Alright, you have made the big decision to sell your house (congrats!) and you have a real estate agent in your corner. One of the most important questions that they will ask you is how much access to your home you want potential buyers to have. This can seem like a minor detail, but it can be essential to selling your house. Why?
At the height of the buying frenzy during the pandemic, there was a rise in the number of homebuyers who put offers on houses sight unseen. Yes, you read that right. Sight unseen. That happened for three reasons:
- Extremely low housing inventory
- A lot of competition from other buyers wanting to take advantage of historically low mortgage rates
- And general wariness of in-person home tours during a pandemic
However, the market’s changing, and buyers are able to be more selective and take more time to explore their options.
Back to the question of access. In order to show your house and sell it efficiently, you’ll want to provide buyers with as much access as you can. Before letting your agent know what works for you, consider these five levels of access you can provide (yes, this is more than a yes or no situation). They’re ordered from most convenient for a buyer to least convenient. Remember, your agent (aka your bestie for 3+ months while we work on your sell) will be better able to sell your house if you provide as much access to buyers as possible.
- Lockbox on the Door – This allows buyers the ability to see the home as soon as they are aware of the listing or at their convenience. So easy.
- Providing a Key to the Home – This would require an agent to stop by an office to pick up the key, which is still pretty convenient for a buyer. Slightly less easy, but still good.
- Open Access with a Phone Call – This means you allow a showing with just a phone call’s notice.
- By Appointment Only – For example, you might want your agent to set up a showing at a particular time and give you advance notice. That way you can prepare the house and be sure you have somewhere else you can go in the meantime. A great option if you are still in the home and have pets or kids.
- Limited Access – This might mean you’re only willing to have your house available on certain days or at certain times of day. In general, this is the most difficult and least flexible way to show your house to potential buyers.
As today’s housing market changes, be sure to work with your local agent to give buyers as much access as you can when selling your house.
Bottom Line
Let’s be honest, convenience is key and access can have a big impact on the sale of your house. Let’s connect today if you’re ready to make a move this spring.
Anytime between “now” and “right now” is a good time to take action on shaping your best life, and that includes where you live. Let’s get the ball rolling on your next steps.
(702) 374-6807. Or drop me a line here.
