Mav Realty

HI, There are many things that I discuss with clients who are preparing to sell their home. There are the obvious items, like the home itself, and values in the area. But there is so much more. I have seen some training programs that promote being in and out of a listing appointment in less than 40 minutes. Honestly, I can’t stand that. I don’t want to spend all day, and I don’t think my clients would either, but trying to get in and out quickly is doing a disservice to my clients. That is the attitude of getting business and sacrificing service. So, I will be doing a few blogs on some of the things I discuss during a listing appointment. One of the most important things to me is safety. It is an unfortunately reality today that there are people always looking to take advantage of someone in nefarious ways. When a sign goes up in your front yard to help advertise that your home is for sale, the goal is to attract potential buyers. But it can also attract someone up to no good. This really shouldn’t be an issue if you take the proper precautions. It is entirely possible that someone will just come up to your front door and ask if they can look at the house. The problem is that you don’t know if they are seriously interested, or if they are even qualified to buy a home, let alone your home. I always instruct my clients not to let anyone in, in those circumstances. The homeowner should simply say that is not a good time and that the person should contact the agent (me) to schedule a showing. If the person is truly interested, they will make the effort to do so. I can then make sure they are a serious buyer and qualified to purchase. It comes down to a simple decision, is the desire to sell the home greater than your personal safety. The answer should always be no. Remember, a serious buyer will do as you ask. The looky-loo won’t and it isn’t worth the risk to let them in thinking the might be serious. I actually have an example of this. Fortunately my client listened to my advice. I had an elderly couple as clients and the gentleman was in the front yard doing yard work. A man pulled up in an older model car got out and asked to see the home. My client didn’t feel comfortable and advised the man to contact me to set an appointment. The man then said his boy was in the car and really had to go to the bathroom, could they please go in and do so. My client stood his ground and said no. There were a couple events within a couple miles of this property in the previous weeks where a man gained entry this way, beat up the resident and stole items. My advise may have saved the client from the same fate. Just don’t forget, you won’t scare off a serious buyer if you ask them to schedule an appointment. I hope this is a help to you. Adam Tarr PC Citywide Real Estate 480-236-7374 adam@WeAreAZRealEstate.com