You can’t imagine what buyers, sellers, and their agents will do to improve the likelihood of the purchase or sale of a house in today’s market. Padlocking the gate so no one else can get in to see the house is one example of the extreme measures home buyers and sellers are taking. If you’re wondering why your offer on a home hasn’t been accepted, you might be up against some of these clever ploys.
Chain and padlock the gate so no other buyer can get in to see the house.
I thought you might enjoy hearing about the surprising lengths home buyers and real estate agents will go to in order to have an advantage in today’s historic low-inventory housing market.
- Chain and padlock the gate so no one else can get in to see the house
- Buyers offering sellers free moving service, spa packages, free rent to sellers
- Having your agent contact the neighbor to put a good word in
- Agent “accidentally” showing up a day early for their appointment
- Top dollar offer on the first day of showings was too quick for seller
- Buyer’s agent steals key to get into seller’s house
- 190 showings, 32 offers
Chain the Gate!
An agent showed up to her own listing to find that the gate leading to the property had been chained and padlocked by the buyer or buyer’s agent. No one was going to get inside to show the home before that one buyer!
Spa Package Included
Some buyers are getting creative when writing up their contracts, including perks like spa packages, free moving service, and even free rent to the sellers while they wait to get into their next house.
Contact the Neighbor
A quick cash deal was already in the works when another broker tried to get a foot in the door by writing the neighbor. The goal? Encourage the neighbor to get in touch with the out-of-town home seller to let them know their buyer was also interested, and to give their offer serious consideration (didn’t work).
Accidentally Showing Up Early
A recent trend in this competitive market includes agents booking their appointments for the go-live date but accidentally showing up the day before. Sneaky. Real sneaky.
Seller Receives Top Dollar Offer But…
After the first day of showings, the seller received a top dollar offer but wanted to keep showing the house. Why? They might get a better offer. Keep in mind, the longer a house stays on the market, buyer interest decreases and the house starts to lose value. They were eventually convinced to take the great offer.
Steal the Keys
Showings were set to begin at 3pm. The seller’s agent arrived early and was going to leave the key in the lockbox but, instead, left it in the mailbox because the owner said they would be there in a few minutes. The agent returned at 2:35pm to find the door unlocked and an agent and his client looking around the inside of the home. When the seller’s agent asked the buyer’s agent if he had an appointment, he said “yes”. “How did you get a key?” He just randomly found it in the mailbox. Hmmmm… The seller’s agent looked up the appointment and discovered that it was scheduled for 5:30pm.
190 Showings, 32 Offers
An agent in Minnesota couldn’t believe the amount of activity on a house he put on the market at the end of March, 2021. Before it was listed as “pending” in the MLS 4 days later, 190 showings had been requested and 32 offers submitted (10 more were turned away). This is truly a crazy time in the housing industry!