Privacy can help with home saleHOUSE CALLS

Q: I am selling my house through a Realtor and was asked to let him show the house in complete privacy. Is this practical or even smart? -- via e-mail

A: It's extremely practical and very smart. You want people to come in and visualize the house as theirs, not yours. (That's why it's a good idea to remove personal items such as framed awards, refrigerator pictures and toothbrushes before a showing.)

With you there, potential buyers are hesitant about opening closets, stroking banisters and performing all the other get-acquainted gestures that are the equivalent of kicking the tires and slamming the doors on a new car. You know your house, but the agent knows these buyers. You could mistakenly say something that would turn them off completely.

Also, if you stick around while a skilled broker shows your house, you might get uncomfortable listening to the silence.

An experienced broker doesn't use a stream of patter and salesmanship, but rather does some careful listening. A good agent uses skill and experience to match buyer and house. Then, the agent hopes the place will sell itself, with just a few deft words where they will do the most good. The agent fades away discretely when a couple needs to confer in private. Your house showing is likely to involve a great deal of silence, which can be unnerving. You might jump in to fill the silence with nervous chatter, breaking the spell.

Another problem if you join the group is the simple matter of space. It's easy for stairways and halls to become crowded. The broker knows better than to enter small bedrooms with prospects. Or you could get hit with questions you shouldn't answer such as, "How much would you really take for this house?" These are questions the agent is trained to handle.

Edith Lank will respond personally to any questions sent to her at 240 Hemingway Drive, Rochester, NY 14620 (please include a stamped return envelope), or readers may e-mail her at ehlank@aol.com.