Reasons You Should Postpone A Home Showing

One part of marketing your property for sale is arranging for showings. You invite a potential buyer into your home to look around and they hopefully make a decision that they want to make an offer on your home. While you may be motivated to get a potential buyer into your home in hopes of making a sale, there are a few times when you may want to delay the showing. You don't want to run the risk of scaring off a buyer, so consider postponing a showing in the following situations.

You Can't Leave The House

Part of the home showing process is giving people the opportunity to walk through your home with their agent, and have an opportunity to talk candidly about what they think at the moment. If you are home at the time of the showing, it is likely that the buyer will be put off by your presence and may rush through the showing.

Some common situations where you may not be able to leave is if people are sick in your home, which may limit a potential buyer from seeing the bedroom where the sick person is resting. You may be in the middle of cooking a large meal and can't exactly step away for an hour because of it. If situations like these come up, you are better off rescheduling the showing to a different time.

Something Suddenly Breaks

A home showing is a time where a potential buyer evaluates your home for how well you take care of it. If something suddenly breaks before the showing without you having the time to fix it, this can reflect poorly on your home as a whole. For example, you may have a sewer backup that causes an odor to come into your home, or a pipe burst that caused some water damage that still needs to be cleaned up. It is always a good idea to take the time to repair the damage before inviting someone over for a showing.

You're In Negotiations With Another Buyer

If you have an offer letter and are in negotiations, you may be tempted to continue showing your home since the deal is not finalized yet. However, this is not a polite thing to do to buyers that are taking the time to visit your home. Don't be rude and waste someone's time if you think that you'll soon be under contract. Invite them to come another day if negotiations fall through.