Selling Your Las Vegas Home: Showing Instructions
Showing instructions are a critical part of getting your Las Vegas home sold fast! Accessibility will make or break how many people “walk through” to visually inspect and write an offer on your
home: the more bodies you get through that door, the higher the odds are for a good offer!
This component is just as critical as pricing your home to getting it sold!
The best types of occupancy to have (in order) are:
- Vacant
- Owner Occupied
- Tenant Occupied
We currently have 43% of homes on the market (3/26/2013) as vacant. A vacant home is very easy to show a majority of the time. It is usually on a lockbox and “keyany” which means an agent can access it any time during normal business hours. This means if your house is too difficult to access – even with super low inventory – it is too easy for a customer to say “NEXT” and not want to jump through too many hoops!
We live in a 24/7/365 town. This means we have a lot of “day” sleepers than your normal town. You may also have pets or children to consider when thinking about how your home will be shown. A lot of inconvenience with showings at the beginning & pricing it right at the beginningwill get your home sold quicker which will bring you back to a normal lifestyle sooner rather than later!
Here are the routes you can go to show your home – again in order of importance:
- Lockbox
- Appointment with Owner
- Appointment with List Agent
- No Show
If I were a consumer selling my Las Vegas home, I would INSIST on an electronic (Supra – board issued) lockbox over a mechanical lockbox. Electronic lockboxes are more secure. There are time constraints when agents can access the key and only agents belonging to GLVAR can use them. Mechanical lockboxes can be accessed at any time by anyone who may have the code.
Keyany & Keycall: Next you will have to think of showing instructions if the property is occupied and keep in mind that 43% of your competition is vacant and easy to show! Occupied properties cannot be “keyany” but they can be “keycall” which means “call either agent or occupant and show!”
Appointment with Owner or Tenant: If you have pets, a day sleeper, special needs or children, you would probably want to go with “appointment with occupant” where they will make arrangements with you to view the property. This may or may not be used in conjunction with a lockbox. You may be present (not advised) or make arrangements to leave. Potential buyers will feel more comfortable looking at your home when it it is not occupied and chaotic.
Appointment with Listing Agent: this one is difficult since the valley is expansive. If your list agent isn’t nearby and available at ALL times, you will be at the mercy of too many schedules.
No Show: this one is a popular one with tenant occupied properties but you will probably not get much interest unless it is priced accordingly (lower than market value!) It means that the buyer needs to write their offer subject to interior inspection.
Tenants are very difficult to deal with when selling your Las Vegas Home. They have to agree to a lockbox and showing instructions. Many times they are dramatic and that is understandable. Remember – they probably don’t want to move so they will do anything in their power (and they have plenty of power when it comes to showings) to upset your sale. The best strategies to deal with tenants is either to give a reduction in rent, make the property a “no show” or, if their lease is up, have them move out.
It is a very good idea to consult with your agent when the time comes to make this decision so you can put together a winning showing strategy for your lifestyle needs!
