Rule #1- LEAVE. When your home is scheduled to be shown by an agent, leave. Do no stay to meet the buyers or agent. They do not need you to walk around with them and tell them everything you have done to the home nor when your child took their first steps. This makes the buyers uncomfortable. That is the exact opposite you want the buyers to feel when they view your home. Purchasing a home is an emotional process. The buyers are looking for that "feeling" to call the home theirs. If you are breathing down their necks, they'll just leave quickly and you've then missed out. Think of it this way- when you go shopping at the store, do you want a sales associate to follow you around? No, plain and simple so don;t do it to someone else no matter how good your intentions are.

Rule #2- TAKE YOUR PETS WITH YOU. I'm a dog lover but not everyone is. That's a Fact. The buyers want to view your home without distractions. Even if your pet is in a crate, please remove them. Not only does it stress out the pet, it tends to have the same reaction to buyers especially if they are not pet lovers. Also, it is not the agents nor buyers responsibility to make sure your pet is not let outside. Remember, they are there to view the home, not babysit a pet.

Rule #3- TURN ON THE LIGHTS.  Even if you have a showing in the middle of the day, turn them on. Buyers are buying space- show off your home with as much light as you can. Open the curtains and show off your home. Nothing is worse to a buyer or agent trying to view a home by scrambling trying to find light switches before they enter each room. I educate clients to leave the home in the mornings as if there was a scheduled showing for the day. You never know when an agent or buyer will schedule it and you always want your home ready. That buyer may be "the one" that is going to purchase it. If your home is not presentable, that buyer may not get the same emotional feeling and move on to the next home.

Rule #4- REMOVE YOUR PERSONAL PICTURES. I'm sure you've heard of the term "depersonalizing" your home. Well, that means all family and personal pictures. Living in your home and selling your home are two different things. You need to remove your personal items so the buyer can picture themselves living in the home. A buyer does not want to feel as though they are intruding on "your" space, they want to picture themselves living there. That's hard to do if they are constantly seeing your pictures throughout the home.

Rule #5- DO NOT COOK STINKY FOOD BEFORE A SHOWING. Fish, spicy foods, bacon- yes even bacon leaves a lingering smell and not a good done. When you leave in the home, you may not smell it much because you are used to it. When an agent or buyer walks in, they are hit with the smell. The smell may be enough to cut the showing short just to get away from the smell. So just hold off on the curry food for awhile or eat it out.

Rule #6- BE ACCOMMODATING. When an agent schedules showings, they typically are scheduling more than one home to view at a time. Most of the home it's 5 or more. Think about that, the agent is contacting the listing agent of each property and then that agent is having to contact that seller. That's a lot of communication and scheduling trying to accommodate a list of showings. If you limit your showings availability, you may miss out on that buyer. If your home is unavailable, that agent is going to show that buyer the other homes that ARE available. That buyer may end up writing an offer on one of those homes because your home was unavailable.

Rule #7- LISTEN TO YOUR REALTOR®. This is so important so I'll say it again- LISTEN! Follow the guidance of your trusted professional. He/she should guide your through the home selling process and give your tips like these for successful showings. Your agent should also walk through your home and give suggestions on preparing your home for sale. Like I said before, living in your home and selling your home are two different things. Some agents (like myself) provide a complimentary staging consultation for clients. You are selling one of your largest assets, put some time and educate yourself on how to sell it correctly and efficiently.

By implementing these7 Etiquette rules, you should have successful showings and in no time, sell your home!

If you would like more information on how to sell your home for top dollar, please check out my book; “At Least Put the Toilet Seat Down. Your Guide to Selling Your Home for Top Dollar“. It is also available on Amazon.