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What to Expect During the Showing

You’ve decided to sell, put your home on the market and anxiously waited for an interested buyer. And now you have one. But without a real estate agent, how do you properly hold a showing or open house without seeming overly biased toward your home? It all comes down to being honest, open-minded and flexible.

Coordinating the tour

Without the help of a real estate agent to handle all scheduling aspects of an open house or showing, it can be difficult knowing where to start and what type of timetable to expect. If anything, though, an FSBO tour has its benefits. Instead of having a realtor call you at the last minute to inform you of a surprise showing, you’re the one scheduling potential buyers to view your property.

But, it’s important to keep a flexible schedule with those interested in your home. When communicating with the buyer, ask for three days/times that work best for them and try to rearrange your schedule accordingly, if possible. Accommodating a potential buyer at this stage can go a long way if he or she is ultimately the one who opts to purchase your property. For a standard open house, consider having it on a weekend afternoon, when the highest volume of traffic will be past your house.

Act like a realtor during the showing

If you have an emotional attachment to your home, it may be tough trying to give an interested buyer an impartial tour without trying to talk the property up too much. But if you try to set your feelings aside and approach the sale from strictly a business angle, similar to that of a real estate agent, you can give a better showing that might help persuade a potential buyer in your favor.

Upon initially introducing yourself to the interested party, ask what characteristics are most important to them in a home. And then, during the showing, if your home has any of these features, be sure to highlight them and suggest that certain rooms or areas can be transformed to fit their family’s needs so they can more easily imagine themselves one day living in your home.

In addition, if a potential buyer wants to thoroughly vet the structure by examining door alignments or foundation walls, let them do so. Prohibiting this might make it seem like you have something to hide. Lastly, be cooperative and open to the fact that most buyers – regardless of how interested they seem – won’t move forward until a formal home inspection that checks for carbon dioxide, asbestos and radon has been done.

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