Open Houses and Photo ID

I recently hosted an open house for another agent and she requested that I not admit anyone without signing in and checking photo id.

The issue of requiring photo id has been discussed and is encouraged at my brokerage but it's not something that I've done so far.

I must admit that I was very uncomfortable with the idea because it feels a little heavy handed to me.  I dreaded this open house because of the "ick" factor of this one particular part and normally I LOVE doing open houses!

On the other hand I really do understand the need for it!  If I were the homeowner I know I'd feel more comfortable knowing that my agent was keeping a tight rein on who was going through my home!

Ultimately I'm responsible for the home for the 2 hour open house and if something were to happen then having a sign in sheet with accurate information on it is obviously what the police need to get to the bottom of the situation!

I expected visitors to be unhappy about it and some were, I expected that I wouldn't make any good contacts because we were starting from a place of distrust and I would be trying to make people do something they didn't want to do and I guess that remains to be seen...

My husband said that he wouldn't even bother to look at a house with that requirement just on principle and another visitor said I could check their ID as long as it wasn't recorded....sigh...

Overall it wasn't as bad as I thought and nobody walked away when they saw the sign, as a matter of fact it was probably the busiest open house I've hosted yet.

I'm curious to know what other people think about being required to show photo id and not being admitted without it.  Please take the time to comment, I'd love to hear different perspectives on this!

Until Next Time…

Kelly

Hot Properties!

There's nothing more fun than holding an open house for a property that's well priced, well marketed and well presented! The energy is amazing!

Recently I hosted a double and it was so busy that people were lined up waiting for it to start!

I would say that this property offers a good lesson to homeowners and potential sellers on the value of making smart reno choices, keeping your home well maintained, and once on the market, ruthlessly clean and staged (in this case) just enough that it's easy to show but not difficult to live in.

For these sellers the hard work paid off (and make no mistake, preparing and having your home on the market is hard work)!  After less than a week they received an offer!

Some people believe that receivng an offer so quickly means that your Realtor underpriced your home.  While it's certainly possible, it's more likely that they simply did their job well!  Our job is to give price recommendations that are realistic and to market aggressively in order to get your home seen by as many people as possible! And remember too that it's a partnership and you have to do your share as well; this means make it easy for buyers to see your home, keep it clean etc...If all these things come together then your odds of receiving an offer quickly are greatly increased!

In a future post I'll talk about the importance of that 1st 2 weeks on the market, but that's it for now!

Until Next Time…

Kelly

5 Things I've Learned From Showing Houses

1.  Lock boxes with letter codes should be outlawed....I can't work'em (at least not the 1st time and sometimes not the 10th ~sigh~) and they make me feel like a moron, lol!

2.  MLS photos and descriptions are designed to pique your interest and do not necessarily reflect the home in real life!

3.  #2 leads right into #3 which is preview as much as you can!  It's very difficult to determine things like how the floor plan flows etc., from pictures and you'll save your buyer some time...what looks good "on paper" or on the internet may not be suitable in the least!

4.  The GPS app on my Iphone is not necessarily that reliable!  If you like the scenic route then it's all good but the more direct route...not so much! :(

5. Sellers should really try to put their Buyers' hat on when they're either getting ready to go on the market or while they're there!  If you would get grossed out by a toilet that looks like it's never been cleaned EVER then my potential buyer(s) is probably going to feel the same way!  My hats off to my customer Marie who was a real trooper at one particular home that we looked at together!  The experience makes for a good story but not an offer....it's a shame too because on paper the house had all the right stuff but its condition was a total turn off!

So there you have it! Do you have any stories to share about looking at houses? I'd love to hear them!

Until Next Time…

Kelly