Can showings happen while my mother still lives in the house?
Answered by Chris Deutsch, Founder & Editor
Licensed Minnesota Realtor #20382264 ·
The short answer
Yes — with rules that protect her, not the schedule. Scheduled windows only, real notice, no surprise lockbox visits, and a standing plan for where she goes during showings so she's never sitting in the kitchen while strangers discuss her wallpaper. I'm present for showings when the situation calls for it. Her home doesn't stop being her home because there's a sign coming.
On stage The 60-second answer
Captions on · Transcript below
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The longer answer
That said, the honest advice: if the sequence can put the move first and the sale second, everything gets easier — for her dignity, for the house's presentation, and for everyone's sleep. Showings around a resident parent are workable; an empty house is peaceful.
Tell me the constraints and I'll build the showing rules around her. That part isn't negotiable from my side either.
The next department over
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From the editor's desk
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