e ffi cient 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 fir st — or only — because it’s just easier. Th ey don’t have to call and make an appointment. Th ey can arrange with the seller or seller’s agent to go to the home and access it via the lockbox. Also, a homeowner isn’t interrupted at inopportune times to show the home. A seller doesn’t have to go to a neighbor’s, to the store, or lurk about the house while buyers are looking. Further, the seller isn’t under continual pressure to keep the home in immaculate showing condition and constantly spotless. With small children, this can be almost impossible. Th e home can be adequately staged, and set, for sale. Th ere’s also a psychological bene fi t of moving out of your home while it’s on the market. It signals a motivated (but not desperate) seller to potential buyers. An occupied home, particularly one that looks well-lived in, won’t give the message that the seller is ready to negotiate and sell. If you’re planning on putting your home on the market, it can be an advantage to do so a ft er you’ve moved into a new place. Th is way, prospective buyers can tell that you’re ready to sell and follow through with the deal. SELLING YOUR VACANT HOME Selling a vacant house requires taking that extra bit of care to ensure all details are perfect in order to guarantee every chance of getting that sale, and to encourage the buyer that there’s no reason to be hesitant about considering your property. An advantage of selling an empty house is that it allows the potential buyer’s imagination to run wild during the home 96
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