Esquire Realty Ciaramella & Co.

A property isn’t truly “vacant” just because you plan for it to be. If there’s a tenant in place, your sale comes with an extra layer of risk.

Not every tenant needs to be served notice immediately. Some are cooperative and helpful. But you have to be realistic. A tenant’s behavior can change quickly once photos are taken, showings begin, and the reality of moving sets in.

As agents, we are not working against tenants. In many cases, we can actually help them transition, whether that means finding a new rental, negotiating a lease that works for them, or even guiding them through a purchase of their own. When handled properly, this process can be a shift, not just a disruption. However-

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗴𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲. Resistance to photography. Delayed responses about access. Making showings difficult. These are small signs that often turn into bigger problems.

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲.

Serving notice starts the clock. If you wait until you have a buyer ready to close, you are already behind. What could have been handled months earlier can turn into significant delays and even lost buyers.Even if your tenant is being polite and cooperative, serving notice can still be the right move. It can be explained as part of the process when a property is being sold.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸. 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲.