Sell That House: Accessibility

SELL THAT HOUSE: ACCESSIBILITY

There are some things which we buy, sight unseen. Some things we buy over the internet and some things we buy over the phone. This is not the case with a house.

It is true that most houses today are advertised on the internet with photos and virtual tours and in some cases they are displayed along with a narrator's description. Still, it is rare where someone will buy a house without personally seeing it. This indicates the importance of accessibility. Let's look at an example:

• An out of town buyer is going to be relocating to the area and only has a few weekends to look at houses. The buyer gets financially pre-approved ahead of time, talks with his new employer about neighborhoods that may be suitable, and establishes a relationship with a real estate agent to find some potential houses. Much of their communication will be by phone and email. In some cases, the real estate agent will preview a house during the week and relay the findings to the client. Eventually the buyer will decide which houses he would like to see in person. His agent makes the arrangements for the weekend when he will be coming to town. He may have Saturday and Sunday available or just one day. Your house is on the list. Here are some typical reasons for the house not being available to show:
  • We sleep in on the weekend so we can not show the house until the afternoon;
  • We go to church on Sunday, so it would be best to come on Saturday;
  • This is our only time with the children so we would like you to come during the week;
  • The house is not clean. I am too embarrassed to show it;
  • Joey has soccer and Suzy has gymnastics and Freddie has karate so could you come between 1:00 and 1:15.
  • We are having a birthday party so could you come next week;
  • The home will be empty but no one will be there to watch the pit bulls;

The Buyer tells his agent to forget about that house. Remember he only has a limited amount of time to see the houses. Your house may be the best of those that he wishes to see, but if he does not see it then he will not buy it. Your routine schedule may be perfectly normal, but in a very competitive market, if you truly want to sell your house, you must recognize that your routine will need to change. Consider what happens when you go on a summer vacation for a week. Your schedule completely changes; you make the adjustments for this once a year event. Selling a house occurs maybe every five years; adjustments must be made to accommodate the efforts needed to sell your house.

Contact Ron Trzcinski at 410-935-5844 for more information.