I had an appointment to show a home in Bothell, WA this evening. I arrived early at the house to turn on lights and make sure everything was in order. There was a note on the front door requesting that we use the back door. I collected the keys from the lock box and proceeded to the back of the house. The key opened the dead bolt but the door knob was locked.

The only way into the house was breaking and entering. This, however, was not an option because it’s against the law for agents too. I had no choice but to re-schedule the appointment with my first-time home buyers. Understandably they were disappointed.

I’m sure you remember what it was like when you purchased your first home. You were probably a little unsure and anxious, and every little mishap caused you to second guess your decision. This is why it’s so important to make sure things go as smoothly as possible for potential buyers and their agents.

If you’re a seller, I recommend that you make access to your home easy and inviting. One house I showed in Snohomish, WA a couple of months ago had a plate of cookies on the table for my buyers. That kind of neighborliness was refreshing and helped my buyers to feel welcome. They stayed a little longer than usual.

Try not to require agents to jump through a lot of hoops to show your house. ‘By Appointment Only’ homes are very difficult to arrange when there are several schedules to juggle. Typically an agent will show several homes at a time, and it is a real temptation to avoid all the homes that make that requirement.

I’m grateful for all the sellers that do what they can to remove all the obstacles that would cause a buyer to second guess their decision to consider a home.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 at 10:46 pm and is filed under Real Estate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.