....will last forrrr aaa eee ver....
Please click here to read the entire Nalls's e-newsletter for April
Twice this month I've
had conversations with sellers about why they can't stay in the house
for showings / during home inspections. Both involved sellers work from
home, one in a completely home based business. In circumstances like
that, it really IS a huge imposition for the seller to leave the house,
particularly for the many hours it takes a home inspector to do their
job properly.
But
the answer is still no, sellers need to leave for all showings and
especially for the home inspection. Reasons are a little different,
here's why;
Owners
need to leave during showings other than agent previews. Period. All
showings. Even when it's inconvenient, even if you know the agent or the
buyers, even if you "promise not to talk to them and stay in the den"
(which you won't,) even second showings. Because, in order to really
consider making an offer, a buyer has to experience that Magic Moment
when they are transformed from being a guest in another persons home to
envisioning themselves as hosts and in the quiet of their own lives
inside the same four walls. Buyers need to be able to talk - among
themselves and with guidance from their agent - about the personal
changes they would make, or concerns they have. Almost no polite person
is willing to openly criticize another persons home if there is any
chance they are in earshot. It's even hard to do with the seller
dragging the poor dog up and down the street in front of the house
looking alternatively at his watch and the front door. You've probably
heard it called "placing the furniture" but an experienced agent can
tell you that by then it's already happened. The Magic Moment is as
ephemeral as new love, and while it can rarely be as sudden as love at
first sight, it really needs privacy to develop.
So
why then leave for the home inspection if the Magic Moment has passed
and the buyer is in love? A couple of reasons. The first, and most
obvious, is because home inspections inevitably turn up something, and
it's really important that the buyers feel free to talk about their
fears and concerns right there with the inspector rather than waking up
in the middle of the night in a panic about the potential downstream
ramifications of a dirty air filter. As above, few will do so within
hearing of the seller, either for fear of sounding ignorant or
insulting, but the reality is that most of what the inspector notes is
actually routine and minor - nothing to worry about. Sometimes though,
by the time we hear about it, the inspector's comment has taken on
another life, aided by the second most predictable moment in every
transaction, the dreaded Day of Buyers Remorse, and the buyer's agent is
calling to tell us that she's sending over a release. A good agent
knows how to avoid this, but only if there is good open communication
during the home inspection. Secondly, a similar phenomena to the Magic
Moment seems to manifest during the home inspection whereby small,
maintenance issues - of the type we all let slide from time to time -
seem nefarious and intentional when the seller is home and the buyer is
in "guest" mode, as if the seller is trying to pull a fast one, but "no
big deal, I can take care of that" when it feels like the buyer is
walking through what will be his own home. That alone is worth a few
hours at the park.
The
good news is, now the local market is once again vibrant, the total
number of days a listing stays on the market has decreased, as have the
number of showings it takes to see an offer, so the inconvenience is
minimized.
Happy Spring everyone,
Tom, Barbara, Susan and Emily.
Nalls Home Partners
