ArticlesREAL ESTATE ADVICE

Should I be present during showings at my home?

Imagine you went to the boutique to get a shirt and you decided to go into the changing room to try it on to see if it fits you; now imagine a salesperson walked into the room while you are changing and refuses to leave. How does that make you feel? You are feeling uncomfortable, vulnerable or irritated at the salesperson behaviour and you want to be left alone in the changing room, right? It’s the same thing with potential home buyers.  They need to be in the right mood to consider buying your house. Sellers should not be in the house for any reason during home selling inspection. There are various reasons why buyers should be unavailable during the inspection:

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Privacy

Buyers and agents want privacy for themselves during the inspection so they can talk freely.Agents like to discuss amenities, house, pricing issues and they won’t do it if the seller is close by. If the buyer’s agent doesn’t feel free to discuss your home openly, they won’t share any information with your agent, which is one of the reasons your agent invited other agents to inspect your house. It will also force potential buyers to try to be polite and to say only nice things about the home, rather than bring up concerns which, if resolved immediately, might return a good impression to the buyer.

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On the flip side, if a seller should hear what might be perceived as a negative comment from the buyer, the seller might form an instant dislike of the buyer which in turn will affect the relationship between both parties. As a buyer, you need to trust your agent to do his job which is selling your house.All you have to do as the buyer is to explain to your agent about the defect and special features of your house.

Bias information

Honesty is a good virtue to have but don’t forget that this is a sales process and that less is usually more. Imagine a potential buyer asks the seller about the neighbours. “Oh, we love our neighbours!” the seller answers. “They drop by our house all the time and we do the same. They have children also. While some people might like this idea, others who value their privacy will be turned off. I will recommend you leave the talking to your agent because he or she is not biased unlike you plus they are well experienced to know which information to share with the buyer that would not scare them away. Remember, less is more.

Unnecessary conflict

A seller might be upset from questions or comments that buyers ask during the inspection. This could lead to a conflict that starts off on a negative note. In a bid to avoid unnecessary conflict, it is advisable for the house owner to be unavailable during the inspection.

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Vision

When a potential buyer comes for inspection, he is trying to see if your house aligns with the vision of his potential house which is difficult to envisage with the current owner been present during the inspection. The seller who thinks that he or she has no effect, and no influence on the outcome of the inspection if he/she is present, is being just as uninformed as the person who thinks the refuse bin in a house won’t decrease the perceived value.

The reality is,  just as buyers don’t want to see refuse bin and any of your personal items, they also don’t want to see you at the house during the inspection. Let your agent do his job! Kindly share your experience during house inspection below with other ToLet readers

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