Your listing has paying guests in it tonight. That makes you the marketing department of a business that's still open — and one clumsy showing can burn a guest relationship, a platform review, and the trailing-12 revenue that justifies your price, all in an afternoon.
Never show during a guest stay without explicit consent. It violates guest trust, most platform policies, and in some places occupancy law — and one review titled "the owner let strangers walk through our vacation" damages the exact asset you're selling. Treat every current stay as off-limits and plan around it.
A 3D walkthrough, video tour, and deal-room summary let serious buyers — especially out-of-state investors — do 80% of their evaluation remotely; many will offer contingent on a single in-person visit. Require proof of funds or pre-approval before booking in-person slots. "Occupied by guests" is a perfectly professional reason to gatekeep, and fewer, better-qualified showings protect everyone.
Set all of this at the listing appointment, in writing, so access expectations are agreed before the first booking conflict — not negotiated during one.
Go deeper: The STR Contract Clause Library for access and booking-calendar language, and The STR Inspection Checklist for Agents for what those inspection windows need to cover.
ACTION: Build the 30-day showable-windows calendar with your seller at the listing appointment — every turnover gap and open night — and decide together whether to block one recurring weeknight. Put the showing rules in the listing file.
Next lesson: negotiation defense — the four things investor buyers attack on every operating STR, and how to disarm each one before the offer arrives.