05.20.08
Showing Activity on Colorado Springs Homes for Sale
One of the things we determine when putting a home on the market to sell is how to contact the homeowner to schedule showing appointments. I am often asked about the amount of notice that Realtors give when setting these appointments and how the Seller can be accommodate prospective Colorado Springs real estate Buyers. In one phrase, my answer is “Try to be as flexible as possible”.
According to an informal survey regarding recent showing activity, here is a summary of the notice given to homeowners.
These were showings for 10 different properties, ranging from a vacant $62K Townhome to an occupied $360K Single Family home.
- There were just as many “less than 1 hour” showings for the Occupied Higher end Single family homes as I did for the lower end properties
- As can be seen below, less than 1 hour showing notification seems very popular
- Over 50% of all showing arrangements that agents try to make are within 4 hours of their desired show time
- Most agents that tried to set up a showing that required 24 hours notice, tried to set up same day. When they couldn’t set-up due to 24 hour requirement, they did not show.
Showing Notifications
0 to <=1 Hour
Number of Showings: 28
Percentage of Total Showings: 28%
>1 to <=2 Hour
Number of Showings: 18
Percentage of Total Showings: 18%
> 2 to <=4 Hour
Number of Showings: 15
Percentage of Total Showings: 15%
>4 to <=8 Hour
Number of Showings: 8
Percentage of Total Showings: 8%
>8 to <=16 Hour
Number of Showings: 3
Percentage of Total Showings: 3%
>16 to <24 Hour
Number of Showings: 12
Percentage of Total Showings: 12%
>=24 hour
Number of Showings: 16
Percentage of Total Showings: 16%
The best way to accommodate these short notice showings is to have the house show-ready at all times. By modifying a few habits, this doesn’t have to be as tough as it sounds. For instance, if you have Rubbermaid containers under the sinks, then toiletries can easily be stowed. Check out my staging suggestions for other detailed tips. Once you have a good routine down, you won’t feel the need to run home and tidy up when a showing appointment is scheduled. As a result, you’ll be more inclined to allow showing appointments on short notice.
You will also have the opportunity to have a “Must Confirm” status on your showing instructions. This means our office must contact you before the showing is allowed. There are a few good instances that this is necessary (removal of pets, time for people with limited mobility to leave the home, etc.). Anyone who flags their contact as “Must Confirm” needs to be near a phone at all times. If the office calls to confirm a showing, then the homeowner needs to be able to respond in a timely fashion. Failure to do so can result in a loss of showings. The more often showings are missed, the longer the home will remain on the market.
So, to sum it up. Be flexible and understand that visitors often will give little notice for their showing appointments. Allowing folks to come through and enjoy the fruits of your labor will result in procuring an offer earlier in the process…which often means a higher list price to sale price ratio for your Colorado Springs real estate. In the end, everyone wins.
