Worried About the Number of Strangers Coming To Your House Viewing?

How can you set up a good house viewing without all the discomfort it brings?

 

You’ve prepared everything to get your house sold. The real estate agent has already found the price of the property, and now you’re waiting for potential buyers to see your listing and buy your house. Simple, right? In theory, yes. However, soon enough, you might find multiple strangers coming in and out of your property for showings. One to three visits may seem fair to you, but having to deal with dozens of visits may sound unsettling.

 

How Are House Viewings Unnerving?

 So, why would one feel uncomfortable with this idea of these unknown people viewing their houses even if we know they’ve set them up for sale? Before you roll your eyes, let it be known that we understand that there are obvious answers, but for the sake of other people who might not realize these things, here are some of the risks of opening up your house for viewing.

 

Thieves. From kleptomaniacs (people who are clinically unable to resist stealing) to serious full-blown house robberies, opening your house to the public puts it at risk of these dangers.

 

Safety. Following the first point, theft is not only the crime we have to be aware of. There’s a reason why our parents told us not to talk to strangers. We wouldn’t really know what these people’s intentions are.

 

Time. On a lighter note, believe it or not, some “buyers” request to visit houses that they don’t really intend to buy. For some reason, they just enjoy looking at other people’s homes. They won’t have any bad intentions, other than to waste your precious time.

 

Damage. Exposure to more visitors could mean a higher chance of something breaking. If the visitors have kids on the “wild” side, they might cause a ruckus that leads to expensive damage. Careless visitors can also get into accidents that break décor, kitchenware, or furniture. No one wants to pay for that.

 

Even if that might have given you a bit of a scare, we don’t think that’s supposed to scare you off from selling your home. Everything comes with a risk, right? Don’t worry, not everyone who comes into your house is an evil person. Otherwise, no one would be selling like this! However, there are ways to minimize the risk so that you won’t have to stress out so much about them during the selling process.

 

Less Exposure Means Less Risk

To avoid having a bothering amount of people coming in and out of your home, try your best to have the first or at least the first few sets of visitors fall in love with your home so that they buy it already. This means that you’d do everything to make the house look good to give a warm and welcoming experience.

 

For starters, be ready for when the agent brings the guests in. Greet them. Offer them some coffee! If they’re the chatty type, strike up a conversation with them. For safety reasons, do be careful of not oversharing personal information. But overall, establishing a friendly relationship with your visitors would improve your chances.

 

Keep in mind that a clean home gives a good impression. Have the lawn mown, clear the dishes in the sink, and freshen up your toilets! Whatever it takes to make the house be at its best, do it. This is why it’s advisable to do repairs on certain areas around the home as well. Additionally, if the viewing is happening during winter, keep the place warm, and if it’s in the summer season, then try to maintain a cold temperature throughout the house.

 

You might want to keep your pets at bay, too. An encounter with a naughty dog might leave the guest associating your house with a bad memory. It should be obvious, but we also want to emphasize the importance of cleaning up after your pets’ “business” as well!

 

If you’ve done your best to do these things, then you’d have a better chance of selling the house much faster than usual. But we still can’t get rid of the fear that some of these visitors may not have our best intentions in mind. How do we create a safe house viewing?

 

Safe House Showing for Sellers

Before the viewing, do your preparations. Consider investing in surveillance systems. Not only does this act as a counter-measure against unwanted guests, but it also adds security to your home against other criminals in general. Store your valuables in a place where the guests won’t see. Other than expensive jewelry and devices, you may want to consider your mail, noitices, and bills as “valuables” as well. We don’t want strangers to get unnecessary information. Out of sight, out of mind.

 

Unless you truly trust your Realtor to do the job for you (and assuming that they’ve done their research on the buyer), be present during the showing. Walk behind the visitors if you can so you could see if they’re really looking at the house rather than the things in the building (unless if you intend to sell it fully-furnished). Go through the entire house together, not permitting your guests to go into other rooms without your presence. Speaking of rules, you might want to hold your house viewings in the morning hours and limit the number of guests to however much you’re comfortable with.

 

Let the Professionals Handle It

As mentioned earlier, it may prove beneficial to deal with real estate agents, investors, or Realtors that know what they’re doing. Because of their vast experience, it’s easy for them to find qualified buyers that are likely to purchase your home and not display any suspicious behaviors. Conducting due diligence and background checks are almost second nature to them! With the right people, you won’t even have to worry about half of the things mentioned in this article.

 

If you’re at a loss of where to go, Shorefront Investments can do the heavy lifting for you. We’re real estate investors that have been in the industry for years! Either we purchase the property from you, or find someone who wants to buy it from you. With us, there’d be no unnecessary numerous home visits from unwanted guests, as we only need a few viewings before we complete the deal!

 

It’s pretty easy to reach out to us. Call or send us a message through one of our links here, and we’ll be right there with you!