Showing Your Home

You don't get a second chance to make a good 1st impression! A home that stands out among similarly priced houses is the one that sells. The following suggestions for preparing your home to sell are worth the special attention:

Exterior

• Lawn carefully mowed, edged, fertilized and watered.
• Trees and shrubs trimmed; flower beds edged, weeded and cultivated.
• Driveways and walks free of snow or grass clippings.
• Exterior house paint in good condition and clean, especially the front door.
• All door locks open properly and easily.
• Roof in good condition.
• Screens and screen doors repaired.
• All exterior lighting in working condition, with fresh bulbs.
• Absence of clutter in yard and driveway.

Interior

• Walls clean and unmarked, preferably freshly painted with neutral colors.
• Windows clean inside and out.
• All light fixtures working and fresh bulbs in each.
• Plumbing in good repair.
• eliminate cooking, smoking, pet or other objectionable odors.
• Sinks and tubs stain-free; faucets in good repair.
• Caulking in tubs and showers in good repair.
• All clutter removed from closets, attic, basement, garage and other storage areas.
• Ask your REALTOR what should be boxed up to give your home a more spacious look.

When your home is to be shown, we will always attempt to make an appointment with you, giving you as much advance notice as possible. To help make the best impression during showings, we suggest you:

• Open draperies and curtains.
• Turn on enough lights to brighten every corner, day and night.
• Remove dirty dishes.
• Make beds.
• Rooms dusted, vacuumed and clutter-free.
• Kitchens and baths sparkling clean; no clutter on counter-tops.
• Noise is distracting. Be sure TV and radios are turned off, although soft background music is acceptable.
• It's best to keep pets out of the house. Even the friendliest pets become anxious when strangers appear.
• Put away valuables such as jewelry and cash, or remove completely.
• Never enter into a conversation with a prospect. Let the REALTOR who is showing your home answer any questions the prospective buyers may have. It is best for you to leave while the house is being shown.
• If a prospective buyer comes by unexpectedly without a broker, get their name and phone number. FOR YOUR OWN PROTECTION, DO NOT SHOW THE HOME. Have unescorted buyers call your REALTOR for an appointment.

How Appointments Are Made

Calls for appointments to show your home will come via Centralized Showing service. Their call center will take care of making arrangements for showings for all Realtors from other companies as well as Helen Adams Realty Realtors.

Being on Time for Appointments

It is important to understand that sometimes Realtors cannot be at your home in the time frame that they have requested. Sometimes a buyer is late for the appointment, or they may stay longer at one or more houses throwing the Realtors off schedule. Some people look at houses in five minutes, while some may take 20. We often have no way of knowing this, so this delay can throw schedules off. Your understanding is appreciated.

What To Do While Buyers Are Looking

It is not necessary for you to leave home every time an agent makes an appointment; but when they do arrive, take a walk outside, or if the weather does not permit, go to one corner of the house out of "earshot" so that the buyer feels comfortable in making comments about your home to their agent. Be cautious in talking to the customer - the one thing you may want pointed out about your home may be the one thing the buyer isn't too keen about! Casual remarks that you feel are harmless could possibly cause the prospect to eliminate your home. Remember, though, neither the agent nor the buyer knows your home as well as you do, however salesperson does know the buyer. A note about valuables - put them away, especially small things like jewelry. We have had no problems in this regard, but make it a practice not to invite trouble.

Keeping On Top Of Condition

Just like any other showroom, your home needs to appear in "perfect" condition every day! That's difficult and we understand. But a home remaining unsold on the market may cost more than keeping it tidy in the short term. Condition is one important way in which a seller says, "I care" and that's very important to most buyers.

Setting the stage and mood really does help a house to sell. If you have a dark room or dark halls, leave a light on all the time. Otherwise, just turn some lights on in anticipation of a showing. If it's hot outside, turn on the air conditioning; and if it's cold outside, make sure your home is warm inside. Pleasant aromas like baking cookies or a low key potpourri are good. Other odors like pets, cigarettes and mustiness should be eliminated if at all possible.