Tahoe Real Estate Seller Mistake – Shown By Appointment Only!

There are many things that a Tahoe seller can do to help sell their home. They can do everything that their real estate professional has asked them to do.

The can get their Tahoe Home in tip in top showing condition, pre-inspection reports and repairs, along with professional staging, and correct pricing, but if they make this one mistake, it can cost them their sale!

What is this common Tahoe real estate seller homeowner mistake that makes my number one spot on how a seller cannot only hurt their marketing efforts, but can cost them a sale? Here it is:

Number One Tahoe Real Estate Seller Mistake:

Shown by Appointment Only and

The Home can Not Be Shown Today!

Why is this such a critical Tahoe real estate Seller mistake?

Can’t the Tahoe Buyers just come another day?

Real estate is a local market, and in the greater Tahoe area, which has a significant second home market presence, many Tahoe buyers are here for just the day, or a specific time period, which means their shopping time in the local Tahoe area is limited.

Making your Tahoe property available to be shown when buyers are here and want to see your place is when your property needs to be available to be shown, not when it is easy for the seller, or sellers’ agent to show it. Requiring an appointment to see your home not only limits when it can be shown, but if it can be shown.

Asking Tahoe buyers to come back on another day is a critical Tahoe real estate selling mistake for the simple reason ~

Tahoe Buyers can’t come back on another day because they won’t be here ~ they don’t live here!

Here are the most common reasons a Tahoe Seller doesn’t have their home shown:

1) Appointment Only Showing: Unless you’re in the mega-millions price group, forget “the agent must accompany all showings”, which puts you into the appointment only group.

While some sellers believe that agent accompanied, or appointment only showings are a sign of exclusivity, in the affluent, Tahoe second home market, requiring an appointment to see a property, even with short notice is a good way to have Tahoe Buyers’ agents pass over your property and reduce the opportunities to have your Tahoe home shown and sold.

Unlike other markets, in the Tahoe Second Home market we have too many non-appointment Tahoe second homes that are available to be shown that don’t require an appointment, or that require the listing agent to be present. That means you’re at a marketing disadvantage by requiring an appointment to see your Tahoe home.

2) Vacational Rental: The Tahoe home is on a vacation rental program and vacation renters are in the property, so the home can’t be shown until they are gone. Their departure date is after your Tahoe buyer is long gone.

3) No Lock Box: Again, sellers believe by not having a lock box on the home, they control who, when, and how the home is shown. No lock box means as a buyers’ agent I have to make a special trip to the sellers’ listing agent’s office to check out a key, and then hope to remember to return it!

As a seller you may not know that our current electronic lock boxes are very secure and electronically notify the listing agent within 15 minutes that an agent has been at the home. It also tells a listing agent if that same buyers’ agent comes back later in the day to re-show it to their buyer, it is a sign of a serious buyer and their interest in your property. Don’t you want to know that as a seller?

The more work you make for a buyers’ agent to show your Tahoe home the less likely it will be shown.

4) Driveway not Plowed: In the winter, a driveway not being plowed in the Tahoe area is an easy way to have your home not shown at all. Making it difficult for the buyers’ agent to find safe, secure, off-the-street parking, followed by hiking through several feet (how about yards) of icy snow to show your home, is not fun and will most likely result in a drive-by showing, with a pass on seeing your Tahoe home.

5) No Return Appointment Call: No one calls the Tahoe Buyers’ agent back to set-up a showing time, confirm an appointment, or to let the Buyers’ agent know the home can, or cannot be shown. That may fall on the sellers’ agent, the seller, or renters in the home, but no a return call will result in no showings!

If you can avoid the common reasons why a Tahoe home is not shown, you’ll not only maximize your marketing efforts, but you’ll give yourself every opportunity to get your Tahoe home sold!

Don’t cost yourself the sale of your Tahoe home, make it available to be shown ~ all the time!

If you’re interested in learning more about what you can do as a Tahoe seller to get your Tahoe real estate sold, call me 530-414-1260, or email me, I can help you!

See what Lake Tahoe, California homes are for sale here:

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For all of your Tahoe real estate needs –

Laura A. Allen | 530.414.1260 | Laura@TahoeLaura.com
BROKER ASSOCIATE, Tahoe Real Estate Agent
CalRE# 01473598
Coldwell Banker, Tahoe City, CA CalRE#01908304

All information is deemed reliable, but is subject to change, and/or correction without notice.

Tahoe Real Estate Seller Mistake – Shown By Appointment Only!