As outlined in my Marketing Plan, information about your home will be entered into the MLS computer within 24-48 hours after you have signed the listing. This means the information on your home will be immediately available to any Realtor that is in our Multiple Listing Service. If a Realtor is actively searching for a new listing with special features that your home has, then it is conceivable that your home will be shown within a short period of time after it has been listed.

Appointments: The majority of the time, Realtors will schedule an appointment with our office giving you plenty of time to be ready. Once in a while you may encounter a short notice showing or, even rarer a Realtor may knock on the door with buyers in the car. While you are not obligated to accommodate these short notice or unscheduled showings, it is usually best if you can ask if the Realtor can return in 30 minutes so you can better prepare.

Please make every effort so that your home is ready and available to show at all reasonable times. When I place a lock box on your door, it makes your home more accessible for showings and will remain there until closing. This way, the house is accessible for final walk through, home inspections, and the appraiser.

When it comes to showings, it is important to understand why Realtors sometimes can’t be at your home at the time they've said. Sometimes the customer is late for the appointment, or they stay longer in one house, throwing the Realtor's schedule off. Some people look at houses for 5 minutes, some look for 20 minutes. It is nearly impossible to predict this, so it can throw a Realtor's schedule off.

Sometimes buyers change direction with their Realtor in the middle of the looking process, so they begin looking for an entirely different home. The Realtor may not be able to call the office immediately to cancel the appointment, or they might not call at all. If you seem to have a large number of no-shows, please let me know so I can figure out the reason why.

Handy tip: Make your beds each morning! And tidy up around the house before you leave.

It is always best to leave the house while your property is being shown. This way the prospective buyer can freely discuss with their agent what they think about the house.

Here are some tips for helping set the stage for a successful showing:

The first impression a prospective buyer has of your house is your house’s curb appeal. This includes a well maintained lawn void of debris or trash and clean sidewalks and steps. Leave the front door/porch light on especially on overcast days and evenings.

Open all drapes and curtains to let in as much sun light as possible. If showing at night, turn on all your lights including your lamps.

Keep bathrooms clean and smelling nice. Keep towels and rugs fresh and clean. Don’t forget to clean the mirrors!

Turn off all radios, televisions or anything else that produces noise. Run the dishwasher after the showing!Make sure your pets are out of site and that there is no unsightly evidence of their existence (overly used litter boxes, etc.)

Tag items not included in the sale (the family heirloom chandelier or a water conditioner, etc.)

Keep your kitchen counters and sinks clean and void of dirty dishes.Keep toys picked up inside and put away bikes, skateboards, etc. outside.

Eliminate offensive odors (if you’ve cooked fish for dinner, consider using stove top potpourri or bake something in the oven like cookies, breads or pies)

Feedback and Follow-up:   I will place a call to all Realtors who have shown your home. This feedback is very valuable, as it helps me position your home in the market at its best appearance and best price. Sometimes Realtors don't call me back promptly. So, if they don't respond after the second call, I must conclude that their client did not have any interest in your home.

How Often Will I Personally Show Your Home? Many homeowners use this as a barometer to judge whether a Realtor is doing a good job or not. Generally buyers come from three sources: the sign, advertising, and referrals. When I get a call about your house, it may not be the right location, price, or there may be a neighborhood requirement your home doesn't meet, preventing me from being able to show it. It is possible that I could go through the whole listing period without having the right buyer for your home. So even though I may not show your home, through my marketing & networking efforts, my marketing will be the reason it gets shown by other Realtors.

During the listing period, before your home is sold, I will be calling you personally to update you on showings, marketing, pricing, etc. every week. Once your home has gone under contract, I will call you every week to update you on the status of the buyer's loan and other information.

Utilities:  It is important to leave all of the utilities on until the day of closing (or possession), even if you move out of the house before closing. Realtors, prospective buyers, home inspectors, and the final walk-through must be done with the utilities on. I will remind you before closing to have the utilities disconnected as of the day of closing and/or possession.

Safety:  It is usually wise to hide away jewelry, money and prescription drugs while your house is on the market. Never let anyone in your house without a Realtor and if a Realtor shows up without an appointment ask for ID before allowing entry.