Advice on Showing Potential Buyers Around

Jorgan_2

Debt_Free_Chick wrote:

Personally I wouldn't as it should be obvious. But also, it's subject to Planning Permission so unless you've spoken to the planners, you can't be sure what is and is not possible.

HTH

Never assume that anything is obvious to a potential buyer. There is no harm in saying that you had thought about extending if you were going to stay, but thats as far as it went, the thought stage.

With regards to the single toilet issue, what is norm in your area? If the majority of houses that you are competing with have more than one toilet then it may be an issue, if they don't then it shouldn't be. Any way, its all well & good have houses with more than toilet, but somebody has got to keep them clean.

fatblokexl

point out the following..

bedrooms:
they get sun in the morning/evening.
there is plenty of built in storage...wardrobes or space for large wardrobes/drawers.
powerpoints, t.v arial points.

bathroom:
type of shower, various shower head functions.
water saving loo's

hallway:
loft/attic access and approx size, is it floored,powered,ladder.

living/sitting room:
again natural lighting/aspect, sky dish

kitchen:
aspect, power points, appliances you are leaving, storage.

gardens:
aspect, privacy, features (monoblock,water features shed, decking, lawn, big shrubs trees etc). how you enjoy sitting out in nice weather (tie this in with apsect) i.e "we love sitting out during the summer as the sun hits this area from approx 11am-dusk, and it's not ovelooked by neighbours and its very sheltered"

condition of the building:
if possible give any history of the property, when it was built, easily maintained, any work you have had done, any guarantees on that work.

also worth mentioning exactly what you will leave behind.
flooring, curtains, appliances.

also what the local amenities are:
school (not to close), shops, pubs (not to close) transport links etc

dont forget info like council tax band and approx £££,

as mentioned before you are selling a lifestyle and do not under any circumstances say you are selling to get something bigger, this gives the impression your home is too small and no buyer wants to think that they wont fit into it.

balsingh

I have nothign against an EA but I feel all viewings should be done by the seller. Only the seller knows the ins and outs ... often potential buyers ask about the neighbours and the local area in terms of noise & traffic, council tax banding, whether the house is ex-LA etc. Only the seller will know about these.

I have been shown around houses by both agents and sellers. My experiences are that the agents want to get the viewing over and done with quickly as they often have another viewing straight after. Meanwhile, a seller will take their time and show the potential buyer the things that made them buy the house in the first place!!

clutton_2

i could not agree more balsingh - i was shown round an empty property last week and the only word the estate agent said was "hello" !!

hello, do you want to sell houses or not ?

shallowpockets

Quite agree about the more toilets you have the more you have to clean but it just seems to be what most people are looking for. We put it on the market a few years ago and that was one of the most common comments.

Hubby has sought out Outline Permission to extend, putting in a shower/cloakroom plus extension to the rather small kitchen. Was wondering whether this was worth mentioning if someone points out the lack of cloakroom.

On the agent versus seller doing the viewings to be honest I feel that we would lost potential viewings as EA won't put themselves out.

Thanks for pointing out the "never say that you are moving up the property ladder" because that's what my hubby insisted on saying everytime we were showing someone around last time and I did say to him then that it seemed to me to be a negative comment as if they were same age/same situation as us wouldn't they feel that they shouldn't buy our house either?

I will speak to EA later on this week and discuss the viewings and see what time they would be willing to do them and take it from there.

I do quite agree with the comment about the fact that you can sell the plus points but sometimes it can get quite awkward as I feel as though I can't stop talking and this may distract the viewer.

Dora_the_Explorer_5

Most buyers try to trade up when they move house, sell the lifestyle as well as the cooker !

Jorgan_2

If you've got outline planning that is still valid then definetly mention it to potential buyers.