A Land Park Agent Says Leave the Tenant in the Home for Sale

One of the really good things about a Land Park agent like me listing a home in Land Park is that I am very close and available in case of emergencies. We had one such emergency last night. An agent called me to say a brand new lockbox was flashing red and behaving badly. I dropped what I was doing, backed into the recycling can with my car because my husband left it in the driveway in an attempt to dissuade garbage pickers from tearing it apart, and dashed over to my listing to give that lockbox a good talking to.

Turns out it was as I had anticipated, and there was something wrong with the buyer’s agent’s display key. It would not read the lockbox. It was also dark, so she could been putting in the wrong code or even pointing at the wrong spot on the lockbox. Whatever the problem was, I was glad to be there to solve it. Doubly glad I live nearby. Why, if that seller had listed with some other agent who didn’t live in Land Park and was not a Land Park agent that home might not have been shown last night.

I always drop what I’m doing to take care of more important matters. Of course, if I was in the middle of driving somebody to the hospital, I probably would let my phone ring through to voice mail, but otherwise I tend to try to answer it.

I have another home to list in Land Park shortly. I’m going over today to meet with the owners and do a walkthrough to help them decide how to stage the home. Staging is so crucially important. For my other listing, I suggested to the seller that he go on the market immediately rather than wait for the tenant to move in a couple of weeks. That is contrary to most general advice, but then every real estate listing is different. In this particular listing, the tenant has the home decorated and staged beautifully, that it will look more empty and lonely without her stuff in it than it does now.

It’s rare that I ever suggest that a tenant stay in the home. But every so often, a tenant’s touch is so magical, it makes a world of difference. If you’re looking for a top producer Land Park agent, call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759.