At the outset, it seems as though it might be a good idea, when selling your Berkeley home, to be present during the day of the Open House. You might feel that you would prefer to be there because no one can really "know" the property the way that you do, especially if you have lived in the home for a long time. However, the majority of real estate agents will disagree, and this disagreement is brought on by years of past experience.
The first reason uses the concept that "Time is Money". Buying a home is a huge investment for anyone. Buyers need to look inside and out of every bedroom, closet and washroom. They need to evaluate the kitchen and the back yard to determine if the home will meet their future needs. This takes time. It especially takes time if they are interested, and want to go slowly and carefully through each area. Sellers want to show them everything, pulling them here, pointing them there, and usually doing so with a disjointed narrative that is irritating and distracting. The result is that important things get missed, overlooked, or forgotten by the end of the tour. It is important to let the buyers have lots of time on their own to talk, and to consider the home and the Berkeley neighborhood.
The second reason is to avoid hurt feelings and misunderstandings. Anyone who has looked at a potential house has found things that might plainly be called strange, uncommon, or often, just plain ugly!  Many times, potential buyers will comment about these things out loud when they move from room to room. It is a fact that sellers create their home to reflect their personal taste. Any negative comments that might come from the potential buyers can often damage future negotiations and concessions,should the sellers feel demeaned or insulted. A potential sale could be compromised, so it is best to avoid this kind of situation entirely.
Lastly, and the thing that could cause the most concern, are the legal implications arising out of something that was said about the property that is not quite true or accurate. In an attempt to promote the home or the sale, the sellers may say that certain rooms or additions were built up to code, when they were not. They might remember details of repair work that don't quite match the actual situation. They might make verbal promises which cannot be kept, or change statements made by the agent before the future buyers arrived at the house.Â
In the long run, it is best to leave the showing to the agents who have the necessary experience to do the job in a professional, businesslike manner.
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Posted by Bruce Wagg on
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