Make your home showing a successShowing your home effectively to prospective home buyers is one of the most important aspects of the entire selling process, yet it's amazing how many homeowners don't make the most of this opportunity. A home showing, whether it's a showing appointment or an Open House, is your best opportunity to capture the interest - and hopefully, the emotions - of a prospective buyer. It's your chance to distinguish your home from all the others in your area and price range, and make a connection with your viewers. One of the best ways to make this emotional connection is to help potential buyers visualize the property as their home, not yours. In addition to cleaning the house from top to bottom, so everything is spic and span, you should also start the process of de-cluttering and de-personalizing. By removing the majority of your personal mementos and decorative items from the landscape, you are creating a blank canvass where the buyer can picture setting up their own belongings. Remember, they're looking for a home that most closely suits their own possessions, not how well it showcases yours. This is one of those cases where less is definitely more, so why not start the packing process early? While there are many things that you can do to help make the showing of your property a success, the most important one may surprise you. One of the best ways you can help your salesperson conduct a successful showing is to get out before the potential buyers arrive, and stay out until after they've gone. Surprised? Don't be. Prospective buyers rarely speak their minds when they think the homeowner may still be in earshot. If your viewers don't speak freely about their objections or concerns, that doesn't leave much opportunity for your agent to counter them, offer solutions and point out other compensating factors. Having the homeowners present in the property also tends to make viewers feel less comfortable taking a good look around. They feel as if they are intruding and tend to skip through rooms quickly. Your presence also inhibits the viewers' ability to picture themselves living there; it still seems like someone else's home. This is particularly true if other family members, children and pets are present. Even the best behaved children can distract your prospective buyers from their purpose, and in the case of pets, they can be a downright turnoff to some people. You've chosen a real estate professional for their ability to showcase the best selling points of your home and to counter objections as they arise. Why not give your representative the freedom to do their job to the best of their ability? Whether it's an Open House or a showing appointment, bundle up the kids and the dogs in the car, go out for a walk in the park and an ice cream, and leave the showing to the professional. It could make all the difference in selling your home. ____________________________________________ *The information on this page is provided by Coldwell Banker |