To you home buyers

For all you potential home buyers out there, I’d like to make a small request.

Please consider the people who own the houses you’re looking at.

Consider the time and effort they have to put into making their house shine for you. It’s not easy when you have kids, especially, to leave a house spotless for a showing. Every thing I put away, my daughter pulls back out. It takes 3-4 times to get it away for good. Then she needs a snack, and the crumbs cover the entire kitchen floor. We are usually at home, so leaving for a showing is a big deal and typically interupts nap time. It’s not fun to wake a toddler up in the middle of the nap because someone is coming to look at the house.

But I’m happy to do it if the house sells.

What isn’t great is if I go to all that work — and then the potential buyer never even shows up. According to my realtor, it happens a lot. Folks just don’t show up. They might not even call their realtor to let them know they won’t be coming. In case you didn’t realize it, when you do that, you’ve not only wasted the time of the home owner, but also the staff of 2 real estate offices who spent time making calls and setting up those appointments.

So, please, next time you’re scoping out houses, remember the Golden Rule. Do unto others...