Two Great Showings

We had two seperate buyers tour the home tonight. The first was a family who currently lives a 1/4 mile away. They were looking for a single-floor house since they were in their 40’s and (gasp!) “getting old.” They brought their two kids with them.

Literally within ten minutes, they were back outside, gushing and smiling. The man asked us about the closing process: surely a good sign! I think it shows that we’ve already sold the home to them on the emotional level, now we’ve got to iron out the details and sell it to them financially. Very encouraging!

The next buyer had quite a different approach. He brought a friend along and both of them spent a good twenty minutes or more going over all of the house. It was obvious he was carefully checking everything out, though he was careful not to let his enthusiasm show. Kelly had learned earlier that he recently had to bow out of a house he was building because the builder’s price had risen steeply. Thus, he had reason to be a bit more cautious.

Afterward, he remarked at how beautiful the back yard is. He’s got a point! It has never looked better, with the azaleas in full bloom and the grass neatly cut. Since he lives in an apartment now, I’m sure he has an even greater appreciation for a nice yard. It’s one feature of our house that has to be seen to appreciate, I think.

He definitely has interest. As he stated, he wouldn’t have spent so much time on it if he didn’t like what he saw. After he had gone outside, we saw him standing in the front yard looking admiringly at the house from the outside. A few minutes later, Kelly saw him drive by the house again, giving it one more look.

Both of these buyers seem quite interested. I’m really not sure which one (if any) might make an offer first. Kelly and I agree that the family seems more likely to jump. But, since they have a home they own already that they’d have to sell, they might not have the money readily available. We’ll see what happens.

Our home showed beautifully both times. It has never looked better. Kelly and I made the home look so welcoming that you would have thought we’d done this hundreds of times before.

Then there’s the fact that the house is just attractive to begin with. It’s got a big-ass helping of curb appeal that makes people want to stop and check it out. When they see the inside, I think that just seals the deal.

We’re certainly having fun with this, and – up to this point at least – things are going extremely well. The tricky part will come during the “closing dance,” where price negotiations and paperwork will play a big role. With that part, we’ll go with professionals, either through a closing lawyer or one of the a-la-carte packages some realtors offer. This will boost the price we’ve paid to sell it, but so far we’re out $20 for signs and fliers. Not too shabby!