Selling your home and wondering whether you really need a lockbox? You’re thinking that you’d rather be home when a real estate agent brings over prospective buyers?

Think again!

Nix the lock box and you might be screwing up your ability to sell the home.

Christine Donovan, a real estate broker who does the research for the “Huntington Beach minute” writes that even if you’re concerned about people showing up when you’d rather they didn’t, there are reasons why having a lockbox is advantageous to you as the seller.

She writes:

• “If your house for sale is not available when the buyer wants to see it, 
they probably won’t  see it!
“Buyers are impatient, and there are a lot of houses for sale to choose from.  If yours isn’t available when they are, they’ll just move on to the next one.

• “If you don’t have a lockbox on a house for sale,
you may not even receive a phone call from the buyer’s agent.
“The house without a lockbox may be considered too much of a hassle to even call about.

• ”If there is a lockbox on your house for sale, you don’t have to be available
at all times to show your house or hope that your agent will be available at the drop of a hat.
“Why is this important?  See reason #1.  If your house for sale isn’t seen, it can’t be sold.

• ”If you’re not in your house during the showing, you can’t say the
wrong thing that puts you at a disadvantage.

The buyer may not want to hear about the things you love in your home. 
They may be looking for something else.
Worse yet, something you may consider a positive, may be a negative to them. 
Telling them your motivation may put you at a disadvantage during negotiation.

Original Article from Marilyn Kalfus’s Blog, April 24, 2011