On our last post we touched on why it's important for homeowners to be absent during showings.
Buyers are uncomfortable when the sellers are present. They feel awkward expressing their dislikes. They're being judgmental and they know it, and don't
want to be judged on their judging.
"Nice" people won't want to hurt your feelings. They are likely to say complimentary things about your home to your face, even if it's not a good fit for them.
The buyers also need time to take in your house, from their perspective. You may feel bound to point out all the wonderful features of your home, but they may not even be important to the buyers. Besides, your agent mentioned all the good points in the listing - which likely resulted in the showing, - and it's the buyers' agent job to point out the merits of your home.
We recently showed a house where the seller was present. Our clients are "nice" people, so of course they made small talk with the seller, and were careful not to say anything negative in his presence. They were very complimentary about the grounds and the location, so the seller may have thought they were interested. Once we left the property, the husband said ‘there wasn't one thing I liked about the inside of that house." The seller also shared details of his relocation, so our clients got the impression he didn't need his asking price. If they had been interested they would have offered less.
Having the homeowner present makes the buyers uncomfortable. Even though it's hard to predict buyers' psychology, you can usually count on that if someone is uncomfortable, their reaction won't be favorable.
We know showings can seem inconvenient, but it's a necessary step to get your home sold. Our goal is to get you to your new home as quickly as possible!
Ken and Sandy Wickham, the authors of this article, are REALTORS® with RE/MAX Real Estate Group in Colorado Springs, CO, and they welcome your real estate inquiries. To contact them, visit their website.
