By Elizabeth Putnam, Real Estate Broker | Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty | Asheville & Western North Carolina
The photos are beautiful, the listing is live, and the sign is in the yard. Now comes the exciting part... and sometimes the hardest part. Waiting!
Woohoo! Your home is officially on the market!
We've been busy getting to this moment. We've decluttered, cleaned, possibly staged, and made sure your home is looking its absolute best.
I've been there with the professional photographer, making sure we're capturing the best angles and telling the unique story of your home.
We've reviewed the property brochure, fine-tuned the MLS listing description, and I've created a personalized property notebook that lives in your home. This notebook contains important information about your property, conveniently organized so that showing agents can easily find answers to questions their buyers may have.
We've done our homework. We've prepared. We've launched.
And now... what happens next?
Coming Soon: A Little Sneak Peek!
Depending on our marketing strategy, we may have introduced your home to the market with a week of Coming Soon exposure.
Think of it as a sneak peek before the big debut!
Under Canopy MLS rules, a Coming Soon-No Show listing can appear in the MLS and on participating real estate websites before the home becomes available for showings.
And here's something I particularly like: The property does not begin accumulating Days on Market until it becomes Active.
It's an opportunity to introduce the home to potential buyers while we're putting the finishing touches on our preparations.
There are specific MLS rules governing Coming Soon listings, including seller authorization and restrictions on showings and open houses until the home becomes Active.
But when the timing makes sense, it can be a useful part of our marketing plan.
Let's Have an Open House!
I often recommend scheduling an open house for the first Saturday or Sunday after your home becomes Active.
It's a wonderful opportunity to introduce your property to potential buyers.
But what constitutes a successful open house?
Well, that depends!
If your home is located in a desirable, centrally located Asheville neighborhood, we might see three or four groups of visitors.
The reality is that we may only see one or two groups.
And if we have more than four groups come through?
Well, you can bet I'll be doing a little happy dance!
But here's something sellers should understand: Open house attendance doesn't necessarily translate into offers.
In my experience, visitors generally fall into three categories.
Group 1: The Curious Neighbors
We love our neighbors! And let's face it, who doesn't enjoy seeing what the house down the street looks like inside?
Neighbors may not be in the market themselves, but they can be wonderful advocates for your property. You never know when someone has a friend or family member looking to move into the neighborhood.
Group 2: The Just-Getting-Started Buyers
These are folks who are beginning to explore the market.
They might not be preapproved, may not have hired a buyer's agent, or are simply trying to understand what their budget will buy.
They may not be ready to make an offer today, but they could become serious buyers down the road.
Group 3: The Ready-to-Buy Shoppers
Now we're talking! These buyers are actively searching, often working with a real estate agent, and may already have their financing arranged.
If someone from this group visits the open house and seems genuinely interested, we may see them schedule a private showing during the following week.
That's always encouraging!
The bottom line? Open houses can be valuable, but I don't judge their success solely by the number of people walking through the front door.
I'm looking for meaningful buyer interest.
How Many Showings Should You Expect?
This is one of the most common questions sellers ask.
And the answer is... it depends.
I know. Not exactly the definitive answer you were hoping for!
But the number of showings we should expect is influenced by your home's location, price range, condition, and current market demand.
Some homes may receive multiple showings within the first few days.
Other homes, particularly in slower markets or more specialized price ranges, may only average one to four showings per month.
And that doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong.
A Little MLS Sleuthing
One of my favorite things to do is dig into our MLS data.
Yes, I know. Some people enjoy crossword puzzles. I enjoy analyzing real estate statistics!
When your home is located within a planned community or established neighborhood, I can sometimes review ShowingTime activity for other listings in that area.
This gives us valuable insight into how much buyer activity comparable properties are receiving, when that information is available.
Are neighboring homes receiving frequent showings? Is activity slow throughout the neighborhood? How does our listing compare? This helps us establish realistic expectations instead of relying on guesswork.
And that's important, because the number of showings only tells us part of the story. We need to understand how your home is performing relative to the market.
Keeping an Eye on Your Online Activity
Once your home is Active in the MLS, one of the first things I'll do is set you up to receive weekly ListTrac reports.
ListTrac is a tool that monitors your property's online activity across participating real estate websites.
You'll receive a weekly report showing how your listing is performing online, including comparisons with similar properties.
Why does this matter?
Because most buyers begin their search on the internet.
Before we can get them through your front door, we need to get them interested enough to click on your listing.
I like to think of this as a progression:
Online Exposure → Listing Views → Showings → Offers
Of course, not every click becomes a showing, and not every showing becomes an offer.
But by looking at these numbers, we can begin to evaluate how buyers are responding to our marketing.
Are we generating online interest but not getting showings?
Are people touring the property but not making offers?
Or is online activity low across the entire market segment?
Each scenario tells us something different and may call for a different approach.
What Happens When Someone Schedules a Showing?
My work doesn't stop once a buyer schedules an appointment.
I make an effort to contact the showing agent ahead of time to share useful information about your property. This may include recent improvements, unique features, available documentation, information about any seller-authorized buyer-agent compensation, and other details that may help the agent better understand the home.
My goal is to make sure the agent arrives informed and prepared to share your home's most appealing features with their buyer.
Remember that property notebook we put together?
This is where it comes in handy!
An agent walking through your home can use it to answer questions about property features, improvements, and other pertinent information.
The easier we make it for buyers and their agents to understand your home, the better.
Showings Are Over. Where's the Feedback?
Ah, feedback.
Something every seller wants and something that can occasionally be surprisingly difficult to obtain!
After a showing, the buyer's agent will typically receive a request to provide feedback.
I generally allow about 24 hours for them to respond before I begin personally following up.
And when I say follow up, I mean follow up!
I'll reach out by text message or phone to gather whatever information I can.
My goal is to obtain feedback from every showing.
Can I guarantee 100% participation? Unfortunately, no. I can't force another agent to respond.
But you can count on me to make a genuine effort.
And here's something important to remember.
Not all feedback should carry the same weight.
One buyer may dislike a paint color that another buyer absolutely loves.
Someone may feel the kitchen is too small, while another appreciates its efficient layout.
We're looking for patterns, not reacting to every individual opinion. If several buyers are expressing the same concern, that's information worth considering.
If feedback is inconsistent, we may simply be seeing the normal differences in buyer preferences.
Let's Check In! Communication Matters.
Throughout the listing, I want you to feel informed and comfortable asking questions.
I generally plan to have a phone conversation with my sellers approximately every two weeks.
During these conversations, we'll review showing activity, buyer feedback, online performance, and any relevant changes in the market.
I'll also look at our competition.
Have similar homes gone under contract? Have new listings entered the market? Are sellers reducing prices? Has buyer activity changed?
Together, we'll evaluate where your property stands and what, if anything, we should consider doing next.
Sometimes my recommendation may be:
"Everything looks good. We're positioned appropriately. Let's give the market a little more time."
Other times, I may suggest we consider a price adjustment or explore a different marketing strategy, such as offering a meaningful seller concession.
My job is to interpret the information, share my professional opinion, and help you understand your options. Ultimately, the decisions are yours.
And just because I schedule a check-in approximately every two weeks doesn't mean you have to wait two weeks to talk with me!
If you want an update, have a question, or just need to talk through how you're feeling about the process, send me a text or give me a call.
I'm here.
I also recognize that everyone has different communication preferences.
Some sellers want frequent updates. Others prefer to hear from me when there's something meaningful to discuss.
We'll find a rhythm that works for you.
What If We're Not Getting the Activity We Expected?
This is where experience and good market analysis become especially important.
If your home isn't receiving the level of interest we'd hoped for, we'll take a closer look at the data.
Is the home priced competitively?
How does its condition compare with competing properties?
Are similar homes selling?
Are buyers simply taking longer to make decisions?
Has something changed in the broader market?
Sometimes a price reduction is the appropriate solution.
But sometimes it isn't.
If comparable properties are also experiencing low activity, lowering your price may not suddenly produce a buyer.
During periods of higher interest rates, economic uncertainty, or seasonal slowdowns, buyers may simply be less active.
That doesn't mean we ignore the situation.
It means we evaluate it thoughtfully.
We may need to make adjustments to our marketing, revisit our pricing strategy, consider seller concessions, or simply allow more time for the right buyer to come along.
What I don't want to do is recommend changes simply because we're feeling impatient.
Every decision should have a reason behind it.
And Now for the Hardest Part... Patience!
Here's a little confession.
I am an action-oriented person.
I like solving problems, making things happen, and checking things off my to-do list. So believe you me, patience doesn't always come naturally to this overachieving real estate agent!
But sometimes, after we've done everything we can to prepare, price, and market your home effectively, we have to recognize that certain market conditions are simply outside our control.
We can't make interest rates go down.
We can't force buyers to make decisions.
And we can't create demand where there simply isn't enough.
Sometimes we have to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.
That doesn't mean we're doing nothing.
I'll continue monitoring the market, evaluating new information, communicating with agents, and looking for opportunities to strengthen our position.
But sometimes the best strategy really is to be patient.
We're in This Together
Selling your home can be exciting, exhausting, and occasionally a little nerve-racking.
There may be weeks filled with activity and other weeks when you wonder if everyone has suddenly stopped looking at houses.
My goal is to help you understand what's happening, what the data is telling us, and what choices are available.
I won't always have the answer you want to hear, but I'll do my best to give you the information you need to make a good decision.
And I promise we'll keep looking for opportunities along the way.
Your home is on the market. We've done the preparation. We have a plan. And you have someone in your corner who is paying attention.
So let's see what happens next!
Ready to talk about selling your home in Asheville or Western North Carolina? Whether you're planning ahead or ready to get started, I'd love to help you develop a thoughtful strategy that works for your home and your goals.
- Selling Guide
