“Today, the market’s changing, and buyers can usually be more selective and take more time to explore their options.”
Once you’ve made the decision to sell your house and have hired a real estate agent to help, they’ll ask how much access to your home you want to give potential buyers. Your answer matters more now than it did in recent years. Here’s why.
At the height of the buying frenzy seen during the pandemic, there was a rise in the number of homebuyers who put offers on houses 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
Today, the market’s changing, and buyers can usually be more selective and take more time to explore their options.
So, 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. They’re ordered from most convenient for a buyer to least convenient. Remember, your agent 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 to your house when you sell.
Bottom Line
You Need More Than a Guide. You Need a Sherpa.
Hiring an agent who has a finger on the pulse of the market will make your buying or selling experience an educated one.
Homeownership is the Top Contributor to Your Net Worth
There are financial and non-financial benefits to owning a home. Let’s talk about how we can help you become a homeowner.
What FICO® Score Do You Need to Qualify for a Mortgage?
If you’d like to understand the next steps to take when determining your credit score, let’s get together so you can learn more.
62% of Buyers Are Wrong About Down Payment Needs
Don’t let a lack of understanding keep you and your family out of the housing market. Let’s get together to discuss your options today.
5 Homebuying Acronyms You Need to Know
“Learning the lingo of homebuying is an important part of feeling successful when buying a home.”
3 Signs the Housing Market Is on the Rebound
Existing home sales, buyer traffic and pending home sales are all good signs that the real estate market is rebounding!