<small>© 2023 Susan Pruden. All rights reserved. Each CENTURY 21 office is independently owned and operated. Listings provided by Bright MLS from various brokers who participate in IDX (Internet Data Exchange).
<small>© 2023 Susan Pruden. All rights reserved. Each CENTURY 21 office is independently owned and operated. Listings provided by Bright MLS from various brokers who participate in IDX (Internet Data Exchange).

Telling Sellers the Showing Truth

by Susan Pruden
June 6, 2006 A couple of days ago, I mentioned a refrigerator that broke after the house went on the market. It made me think of all the other things that we agents seldom mention to new sellers.

  • Agents showing your house will leave lights on. It's not intentional. It may be inconsiderate, but you might as well get over it. It will happen anyway.

  • Same with interior doors and curtains. They'll be left differently than you had them. Buyers and agents are intent on looking at the house to see if it meets their needs - not at putting everything back the way you left it.

  • No matter how much notice you want before showing, agents will call saying that they are on your doorstep and can they show the house right away. The problem is, buyers give us criteria - maybe they want a 3 bedroom 2 bath house and yours only has one bath. The buyer may have even been adamant - no houses with only one bath. But then they drive past your house on the way to another appointment and suddenly they REALLY want to see yours.

  • If you're home when agents are showing your house, don't expect the agent and buyers to be friendly. They are focused on the house and they're also trying hard NOT to give away their impressions. When I represent buyers, I tell them to save their comments for later. This is one reason we tell sellers to leave when there are showings - it's just plain discouraging to be home while strangers poke around!

  • And something - a refrigerator, dishwasher, furnace - something will stop working. It will be right after an agent and buyer have toured your house and you will be convinced that they did something to break it. Chances are, they didn't. Sometimes things just happen.

  • Some people are just going to be rude. It may be the agent or it may be the buyers. Chalk it up to bad manners and let it go.

  • Your home - the place where you may have raised your children, where the family enjoyed cookouts, birthday parties and anniversaries - is now a commodity. You're moving anyway, so it's time to detach yourself and start looking forward to your new home.


As a wise real estate agent once said, "The way you live in your house and the way you sell it are two different things."

© 2006 Susan Pruden

A lifetime Maryland resident, Susan Pruden has the ideal foundation for selling and buying homes. After 8 years working in just about every facet of the mortgage industry, and several years with her own company specializing in marketing for real estate agents, Susan got her real estate license in 1994. Susan has earned several industry awards. The CENTURY 21 Quality Service Pinnacle Award is based on reviews from Susan's clients and is earned by a very small percentage of agents. She has earned that coveted recognition since 2012

Two others were awarded by the Prince George's Association of REALTORS®. The Distinguished Sales Associate of the Year Award is based on a mixture of community involvement, association involvement and real estate education and designations. The other, the Distinguished Service Award, is for "exceptional meritorious service."

Susan is involved in her local community. She was named Cheverly Volunteer of the Year in 2018, even having June 25th designated "Susan Pruden Day" in the Town of Cheverly. She is also a Commissioner on the Prince George's County Historic Preservation Commission and President of the Cheverly American Legion Auxiliary.

Susan Pruden has lived in Cheverly lived with her husband, Joseph, for almost 30 years.

Susan Pruden, REALTORĀ®
CENTURY 21 New Millennium
1000 Pennsylvania Ave SE
Washington, DC 20003
Direct:
<small>© 2023 Susan Pruden. All rights reserved. Each CENTURY 21 office is independently owned and operated. Listings provided by Bright MLS from various brokers who participate in IDX (Internet Data Exchange).
© 2023 Susan Pruden. All rights reserved. Each CENTURY 21 office is independently owned and operated. Listings provided by Bright MLS from various brokers who participate in IDX (Internet Data Exchange).
 
Powered by ListingsToGo™