professional, they should make every effort to not be home when buyers are viewing their home. Home sellers have a way of saying things that kill the possibility that the buyer will write a offer.
Can I add one more thing? When YOU leave, take your DOG with you too!!! Look, I love pooches as much as the next guy, but trust me, leaving Fido in the home with strangers is a recipe for disaster. In my experience, the dog will either jump all over the Realtor and their guests in an effort to meet new people or be totally freaked out at the site of strangers and make everyone uncomfortable. Trust me, no matter how nice you think your do is, there is a huge liability if Fido freak outs and bites someone. Although I love Dogs, I've had clients who were not fond of them and don't want the attention or worry of a bad dog.
Whenever I have shown homes and the seller was still there, my buyer's time in the house dropped dramatically. If someone goes out back, that is better, but still is a bit uncomfortable for buyers. It is all about coaching your sellers and making sure they do all the right things – turn the lights on, open the blinds, turn the AC down or the heat to a comfortable level, leave quite music playing — AND leave.
I had to give you some link love Jay. This is a topic I've covered at length on my own blog and this falls right into the very discussion.
It's so tempting for the seller to 'sell' all the great things about their home and neighborhood. The problem that arises is what one person sees as a positive, another person sees as a negative – the 'wonderful park where all the kids play is just around the corner' or the 'very outgoing and friendly neighbors' are a couple of examples.
When a home seller has hired a professional, they should make every effort to not be home when buyers are viewing their home. Home sellers have a way of saying things that kill the possibility that the buyer will write a offer.
I agree, but here's my issue from a seller's point of view. Many agents make appointments to see a house without bringing in any clients, whether for comparisons to a similar house they are selling, or checking out a place in advance of bringing clients, etc.
My issue is that they don't say they are coming alone, and I still have to treat it as a showing to prospective buyers – clean, turn on all the lights and leave with my dog. Sellers should be notified when it's just an agent coming through, and seller should not be expected leave the house. I've been told that agents will sometimes lie and say they are bringing in clients.
Sellers should be notified when agents are coming through without clients. I welcome any agent to view my home, but I certainly shouldn't need to leave for an agent only viewing. Isn't there some sort of code of conduct that agents should follow? This is my house and I have a right to know if it is agent only visit.