Home Buying Mistakes: Bringing Family to House Showings
Bringing your whole family to a house showing is one of the home buying mistakes nobody warns you about, and honestly, it's one of the fastest ways I watch buyers lose houses. Buyers go first, and everybody else comes once it's a celebration instead of a referendum. That's the rule, and I'll show you exactly how it works!
Home Buying Mistakes: Bringing Family to House Showings
I'm Jess LaCour, Broker/Owner of 411 Properties in Gillette, Wyoming, and I've been doing this since 2014. I pulled up to a showing not long ago for one confirmed buyer couple. Nine people got out of three vehicles. Grandma, two aunts, a cousin, somebody's boyfriend, and a gentleman I was never actually introduced to, who I think was just there for the walk. Nine. Wild!
The short version
Buyers go first, and everybody else comes once it's a celebration instead of a referendum.
In June 2026, Campbell County's median days on market was 44 days, which means half the homes that sold took 44 days or less.
You get about 90 seconds in a house where you're really experiencing it, and a crowd talks right over them.
Bring anyone who's on the loan, gifting the down payment, or moving in with you.
It's just you and the inspector at the inspection, and just you and your agent at the negotiation.
Once you're through inspection and negotiation, bring all nine to the walkthrough.
Should you bring family to a house showing?
Only the people with a real stake in the decision should come to the first showing, and everybody else can come to the walkthrough later. I know that sounds a little cold, and I don't mean it that way, so let me be fair first.
This is the biggest purchase of your life. You're nervous, you don't do this often, and the people you love want to help. They want to be included, and honestly, it's kind of exciting for everybody. I totally get it. I'd probably want my people there too.
And I mean this. I love that people out here have family close and involved. It's one of the best things about this place, and I'm not making fun of your family. I'm telling you that this one thing, with the best intentions in the world, costs buyers houses.
What happens in your first 90 seconds in a house?
You get about 90 seconds in a house where you're actually experiencing it, and that gut reaction's the most valuable data you'll collect all day. Do I feel good here? Can I see myself in this kitchen? Does this feel like home? That instinct's real information, and it's got a really short shelf life.
Okay, now put eight other people in there with you.
Before you've finished your 90 seconds, somebody's said the carpet's dated. Somebody else doesn't like that the laundry's downstairs. Your uncle's opened a breaker panel he's got no business opening, and somebody's doing math about the backyard out loud. Then your aunt says, "Well, it's not what I'd pick, but if you love it." I say this with love, but that sentence was engineered in a lab to kill enthusiasm.
Here's the funny part. Every one of those people is right, from their own life. Their opinion's valid. It's just about a house they're not buying, won't live in, and aren't making the payment on.
So now you've got nine opinions and no clear signal. You go home confused, and you can't tell anymore what you thought, because you never got to finish thinking it.
Who actually belongs at a house showing?
The test is simple: are you there because you've got a stake in this decision, or because it's fun? The line isn't "family bad." Here's who absolutely belongs at the showing.
Anyone on the loan. If your name's going on it, you're there. That's not an entourage, that's a buyer.
Anyone gifting the down payment. If your parents are helping with the money, they've got a legitimate stake and, honestly, a right to see it. Bring them. Just bring them, not the whole branch of the family tree.
Anyone who's going to live there. Multigenerational buying is real, and it's common here. Nationally, 14% of buyers in NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers bought a multigenerational home. If Mom's moving in, Mom needs to see the bathroom door width and the step at the front door. She isn't there for an opinion. She's there because it's a requirement.
Anyone with accessibility needs. If somebody in the household has mobility or medical requirements, those need to be assessed on site by the person who knows them. So bring them.
If you're starting to look in Gillette or anywhere in NE Wyoming, call me at 307-682-7767. I'll make sure you get that quiet half hour before anybody else weighs in.
Who should come to the showing, the inspection, and the negotiation?
The showing, the inspection, and the negotiation stay small, and everybody's invited once you're through them. Here's the order I have buyers follow, and I've watched it work over and over.
First showing: buyers only. Just you and me, or you and Jaime on my team. You get your 90 seconds, you form your own opinion, and you find out what you actually think before anybody tells you what they think.
Inspection: buyers and the inspector. That's it. Take notes, take pictures, and ask the inspector every question you've got. They love that, and it's what you're paying them for.
Negotiation: buyers and me. A negotiation needs a decision, and a committee can't make one at speed. In this market, speed matters, and you don't get a do-over.
The walkthrough: everybody. Seriously, bring all nine. Let Grandma tap the walls. Let Uncle Randy find his crack. He's earned it. Let everybody get excited with you and start planning where the furniture goes.
At that point it's a celebration instead of a referendum, and that's exactly what it should be.
Who should go to a home inspection in Wyoming?
The buyers and the inspector should be at the home inspection, and in Wyoming it's on you to vet that inspector, because the state doesn't license home inspectors.
I've got to own something here. On camera I called inspectors licensed, twice. In Wyoming, they aren't. There's no state license, and the state doesn't require them to carry insurance either. So before you book, ask whether they're certified, through which organization, and whether they carry insurance.
Now picture what happens when you bring the entourage anyway. It's a lot. Uncle Randy, who flipped a house in 2007, is walking a step behind the inspector providing commentary. He's found a crack. He always finds a crack. He's telling everybody it's the foundation, and it's stucco. Grandma's tapping a wall to see if it's hollow, which I've never once understood, but it's somehow universal.
And your cousin who's "in construction," which turned out to mean framing in a different state fifteen years ago, has decided the furnace is on its way out based on how it sounds. Now you're standing in the driveway trying to decide whether to walk away from a house you loved four days ago, based on a diagnosis from a man named Randy.
Meanwhile, the actual inspector, the one who does this every single day, is in the crawl space, and nobody's following him, because Randy's more interesting. You paid for the inspector. Listen to the inspector.
How fast do homes sell in Gillette, Wyoming?
In June 2026, Campbell County's median days on market was 44 days, which means half the homes that sold took 44 days or less. That's from my NEWRA MLS data for Campbell County residential sales.
One more correction to the video. At 2:16 I said "everything" sells faster than that. I meant half. A median's the middle sale, so half go faster and half take longer. It's still fast, and that's the point. Four days of confusion is how you lose the house.
It's also one month. Our market's small enough that a single month moves around, so treat it as a snapshot, not a forecast. If you want the current read on a house you're looking at, just ask me. I'm in that data every day.
Sellers, who should be at the listing appointment?
The sellers should be at the listing appointment, plus anyone who's there to support them, because there's one question I need answered before anything else: where are you going, and when do you need to be there?
Sellers, you're not off the hook, because I get the exact same thing on the listing side. It's supposed to be me and the sellers. Then there are six adults in the kitchen, every one of them has a question, and half the questions are arguments the family's been having for two years that I've just walked into the middle of.
The son who lives out of state has a number in his head from a website. The daughter thinks you should've sold last year. Somebody's spouse wants to talk commission before we've talked about anything else. And I still can't get to the question that drives your price, your timeline, and whether we list before or after you find your next place, because I'm fielding a committee.
There's a real exception, though. If you're 82 and you want your daughter there to take notes and help you think, please bring her. That's support, and I think it's smart.
How do you include your family without losing the house?
Keep the decisions small and the celebration big. That's the whole trick. Buyers go first, and everybody else comes once it's a celebration instead of a referendum.
I'm not trying to keep you from your people. I'm trying to get you 30 quiet minutes in a row to figure out what you actually want before you spend $350,000. That's it. That's the whole thing.
So when you're ready to look in Gillette, Sheridan, Newcastle, Pine Haven, or anywhere in NE Wyoming, call me. I'll get you that quiet half hour, and then I'll help you throw the party after. And go tell me your Uncle Randy story in the YouTube comments, because I know you've got one.
Frequently asked questions
Should I bring my parents to a house showing?
If they're on the loan, gifting part of your down payment, or moving in with you, yes. Otherwise, see the house first with just the buyers, form your own opinion, and bring them to the walkthrough once you're through inspection and negotiation.
Can I bring family to a home inspection?
You can, but I'd keep it to the buyers and the inspector. A crowd pulls attention away from the one person you paid to find problems, and that's how a stucco crack turns into a foundation scare.
Are home inspectors licensed in Wyoming?
No. Wyoming doesn't license home inspectors or require them to carry insurance, so ask about certification and insurance before you book.
How fast do homes sell in Gillette, Wyoming?
In June 2026, Campbell County's median days on market was 44 days, which means half the homes that sold took 44 days or less.
Who should see the house if we're buying a multigenerational home?
Everyone who'll live there should see it, especially anyone with accessibility needs, because door widths and front steps have to be checked on site by the person who knows those needs.
Who shows homes for 411 Properties in Gillette?
I do, or Jaime Keuck. We keep first showings to the buyers so you can form your own opinion.
Does 411 Properties help buyers outside Gillette?
Yes. 411 Properties serves buyers and sellers across Northeast Wyoming, including Campbell, Crook, and Weston Counties.
About the author
Jessica "Jess" LaCour is the Broker/Owner of 411 Properties LLC in Gillette, Wyoming, and she's been in real estate since 2014. RealTrends Verified's 2026 rankings put her #1 in Gillette by volume and transaction sides and #9 in Wyoming by volume, and her 113 transaction sides were the most of anyone in the state's top ten. Those rankings are built on 2025 production and count residential transactions only, so land, lots, commercial, leases, referrals, and multi-family over four units aren't included. 411 Properties has ranked #1 in the Northeast Wyoming MLS every year since 2019. Jess holds the CRS, RENE, and New Construction Certified designations and serves as President and Chair of the NEWRA Board of Directors for the 2025-2026 term. License WY RE-13305. 307-682-7767.
Everything in this post is my personal opinion, based on my time and experience in the industry.
This post is general information, not financial or legal advice.