Access Gets Your House Sold
BY NANCY BIERENGA, REALTOR®, E-PRO, ABR, éLAN REALTY, PAST PRESIDENT, WEST MICHIGAN LAKESHORE ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS
So, you’ve decided to sell your house. One of the things your agent probably asked is that you have a key available that they may use through the time the home is listed – and up until closing.
There are four very important parts to a quality listing. At the top of the list is Access, followed by Condition, Financing, and Price.
We’re going to look at the variety of levels of access you can provide to your agent to be able to show your home. Access is “How will interested buyers get in to see your home?”
Here are five levels of access you can provide to a buyer, each with a brief description.
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, accompanied by their agent.
Providing a Key to the Home. Although the buyer’s agent may need to stop by an office to pick up the key, there is little delay in being able to show the home – at least during business hours. Depending on where the buyers’ agent’s office is, that could be out of their way and could discourage some agents from showing your home.
Open Access with a Phone Call. The seller allows showing with just a phone call’s notice and they either leave the door open or they stay home until the buyer and their agent arrives.
By Appointment Only. Example: 48-hour notice. Many buyers who are relocating for a new job start working in that area prior to purchasing their home. They often like to take advantage of free time during business hours (such as their lunch break) to view potential homes. Because of this, they may not be able to plan their availability far in advance or may be unable to wait 48 hours to see the house.
Limited Access. Example: the home is only available for a couple of hours a day. This is the most difficult way to be able to show your house to potential buyers.
In the Muskegon area most for sale homes are fitted with an electronic lock box provided by the West Michigan Lakeshore Association of Realtors. That allows access only to agents who use their smart phone or an electronic key to access the key inside the box. That box alerts the listing agent what agent has accessed the key and when they are finished viewing the home. It is only accessible during specific hours that are set by the listing agent.
We normally require an appointment for viewings and can specify how many hours notice is required. Occasionally your agent may get a call from a buyer’s agent that asks for a shorter notice if they have a client coming in from out of town or sometimes even that they were looking at a house down the block and were attracted to your home. If you can allow short notice showings, your chances of selling quickly are greatly enhanced.
Don’t mistake the electronic key box provided by the local Association of Realtors with the push button key box you can buy at a hardware store. The board key boxes can only be accessed by someone who is a member of the local (or contiguous) association by using their personal smart phone or electronic box assigned to them. There is no verbal code that allows anyone who watches someone enter a code to access at will.
In a competitive marketplace, access can make or break your ability to get the price you are looking for, or even sell your house at all. Ask your agent what is customary in your market area and trust them to keep your home accessible but secure.
Nancy Bierenga, of élan Realty, is past president of the West Michigan Lakeshore Association of REALTORS®, a member of the National, Michigan, and West Michigan Lakeshore Associations of REALTORS®, and the Greater Muskegon Woman's Club. She is an Accredited Buyer's Representative, a Certified e-Pro REALTOR®, and a Certified Fair Housing REALTOR®. She and husband Robert have lived in Muskegon since 1996. Phone Nancy at (231) 730-0887, email Nancy@HousesByNancy.com, stop by élan Realty's office at 4075 Airline Rd., Muskegon or visit the élan Realty on Facebook here.
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