Holy cow, you’ve finally chosen a real estate agent, signed the contract, have a sign in the yard, Now What?

I said this in my previous post, but it will help you to walk through other listings to see what you’re up against. You’ll see your home in a whole new light once you’ve spent some time in someone else’s.

Granted, your agent has told you to clean, declutter, depersonalize, etc. But, there’s always that extra step that so many of us would miss, but that’s because you’re sellers that haven’t walked through 40 homes.

Now that you feel your home is perfect, keeping it that way while you’re living in it can be quite a task. I highly recommend investing in some Swiffer wet cloths and some Clorox wipes—-both things can come in very handy if you have to run out the door to allow a showing. Sure you can ask for extra notice before showings are scheduled, but you will be turning away a certain portion of your potential buyers. My advice is to allow your home to be shown as much as possible. If it’s an absolute mess one day and a showing is scheduled, call your agent and ask them to call the agent showing it to pre-warn them.

Pets? Ugh, please don’t make the real estate agents showing your property babysit them. If we have to remember the name of your dog, not to let the cat outside, etc—-we can easily become distracted from your home’s best features while we’re running around trying to corral your pet.

Now don’t despair, your home probably won’t be shown every day. Depending on the market, showings could be very slow. This isn’t the fault of your real estate agent. If they’ve done their job, good pics, good listing info, loaded to the web, priced correctly, etc—-your house is being properly marketed. Your agent cannot invent buyers, nor would you want someone to lie to you. Be patient, the right buyer will come along. Selling a home takes time and effort. Your agent wants your home to sell as much as you do.

When your home is shown, your agent will try to get feedback from the other agent’s buyers. We have to rely on the cooperation of the other agent on this matter. Sometimes the buyer’s agent is so busy showing 40 properties, that it could take a couple of days for feedback. If you do receive feedback, PLEASE LISTEN TO IT. If the buyers said something about a huge change they think you need to make, discuss this with your agent. They will give you a good opinion on whether or not it’s necessary.

I know this is a very stressful time. Try to relax, be patient and do everything IN YOUR POWER to help get your home under contract.