Viewings...

BritAbroad

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

What are people's thoughts on untidy floors in children's bedrooms? Our eldest is 9 and his beroom floor is always full of his Playmobil. The games he plays with it go on for days, so tidying it up would mean messing up the game.
But it is a total, total mess.

Do you think it would be acceptable to leave it like that for a viewing? It would be the only room like that in a 5-bed house.

Sorry Jimmy, that would have me running for the hills. I can look past terrible decor, obvious major refurbishments that are needed, damp, dodgy roof, floors, walls, and other structural issues, but kid clutter everywhere would be a no-no. Because I would make me think that the house is in an area that's overrun with children. Even if I'm buying in a 'family' area, I don't want it to be in my face.

Googler, your point about US realtors working for 6% is not strictly accurate. Where I live, it's 3% to the selling agent and 3% to the buying agent. The seller pays all the fees. So, for example, if you chose to sell without an agent, but your buyers did you an agent, you'd pay 3%. Also, the realtors do all the legal work, so there's no additional fees to a lawyer.

googler

BritAbroad wrote: »

Googler, your point about US realtors working for 6% is not strictly accurate. Where I live, it's 3% to the selling agent and 3% to the buying agent. The seller pays all the fees.

Yes, I could have expanded on it, but essentially the seller pays 6% or thereabouts, as you agree; how that gets divided amongst the agents involved is by the by from the seller's perspective, whether it's 4+2 or 3+3..... The point wasn't how the commission gets split, but how the american agents work for their fees by doing all the viewings, etc.

JimmyTheWig

HariboJunkie wrote: »

Could you get a large under bed storage box that he could set up the playmobil games in and then when you have a viewing it could be rolled under the bed but his game would be intact?

Nice thinking. But his games take up his whole room - the whole floor, the book shelves, under the bed (he has a mid-sleeper with a curtain), beside and behind the bed.

DaftyDuck

JimmytheWig

Oddly, I'm not in agreement with the above posters views on this - even though I was the one who admitted to being "30 mins from viewing ready, with a polished knob and knocker"... the door, on the door...

I'd be completely fine with the kid's toys (and I don't even have spawn of my own!). You did say it was just the one room - so fine... you did say five bedrooms... so fine, plenty others to look at... and do you really want a yowling nine-year-old adding to your house-selling woes? Nah, if it is clean, smells OK, but not tidy, I wouldn't care. It's a family home you are selling. I'd leave out my posh Le Creuset pans in the kitchen to show it off (if I had any), so you leave the kid's toys out to show what a fun family home it is.

I guess the real point is, who knows what a viewer will make of it, if you get such widely differing views here

harrup

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

Do you think it would be acceptable to leave it like that for a viewing? It would be the only room like that in a 5-bed house.

Wouldn't bother us one iota...and we don't even have children of our own. So what if the kids rooms are untidy and a puzzle/playmobil/train track is all over the floor. We were all 9 year olds once engrossed in a game..

Mind you, it all depends how you/your wife/the EA deal with it in presenting it to the wannabe buyer.

If you were to tell me "this is bedroom 4, so sorry about whatever-is-on-the-floor " - but still be happy for me to go in and have a look at the room and look outside the window(s) - absolutely no problem. I'd just step supremely carefully!

If, on the other hand, the room/rooms become a total no-go, no- entry zone because of kids games and toys on the floor....THAT would put me off. I think a buyer has a right to walk into every room in the house, have a look around and check the views from it.

DRP

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

What are people's thoughts on untidy floors in children's bedrooms? Our eldest is 9 and his beroom floor is always full of his Playmobil. The games he plays with it go on for days, so tidying it up would mean messing up the game.
But it is a total, total mess.

Do you think it would be acceptable to leave it like that for a viewing? It would be the only room like that in a 5-bed house.

For me, 1 room in a large house wouldn't make a difference (especially as it isn't the master bedroom), as viewers have essentially seen (and made conclusions) based on the rest (the other 80-90%) of the house

If it was the 2nd-bed in a 2-bed house then things would be a bit different and it might leave mroe of a negative impression.

lessonlearned

Hi I'm back, thick fog, roads a nightmare so gave up and came home. Time to play whilst I have a cuppa.

Agents fees - between 1% to 3% . Agree entirely if you haggle for too low a rate then your EA may not exert themselves quite so much.

For that reason I would not advocate shared agencies plus of course shared agencies can make the vendor appear desperate. Not a good look.

Kids rooms - as long as they are hygienic, ie not teenagers leaving half eaten pizzas around, I wouldn't worry. A few toys are neither here or there. Not on the stairs though, you don't want a lawsuit on your hands because someone has stepped on a piece of lego and fallen down the stairs:rotfl:

Someone buying a 5 bed house is likely to have a family - they will not be alarmed by a child's untidy bedroom. They will totally "get it".

Money - backyard ??? - no, no, no. Courtyard if you please.;)

Even if it is a postage stamp - my garden was - it can still look fabulous. A small table and chairs, some nice pots and striking architectural plants. An artfully placed mirror, surrounded by feathery fronds of greenery is a great optical illusion, making the space look lighter and bigger.

Are you familiar with the concept of vertical gardening. Perfect for tiny spaces. It can look stunning and you've got time to do a lovely spring display. Needn't cost much if you are a bit canny. Google for ideas.

I had a tatty old metal filing cabinet, removed the drawers and laid it on it's back, sprayed it in an aubergine colour, put some wheels on it, filled it with soil and then planted "statement" evergreens.

Hey presto a stunning expensive looking "designer planter" which would easily cost £100 plus at a garden centre for the price of a can of spray paint.

Outside space is outside space, make the most of it. Dress it as if it were another room. Ignore it and you are leaving money on the table.

Back to viewings - to diy or not to diy. That is the question. Oooh get me paraphrasing Hamlet.

It should definitely be either EA or Vendor, not both. Having the EA do the first viewing is a great idea, sorts the wheat from the chaff. Although a good EA should be "qualifying the prospect" before they are allowed to even set foot in your house. That should be part of what you are paying for.

A good EA should not just be sending any old Tom, !!!!!! or Harry without first finding out if they are in a proceedable position, whether they have a dependent sale, whether they have adequate funds and so on.

It's down to preference. Just do what you feel most comfortable with. I prefer to do viewings myself but then I'm a control freak. I simply wouldn't trust anyone else to do it for me but then again I am better than most EA's.:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Seriously I do have the training, knowledge and experience. so for me it's a doddle. I love haggling, negotiating and doing a deal. I recently haggled a brand new £1200 rrp bed down to £150. Yesssss!!

But that's just me. I appreciate, however, that some people may find the whole thing just too daunting. If that's the case then just let someone else take the heat for you.

As far as I'm concerned most EA's are just "An Introducer" - that's the service I'm buying. I do everything else, including progressing the sale. It's what I've done for the greater part of my working life. To me it's easy.

Now you may think that 1.5% may seem like an expensive introductory fee but if it puts the right purchaser in front of me then it's a good deal as far as I'm concerned.

I have sold properties in the UK and in Europe. I would love to have a crack at the USofA. They would just lurrrve my posh (to them) English Accent. With fees averaging around 10% I could make a small fortune.....Or..... I could fall flat on my face.;)

Who knows maybe I might just give it a try one of these days.

PS just noticed your figures of 6% . Still pretty good to me. (Ssshh don't tell everyone but I sometimes got 15% selling in Europe). Mind you I blimmin well earned it and of course had to pay my own air fares, hotels etc.
.

becominganobsessivesaver

I would love to know where in the country all these perfect buyers are, who will pay full asking of £175k for a 2 up 2 down in an area where vandalism is an issue? Seems too cheap for a desirable, fast, moving area in the south east, and i thought most other areas were struggling. I'm starting to wonder whether it's under a bridge with a field of goats nearby?

lessonlearned

googler wrote: »

Disagree.

Unless you've found a link to his/her website that nobody else has....?

No website - I'm an absolute technophobe.

I can just about post on here, can barely cope with my new mobile....

BertieUK

lessonlearned wrote: »

No website - I'm an absolute technophobe.

I can just about post on here, can barely cope with my new mobile....

Much the same myself and trying to text my daughter on my mobile is pathetically slow for this old codger.

Just as a by the way, those posters who wish to find their real true character, like some that I have seen you reply to, are very brave to make the attempt and are really 'fools in disguise' and try to appear as intelligent people. But Foums like these need them, or do they?