Why Sellers Should Leave During an Open House

Standard protocol is sellers should leave during an open house.

Sellers need to leave the house, not only for showings when selling but they should leave during an open house. This is difficult for some people to understand. They feel like we are kicking them out of the house, and in a way we are. We want buyers to see the home among the excitement of other buyers desiring the home.  Sacramento Realtors also don’t want buyers forming any sort of opinions about the sellers or even talking to the sellers. It just makes sense.

Of course, we can’t force the sellers to leave if they refuse. I had one seller very worried about his cat. He was concerned the cat would escape or runaway or be stolen. I can understand that. When I sold my own home, I put my cat into a carrier and stuck a note on it. It read: don’t pet me and don’t talk to me. Primarily I was concerned about the open house guests’ safety because that cat might lunge and bite them. He hated everybody but me and my husband.

I left him alone in the house once when an agent showed. I had been talking to my neighbors at the fence line when one of the neighbors pointed out, hey, the agent and buyers are banging on your windows. I looked up, thinking, oh, they are appreciating the fact the windows are dual pane. Then I noticed the panicked look on their faces, so I raced upstairs. My cat had them cornered, growling.

When my seller asked me if he could stay, I told him I preferred that he leave during the open house. He refused. OK, then, you sit in the corner like a stuffed animal and don’t move and don’t talk to anybody. Knowing my sense of humor, he thought I was kidding at first but then realized, no, I am serious.

He shouldn’t be there because it makes buyers uncomfortable. All sellers should leave during the open house. Buyers think it’s creepy to have the seller present. Plus, he could say something to a buyer’s agent or buyers that they could use against him. He’s not in Sacramento real estate and doesn’t know the trouble he can get into. Buyers need to look at the home in their own pace and leisure, soaking in the feeling they could claim the home as their own.