First viewing - Advice please

catmiaow

We have been on the market since September with an online estate agent, decided to change to local estate agent in December as had no luck and have our first viewing on Saturday.

I have never given a viewing before so not sure what I should say or do, I have been told by the estate agent they have a viewing just before us too, which makes me panic more as we need to make an impression.

Has anyone got any tips for what I should say or not say during the viewing?

Thanks in advance!

pastmybest

I am really sorry but not sure I can give any tips on how to tackle the viewing. However I would be very interested to know who the online agent is as many on the forum suggest housenetwork?

But good luck with the viewing and selling generally.

DVardysShadow

Just think it through before hand. Be fairly proactive and lead people around the rooms in an order you decide. Remember that first impressions count,so try to get a good room in first. Give a brief rundown on features as you go into each room, leave space for questions. Offer to take them back to anything they would like to take another look at, ask if they have any more questions.

Find out a little bit about them, their lifestyle and work or school. Draw attention to features which fit their lifestyle. If it is particularly easy to get to places they need to go, then mention it - eg bus routes. But above all, listen. You have to listen to find out what their needs are.

You may not get an opportunity to point out how handy the bus route would be for them. Never mind, if it doesn't happen then you are better letting it drop than babbling on about bus routes which would take them to all kinds of places they don't want to go.

itsakidsworld

Just relax and be normal and it will be fine. Putting yourself under pressure will make them feel under pressure, it will make you look desperate and then they will start to wonder why the place has not sold before and wonder what are reasons.

Make sure the house is tidy, don't hide anything bad(hopefully nothing), put lights on to make the place look brighter and bigger, clear away any clutter, don't have food cooking in the background as this makes them rush, make them feel at home and answer questions as they ask and try to enjoy the viewing. If they ask any price questions be honest but firm and say " please, any questions like that MUST be placed with the agent".

I would have thought that as you are nervous, the agent would have met the clients and done this for you with it being your first viewing so ask them to come as they want the commision and times are tough!!

gem599

I agree with all of the above.

The sellers of the house we just looked at did a really good job showing us round. In particular, they painted a picture of a very happy home, saying things like, 'we've had many dinner parties in this room' or 'this is where we sit on a summer evening'.

Maybe I'm too sentimental but it really gave me good feelings about the house and I could really imagine living there.

Fire_Fox

Get the estate agent to earn their money and do the show round! If you must do the show round, let the buyer walk into the room first, NEVER intimate you are moving because you have grown out of the house. You want them to think the rooms are plenty big enough for them, not cramped with three people in.

mandi

Firstly is your house ready, as in decorated , decluttered , clean & tidy outside as well as inside .

If you have children & pets arrange for someone to look after them .

Make sure the house is warm for when your viewer arrives . Have lamps on , and some fresh coffee . Fresh flowers make a difference too . Cooking smells and leaving the TV on are best avoided

Always allow the viewer into each room before you , and let them leave before you also . Always show you nicest room upstairs last .
Likewise with the downstairs .

Answer any questions openly , and with a smile . You can mention local amenites, and schools if applicable . also any recent refurbishment or new DG/Boiler etc .

Most of all just relax & be yourself . Its not as bad as you think it will be honest .


Best of Luck

j73

Leave to the EA's that is their job. I refused to show anyone around our home as I am not a sales person and just didn't feel comftable doing so.
That is what we pay them for, to sell our homes!

PS good luck and fingers crossed for you!

sprocker1

We have bought and sold 3 times in the past 6 years, the two houses (1 flat) were all sold through estate agents, BUT on each occasion the house was sold AFTER I had shown the buyers around.
Best advice i could give, Much praise about the house, start with a good room, but end with an even better one! It could even be a view.....
And just be your usuall friendly self.....

Good luck, let us know how you get on

Purpletopaz

Hi,

We are just purchasing a home, which the vendors showed us around, They were really warm and friendly, introduced themselves, and said we were the first we had showed around.

They did a great job I threw lots of questions at them, re CT, water rates , electrics, boiler, gas points. How long they lived there why they were moving, had they found somewhere. Some of this was on the second visit. But the house was so warm and friendly It was snowing outside, They let us look around up stairs ourselves, after showing us around, they pointed out the sea view from the window which we would have missed completely because of the nets, ( i think this should have been in the details for the house, as its an awesome view ) I just mentioned the loft and he quickly whipped the ladder down and showed us nice and dry, they were completely honest re how old the heating and electrics were.

I hate coffee so the smell would have put me off!

One thing I can say we looked around 3 others the same day with EAs and they just stood in one room and didnt show us around at all, knew nothing at all, just asked us what we thought of the price.

I was as nervous as the vendors and we had a joke about it,

Good Luck!

googler

What are you paying the agent for?

Get him/her to do the viewings, if you're not happy or comfortable doing them.

If this fails,

Don't get into negotiation on price. You're paying the agent to do this. Aren't you?

Don't offer ANYTHING negative about your house. Nothing at all, Stress all the positives, don't mention the negatives unless specifically asked.

Open doors and let the viewers walk in. Don't enter in front of them. Wait at the doorway or just inside the room, rather than following them in and mingling (the exception to this rule is if you have HUGE rooms).

Try and avoid the obvious, like saying "This is the lounge" "This is the kitchen" when viewers can see that for themselves. Lead with something about the room, such as - "We've got a nice, spacious lounge here..." or "We refitted the fireplace in the lounge in 1998......" or "The kitchen was recently refurbished, we got XYZ company to fit it...." and this will naturally lead the conversation for you.

Write out a script, detailing what you're going to tell them as you go round - that'll help to make sure you don't forget anything particularly noteworthy if the conversation drags you away from it.

Make sure the house is spotless, and I mean SPOTLESS. Nobody wants to buy someone else's dirt. Pets and children should be absent. Kitchen worktops cleared, dishes washed, dried and put away. Bathroom gleaming, with fresh towels, all cleaning products tucked away, and toilet seat and lid both DOWN. Nobody wants to be greeted with the sight of your lavatory pan when entering.....

With regard to your viewers, ask about how long they've been looking, what other properties they've looked at in your area, and possibly outwith it. Gently probe what they liked and didn't like about the other ones. Probe for what they like and don't like about yours. Ask if they can see themselves living there.

Ask your agent for their advice, or better still - get them to do it (assuming they're well-versed in doing viewings themselves, and don't routinely leave them to the clients.....)