When I read earlier today about an agent who was showing real estate on Sunday in the unprecedented heat we’re experiencing in the Southeast, I began sweating just reading his words.  He said, “I don’t know which is worse the outside temp or the temp in a house with no electricity……”   I felt his pain.

When a buyer is interested in purchasing a new home, they want to feel comfortable inside.  They don’t like to see bugs, they don’t like to smell animal odors, and they want to be able to visualize themselves living there.  If they can’t do that, they won’t buy.  For a buyer to take the time to visualize where the couch will go or what color they might paint the upstairs bonus room, they’ll need to hang around long enough for the mental process to begin.  In the heat, if the air conditioner is turned off – or if the temperature is over 78* – they may not stay long enough to bother.

I’ve walked into hot houses with buyers and the first thing we do is turn around and leave.  When the house is too warm, it’s just uncomfortable AND it leaves the mental picture that perhaps the heat/AC unit is not working.

If you’re selling your house (even if it’s vacant), try to make the temperature comfortable for those who are considering making a purchase!

*78 degrees is just a random number. 72 would be better, but over 78 (to me) is just miserable!