There are a couple of reasons you can't stay at your house during an Open House. You may be surprised at the most important reason.
If you’re having an open house or showing, you’ve got to get out! But why, you may ask, can’t you stick around? After all, you know the property better than anyone.
There are a couple of reasons. The first reason is that people aren’t going to feel as comfortable with the seller sitting there. They’re not going to open the cabinets, they’re not going to sit on the couch, they’re not going to be able to imagine themselves living there, and that’s what you really want.
Watch the video.
The second reason is actually much more important. The buyers and sellers start chatting, and all of a sudden the seller mentions they’ve just retired and they can’t wait to move to Hawaii, or they’ve just closed on a new house. Perhaps they’re a couple of payments behind. Buyers and sellers think of this as small talk. However, a Realtor sees it as ammunition to get their buyers the best price possible, which means writing an offer below the listing price.
It works the same way if you’re a buyer. If you walk through a home you absolutely love, wait until you get into the car to start gushing about it. The other agent doesn’t need to know how much you love it.
In fact, there’s a story about a family in Florida who put an offer in on a house they absolutely loved. They went on Facebook and started talking about how great it is, what kind of offer they put in, and what they were actually willing to spend. Well, the sellers found them on Facebook, they saw that post, and they countered at that price. That one post cost the buyers thousands of dollars.
What should you do if you’re selling your home and the buyer starts chatting? Say you have to walk the dog, you’re late for an appointment--anything to get out of the house. Your agent can answer those questions. Oh, and please … stay off Facebook!
