Within reason, don’t restrict the time when your home may be seen by potential buyers. Homes that don’t get shown won’t be sold. Here’s why…
Recently, while searching for homes for a client, I came across a listing that had MAJOR showing restrictions. The home could only be shown Monday through Friday during normal business hours. No evening or weekend showings could be scheduled. That could present a problem for potential buyers.
For most home buyers, evenings and weekends are the ideal times to view homes. They are employed and are working during normal business hours. Depending on the distance between their workplace and the home to be viewed, the lunch hour may not be a good option. A home buyer may not be in the position to schedule time off to see a home. He/she does not want to jeopardize his/her employment. If he/she loses his/her job, the home cannot be purchased.
Also, here in the Midlands, we are in a seller’s market. This means we have more buyers than homes on the market. A home that’s put on the market at 9 AM could possibly have an offer by 8 PM. It’s possible that a home will receive multiple offers. If a buyer is unable to see a home rather quickly, he/she will cross it off of his/her list. The home won’t be shown.
As in the example mentioned above, it’s understandable that the sellers don’t want to be disturbed after a long day at work. They have to prepare dinner. It’s possible they have to help children with homework. However, when the time to show the home is restricted, the number of buyers interested in the home is lowered. Also, the end result could be a longer time on the market and a significantly lower sale price.
