10 Things NOT To Do When Your Home Is For Sale And You're Going On Vacation!

You're home is on the market, ready for sale. Spiffed up and ready for the sellers at all times. Unfortunately our market isn't the world's fastest, so putting a sign in the yard and launching a full marketing blitz didn't sell it by Day 3. You're coming up on your family's annual vacation and you're not postponing until after the sale. We don't blame you, everyone needs some R&R time and we don't know if the buyer will show up tomorrow or next month, so go, have fun, relax. 

But DON'T:

1) Say "No showings until we return". Like we said, your buyer might be showing up tomorrow, and if they can't get in they'll buy another home. And who knows how long until Right Buyer #2 may appear.

2) Drop off the grid. Don't go to the Himalayas or somewhere that Kinko's or equivalent doesn't exist. We need to be able to reach you if we get an offer. We don't expect you to answer your phone at all times, but don't go somewhere that your cell phone is in constant "Searching for Service" mode.

3) Set your thermostat to the extremes. Yes, you might save a little money, but you don't want buyers to be uncomfortable when looking at your home.

4) Forget to get your mail held while you're gone. And if you still get the newspaper, either stop delivery or ask a neighbor to collect for you.

5) Order anything from Amazon or the like to be delivered while you're gone unless you've made arrangements with the neighbors. Packages setting on the front steps for days are a signal you're not home.

6) Post about it on Facebook, or Tweet, or Blog, or LinkedIn or ANYTHING that announces to the world that you're going to be gone. Bad guys have access to social media too.

7) Forget that your flowers need watered and your lawn mowed. Hire someone if you need to, but don't let the hard work you've done on curb appeal go downhill while you've got your toes in the sand and a Corona on the table next to the chair.

8) Forget to tell your agent you're leaving town!! We'll probably need to alter the showing instructions so you don't have to approve the showings while you're gone.

9) Forget to take out ALL the trash before you leave. Get the kitchen, the bathrooms, ALL of them. You do not want the first impression of the buyers to be "EWWWWW" because you forgot about the leftover salmon you tossed before leaving. That also means take care of the dirty dishes and dirty laundry before you go. AND don't forget kitty's super atomic deposits in the litter box and Rover's landmines in the back yard.

10) Forget to ask a friend to check the locks after showings. Hate to say this, but sometimes agents aren't as careful as they should be about making sure a home is secure before they leave. Going by and checking post showing is something we've regularly done for clients out of town. Wish it wasn't necessary, but it's good to be cautious.

We could add some more to this list, but you get the drift. Be careful, be available, and leave your home ready for the buyers to fall in love with it!

If you have other questions regarding real estate, please don't hesitate to ask me!