Showings and Open Houses
Fact sheets
This overview will mention three types of fact sheets, OUTSIDE, INSIDE, and Mortgage rate sheets. It is your decision, obviously whether you will use one or more in the sale of your house.
OUTSIDE
This sheet lives in a small box or tube on or near the FOR SALE sign. Variations on this concept are the QR code on the sign and the website that can be accessed by smart phone. All simply deliver facts about your house to a stranger. The simplest fact sheet would be a copy of the MLS listing. There are also software programs available with which you could design a more attractive fact sheet.
When you first decide to sell your house and offer a fact sheet, I suggest you see approximately how many homes are in your neighborhood, and supply black and white copies up to about a third the number of neighbors before you start putting out a color sheet or more expensive brochure.
Another concept I sometimes employ is to leave off some very important fact, such as the price. Any reason to cause the looker to have to call you is what we are looking for here. Nothing ever happens until there is a conversation.
INSIDE
The inside fact sheet could actually be the same as the outside, or even nicer. It simply depends on how much you want to spend. People seem to enjoy having something to take along home with them. You should have your property condition disclosure forms handy but not sitting out, or they will take one of those too.
MORTGAGE RATE SHEET
This sheet we have discussed previously that is prepared by a Mortgage company specifically dealing with your house. It will show down payments and monthly payments base on a couple of different factors.
Pointer signs
Pointer signs are sometimes used during an open house if your house does not sit right on the main road. Pointer signs usually succeed if you have two turns or fewer.
Some people use pointer signs for the entire time the house is for sale. It is your choice. Pointer signs can be invasive. If you put them in the right away, sometimes and neighborhoods have rules against that. They will be collected and tossed. So it’s best to put pointer signs back from the street just a little bit. But of course, that’s somebody’s yard. Always try to check with the owner of that yard and be sure it’s okay for you to put your pointer sign there. Some areas only allowed pointer signs on the weekends during open houses.
Captions
In the Middle Tennessee MLS we have spaces for 20 photographs including the primary picture. Under each photo there is room for a caption. Captions look best as one or two conversationally styled sentences. Bullet lists don’t look good in that format. We have 250 spaces for letters or spaces. That amounts to a couple of complete sentences. after 250 letters the system drops the rest.
If you do captions don’t mention the obvious mention something that is not obvious and not dealt with in the rest of the listing. You should also check the type listing that you have. Some very basic MLS entry-only listings do not allow captions under the photos.
Tent signs
Tent signs are nothing more than 3 x 5 index cards folded in half, so that they stand up like a pup tent. Since your house will be selling itself, you nmay eed to let it explain some items that may not be readily apparent. For instance, you put all new cat 5 cable behind this wall, but it doesn’t show up in the picture.
Elsewhere, I explained that you should not be giving the tour but of course there are things that need to be pointed out, and with tent signs this can be accomplished with ease. I have had Realtors tell me that they hate my tent signs because they make control of the prospects. People are looking for the next easter egg, and concentrating on the house, rather than the agent, and that makes some of them feel unimportant.
You might say that the tent signs may end up reading like the picture captions. The important thing is neither you nor the agent will be will sell your house. Your house will sell itself when the magic happens as the prospect looks at it. We need to simply let that happen.
Dialogs
The first dialogue to remember is for when the phone rings, and somebody is asking you to see your house. At that time, you need to ask whether or not that person is working with a Realtor.
If that person says “no,” then you say “great let’s make a time for you to see the inside of my house.” If that person says “yes I am working with a Realtor,” then you say “if it’s all the same with you, I don’t want to step on any toes, so would you please coordinate this with your REALTOR.”
The best surprise is no surprise, and now you know if somebody is going to be expecting to be paid a commission, because that will affect the cost basis of your sale transaction. If someone will be expecting commission, they need to earn the commission by doing the legwork, setting up the appointments, and conducting the tour for the potential buyer.
If the person says that he has a Realtor but just wants to look on his own before he involves his Realtor you say that could potentially cause a problem, so just please have their Realtor present.
The second dialogue you should know is used when someone is touring your house. You let them in the door, and tell them “you folks know what you’re looking for, so make yourselves at home. If you have any questions, I’ll be right here, so just holler up.” Let them look around the house, and you sit on the sofa. Don’t feel compelled to leave, and please don’t feel compelled to do the tour.
Getaways
Getaways, or leaving the premises while your home is being shown, really don’t need to occur. Whether the prospect is with a Realtor or by themselves, just let them look on their own. Sometimes people even feel pressured when the seller is there giving the tour. Sometimes you may not be good at giving the tour, and you explain things we are very evident. You can, in some cases, insult the prospect’s intelligence. So sit on the couch while they look.
If the prospect is by themselves and not with an agent, and you feel a little worried to be in the house with them, have your car parked in the driveway and excuse yourself to work on your laptop or return some phone calls. That way, you can see the front door so nobody steals your TV, and you are in sight of the neighbors if that makes you feel better.
Some agents recommend you drive around the block or go somewhere while they sell your house. Just politely, yet firmly tell them where you will be, on the sofa, or in your car in front of the house.
Click HERE to put my house on the MLS !
Broker Don Martin, founder and CEO of Martin Properties, besides helping hundreds of FSBOs save thousands of dollars, also delivers seminars, keynotes and motivational messages to real estate and sales professionals. His 30+ years of experience in sales, marketing, real estate, promotion, management and technology has empowered thousands to expand their knowledge and achieve their goals. Connect with Martin Properties on Facebook, TheReasonableRealtor.com, MLS-TODAY.com or Amazon.com.
