When buyers walk through a home, they need to imagine themselves living there, feet on the coffee table, singing off-key in the shower, arguing with their kids about who left the milk out. That fantasy collapses instantly when the seller is standing in the corner like a well-meaning, but slightly judgemental, houseplant.

Staying home during a showing is basically the real-estate equivalent of a back seat driver asking repeatedly… “are we there yet?” Buyers get nervous. They rush. They whisper. They forget to notice the good stuff because they’re too busy trying not to make eye contact with you while you pretend to fold the same towel for the sixth time.

Or the opposite: you strike up a friendly conversation. You start exchanging pictures of the kids and the dog, pointing out all the things you love about your home, and you think you are doing an excellent job of endearing yourself with these buyers. Then suddenly, they are leaving because they are late for their next appointment.

After they leave, you call your Realtor® proclaiming “THIS IS THE ONE, THEY TOLD ME HOW MUCH THEY LOVED MY HOUSE, I’m sure we will be getting an offer soon.” Only to be shocked and saddened when you receive feedback from their agent that is lukewarm at best. The unfortunate truth is, they didn’t love your house, they simply felt compelled to compliment you and your home because telling you the kitchen was too small, or that they didn’t like the built-in bookshelves you kept bragging about would have been so AWKWARD.

But when sellers leave, the magic starts to happen. Buyers slow down. They picture their furniture in your home. They sit on your couch and talk openly about what they like and don’t like. What they would keep and what they would change. They bond with the home, not the homeowner, and instead of tiptoeing around like they’re in a garden full of land mines, they relax and imagine themselves living in the house.

So yes, leaving for showings is inconvenient, but it’s one of the easiest, most powerful ways to help your home sell faster and for more money. Think of it as giving buyers the space to fall in love, without feeling like Big Brother is watching.

And yes, we know it is annoying when agents and their buyers are 10 minutes early or 45 minutes late. These inconsistencies can wreak havoc with your schedule. In our defense, it is extremely hard to predict the exact time we will arrive at a home when showing multiple properties to a client. A tip we give all our sellers is to get ready for every appointment, including pet arrangements, move your car to the end of the driveway so that it can’t be blocked in, and then go about your daily routine until the buyers arrive. Meet them at the door, a quick hello and goodbye and then jump in your car and drive around the block a couple of times. It will save you a lot of frustration.

As always thank you for taking the time to read our articles. If you have real estate questions, please give us a call at 817-219-0456, or visit us online at www.WeSellGranbury.com. We would love to hear from you.