To List a home with Tenants or Not?

Through my years as a Flat Fee Listing Broker, I keep getting the same question about tenants. Can my Flat Fee Listing from Houston or DFW have tenants on the home? My answers are the following:

1) Read the verbiage of your lease.

Make sure you read the verbiage of your current Lease Agreement. There is a section about showing homes through the last 30 days of the lease according to state laws. This is important because you must have the right to show your home while your tenants are living there in the first place. Sometimes it involves a compensation for $100 for that landlord right.

2) How happy is the tenant with the flat fee listing showings?

Some tenants may have to give you the right to show the home, but may not be happy about the situation. It is important that your tenant not sabotage the showing to begin with, otherwise it ruins the point of the showing.

3) An occupied home is a tough sell.

Occupied homes are a tough sell due to the condition of the home. While some argue that staging a home gives you the best sale outcomes for your flat fee listing by owner, most would agree that occupied homes just do not show as well. This is even harder when it is a tenant who is probably on their move to a new home.

What do we suggest as your Flat Fee MLS Listing Service?

We suggest to attempt to sell your home according to the market. If it is summer time, then you might not want to miss the opportunity of the season to list your Flat Fee MLS listing. So send us questions about your tenant situation, and we will give you our customized opinion on the matter. We hope to be your best Flat Fee MLS Service for this type of situation.

Will Puente, MBA

Real Estate Broker