Don't Play with the Toys at Open Houses
I was showing homes in an upscale Waterloo, Ontario neighbourhood recently; upon opening the front door, we were greeted with this sign (right).
Turns out that this particular house was on the market for more than a month. Coincidence? I think not!
I posted this photo on the CENTURY 21 Canada's community on Yammer, and that opened up a broad discussion of "toys" that shouldn't be played with, culled from years of experience by my fellow realtors showing homes.
For example, a story was shared about a client who had a very expensive stereo system and during a showing, a real estate sales representative placed a hand lightly on the speaker. He got a call about an hour later from the homeowner, wild that someone had touched his high-end electronic toy. (Obviously he didn't have kids!)
Another realtor colleague told me that during an Open House, a young child of prospective buyers walked out of the master bedroom with a "toy" that was on the nightstand.
Lesson Learned: When you're trying to sell your home, tuck away all your valuables and "sensitive" items if you are really concerned about security and privacy.
Posted by Jeff Gingerich
on July 20, 2009