CHAPTER 3 Not Living in Your Home our Home Makes It Easier to Sell o Sell
Some real estate professionals profess that it is 10 times easier to sell a house the seller is not currently living in than an owner- occupied home. For instance, buyer-agent showings will likely be increased simply because it is more efficient for real estate agents’ schedules to show unoccupied homes. If they have 20 homes to show and 5 are occupied, they may show the vacant homes first because it’s easier. They do not have to call and make an appointment. They can simply arrange with the seller or seller’s agent to go to the home and access it via the lockbox. This is also more convenient for the homeowner, who is not interrupted at inopportune times and asked to get out so that the agent can show the home. A seller doesn’t have to go to a neighbor’s, go to the store, or lurk about the neighborhood while buyers are looking. Further, the seller isn’t under continual pressure to keep the home in immaculate showing condition and spotless at all times. With small children, this can be almost impossible to do, even if one of the parents does not hold a job outside of the home. Finally, unoccupied homes can more easily be “staged” for sale, which is a huge factor that we will discuss in later chapters.
STATISTICS FOR SELLING VACANT HOMES
Market statistics typically show that owner-occupied homes will 10
Powered by FlippingBook