While many buyers are sitting on the fence, a new group of people are sitting in vacant listings to help homeowners sell their home. These days, many Realtors in Buckhead are using “home managers” to help keep unoccupied, unsold homes show-ready and deter would-be vandals. All things being equal, a furnished home will sell more quickly than a vacant home.

The arrangement can be a win-win situation, because house sitters will often stage you home for free and pay for utility costs. Typically, these home managers must meet several requirements to be considered. They must pass background checks, be readily available for showings, be willing to maintain the property and move only approved furniture into the home.

I’ve had both good and bad experiences with home managers. When the home manger has great furniture and is responsive to appointments, it will help to sell a vacant home. When the home manager has weird furniture and makes scheduling appointments difficult, the arrangement can become more of a hinderance than a help.

Some companies are better about pre-screening applicants and more responsive to complaints. One industry problem I’ve learned is the difficulty in finding qualified home managers, not the homes for the managers. So there is a temptation to overlook some potential manager’s shortcomings.

I have some great success with a company called No Vacancy and encourage my clients with vacant homes to use them.