Property owner not being present during viewings.

Ronaldo_Mconaldo

When we bought our house 5 years ago we started off going to a house and being shown around by, well I'm not entirely sure who he was, hopefully something to do with the estate agents because this must have been the first time he'd ever seen this house and he didn't seem to have a clue about the place. The owners had clearly upped and moved out and been struggling to sell because they'd left a copy of the printout of the house from the EA's website above the fire place but priced at about £20k more than it was when we came to look at it on the website.

Total shambles, the guy showing us around couldn't answer most of the questions and just seemed to me that we were an inconvenience to him.

Anyway, the house that we bought, our house now, was shown to us by the owner, it turned out that her brother lives just down the road and for viewings they would quickly get the kids out of the house to her brother's place and then tidy the place up. The difference between being shown around by the owner of the house, someone who actually wants to sell the place who actually lives there and being shown around by some guy who couldn't really care less was blindingly obvious.

It might be easier to get an EA to do the work for you but it made a better impression on me that the owner shows potential buyers around.

DRP

lovinituk wrote: »

Estate agents are far from neutral! They are working for the seller and are only in it for their commission. From my experience of several purchases/sales, some estate agents will tell the potential buyer complete lies to swing a sale.

As a buyer I would always prefer the seller to be there as I have little to no trust for estate agents.

They are neutral in that I don't have to worry about offending them when I examine every part of the property in minute detail whilst tutting and rubbing my chin...

Kastanie

lessonlearned wrote: »

As for actually selling .........half of them wouldn't recognise a "buying signal" from the purchaser if it slapped them round the face.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Lesson, you've referred to "buying signals" before.... I'm sure you mean more than the obvious ("I'll give you £X for it" lol) and I'm genuinely interested to know what you mean?

I've been convinced my stony-faced demeanour is giving nothing away... but now I'm not so sure.... :cool:

DRP

Kastanie wrote: »

Lesson, you've referred to "buying signals" before.... I'm sure you mean more than the obvious ("I'll give you £X for it" lol) and I'm genuinely interested to know what you mean?

I've been convinced my stony-faced demeanour is giving nothing away... but now I'm not so sure.... :cool:

something like this...?

Kastanie

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

ValHaller

joshly wrote: »

..... What is your view on the owner not being present during the viewings?

As Buyer
I would be OK with seller or agent giving viewings as long as the viewing was reasonably competently conducted. This does not mean BS answers to absolutely every question. It does mean an honest "I don't know" and a route to an answer. I would expect to meet of have contact with seller before placing an offer

As Seller
I would expect Agent to be sensitive to viewer and advise on Vendor or Agent conducted viewings according to the demeanour of the viewer. I would prefer to have contact with viewer before offer is placed - it is too sensitive for viewer if there is a negotiation phase on going - but at the same time, the contact with the viewer is very helpful in evaluating the offer. If the viewer is shy, I would expect some contact at second viewing.

lessonlearned

DRP wrote: »

something like this...?

Fantastic - yes I'm afraid that's what some of them seem to need.

Stoney faced demeanor - they are usually the ones that buy.;)
Grim, stoney faced silence is a dead give-away:rotfl::rotfl:

The ones that gush and "ooh and ahhh" are often the ones you never hear from again.

Bit of a generalisation of course, but there's more than a grain of truth there.

Missed buying signals??? Well how about this for starters.......

Would be purchaser "I really like this house".
EA's reaction - examines nails in bored silence.......

This is how I do it.......

Would be purchaser "I really like this house".
Me "Would you like to buy it"

Or if we have been getting on really well and they can take a joke then I will just flash a cheeky grin and say "Ok get your cheque book out then". Cue laughter.

I have never offended anyone with my direct approach.

My cheeky jokes help people relax - they know they are not going to be pushed, hurried or hassled.

By this time we are getting on like a house on fire, I know their life story - they've volunteered it........

Often it's not me who needs to stop talking it's my purchasers who can't keep quiet. :rotfl: I actually do very little talking, I get my viewers or purchasers to do all the talking..

Once the pleasantries are over - the weather, state of the roads etc. I ask a few simple questions and away we go.

There must be hundreds of both verbal and non verbal "buying signals" - you just need to be observant, to actually take time to use your eyes and your ears.

A good salesperson does not "have the gift of the gab" - a good salesperson is a good listener. It really is that simple.

Remember the old adage

"God gave you two eyes, two ears, and one mouth".

For a very good reason.

If you are looking and seeing, listening and hearing
then the buying signals are as plain as a pikestaff.

You don't need to be Sherlock Homes :rotfl:

Kastanie

Brilliant...I bet you're in the minority as a (former) EA who's ever been so clued up, and not just about the house particulars.

(And I also bet you never burned around in a bright blue Subaru and told people a house was "Elizabethan" when it was Victorian......:mad:)

Katie__3-2

Personally I prefere to view houses with the EAs as I feel really selfconcoius and rushed if the vendors are there.

I also prefere the EAs do the the veiwing if im selling as I get highly offended if someone doesnt like my house as much as I think they should...

ognum

I have found that the EAs near me send the most junior person on the office on viewings. they know the answer to nothing.

Selling a house is about setting a scene, you have to size up the purchaser first and work out what they are looking for.

Then you say things like, this is a great kitchen I will miss the parties we have had in here.

The garden is lovely especially in the evenings when you can sit outside with a glass of wine

Or

this living room is lovely at Christmas with the fire going, I will really miss it!

You don't need to gush just a few words that the EA can't say.