The old saying about “location, location, location” — and how those are the three most important things when buying a home — certainly has its merits. Location plays a huge part in the value of a property… not only when you buy it, but also how much you can get for it in the future, and how easily you can sell it. So the location of one property versus another is likely to be a topic of conversation you and your real estate agent will have when you’re house hunting.
In addition to the actual location of a property, there are probably some other location related things your agent has to consider while showing you houses that they won’t think to talk to you about! Don’t worry, they won’t affect the value of a property, or whether or not you should buy it…
But it might be fun to get a sneak peek into what goes on in your agent’s head while you’re looking at houses! So here are 5 behind-the-scenes things agents are worried about the location of while showing you homes:
1) The Location of the Lockbox
In order to get into most houses, agents use a special keypad or phone app to unlock what’s called a “lockbox” which contains keys to the house. Usually they’re hanging right in plain sight on the front door. But every once in a while, for whatever reason, the listing agent decides to switch things up and get creative with where they hang it, and your agent will have to pull off looking cool, calm, and collected while trying to find it.
2) The Location of the Light Switch
It’s pretty standard for light switches to be located just to the right or left of a doorway, but agents show plenty of houses where the word “standard” doesn’t apply. The worst is when the agent is showing a house later in the day in the winter months, and you can hardly see a thing until you find a light switch! Actually, the worst is when it’s a bank-owned house that has the electricity off, so it doesn’t even matter if you find a light switch…
3) The Location of the Alarm Pad
If a homeowner has an alarm system, your agent is usually given the alarm code ahead of time. But they aren’t always given a detailed description of where the alarm keypad is! Even if it’s within sight of the entry door, just getting their bearings and over to the alarm before it goes off can be nerve wracking.
But sometimes it’s hidden behind coats on a hook, or across the house and it’s a mad race against the clock to get to it. There probably isn’t an agent in the business who hasn’t lost this race at least once in their career, resulting in setting off the alarm and giving their clients the opportunity to meet the local police before buying a place in town!
4) The Location of a Growling or Barking Dog
Ideally a homeowner could get their dog out of the house for every single showing in order to avoid any mishaps, or just the distraction of a barking dog, but it’s not always possible. While many homeowners “assure” agents that their dog is friendly, and not to worry if their dog barks or growls, agents are always leery until they lay eyes on the dog and assess the situation for themselves.
5) The Location of a Silent Cat
Cats, on the other hand, are often stealthy and you may never see them once during a showing! That’s just fine, except that agents are also often instructed to make sure that the cat doesn’t get out while they’re showing the house. That’s hard to do when you haven’t seen the cat! It leaves many agents wondering if the cat somehow slipped out without them knowing, and trying to at least catch a glimpse of it before they leave.