Flat was a mess for a viewing

Stubbsy05

Spoke to the agent today. I have an immaculate flat for sale.

They did a viewing last week. I thought they'd call me before. There was a pile of washine up in the kitchen, and some clothes on the floor in the bedroom. Apparently the person could see past the mess though!

Do you think a bit of mess could put anyone off? I think if someone is serious they should be able to see past a bit of mess.

Anyways, the agent is going to call before any furture viewings so the place is totally clean!

AndrewSmith

NEVER let an agent enter your home without your permission first even if you are not there and they have a key.

One would like to think that people could see past clutter and a bit of mess but unfortunately the average buyer is somewhat short sighted and will expect the property to be clean and tidy for the viewing.

Flimsy

I'm sure a bit of day to day mess is fine ie nothing that requires a major cleaning session. We all have to live after all so washing and dirty dishes are all part of it.

One house I saw last year though was awful, there were loads of clothes piled up on the worktop and one of the bedrooms housed a trouserless teenager playing on a games console. We left very quickly saying we had a viewing to get to but he had been the last

danuk

i would be mighty pished if the EA attended my home without my permission in fact i would complain about this !.... You could have been naked in bed!!! (Ohhhhhh) , or in the shower !

Dead_Eye_Jones

I think it depends. If the property doesnt "sell itself" then yep I think you need to work harder to sell the place as a potential home to someone. Some places I have viewed just leap out at you and the condition wouldnt matter at all.

I recall one low spec place, was a total tip, the owner was even there, he was slumped on his sofa, feet up, smokng a fag and tucking into a takeaway container. Grim.

Now if the place had a new kitchen and bathroom and the stairs didnt cut through the middle of the living/dining area - that the place was a tip wouldnt have mattered - the next point of interest was asking price.

So imo if your flat is in the top of its class then I think it will sell itself, if however you know there are plenty of others which are a bit smarter at a similar price then yep I think you will have to pull the stops out to get it noticed.

The place we eventually bought was empty, but we were sold on it simply because it had the nice bathroom/kitchen, needed no work, and had a great layout. It stood out above everything else despite having no dressing at all and being somewhat dirty.

Running_Horse

We were busy preparing to go on the market when the agent phoned to say someone desparately wanted to view despite all the boxes and clutter. We let them in 3 days before going on the market, and got a full asking price offer there and then. But then our area seems to be something of a hotspot.

swampduck

Can sympathise here - had a call from Estate agent this afternoon wanting to make an appointment for a viewer this evening.
Had to shoot home early from work to tidy up!! Why do they always come on the day - you had to dive out the door cos you were running late for work!!

before_hollywood

i went to look at a house about a year ago, booked the viewing and everything- they weren't in!!!!!

MRSMCAWBER

I think most viewers will see past a bit of stuff about...after all you are still living there :-)
we have just let our house in the notts area..after going in after our last tennants who left it like a squat..we have decorated, scrubbed and put in new carpets right through...we had a call from our agent to say that 1 lady was so desperate for it she had shot off to get all the info she needed to apply... yet the agent asked if we could possibly "pop in" and vaccume...now she knows we live in suffolk..so im not about to "pop" 3-4 hours away....the amazing thing was that they are all brand new carpets so the "vaccuming" that needs doing is a wee bit of fluff the fitters made whilst fitting.... i have never been so gob smacked..the house is sooo clean and newly decorated... bringing up a wee bit of fluff :-)....she got me on a bad so i must admit i asked her if she was wanting me to come and help the lady move in LOL.. at which point she backtracked pretty quickly..
.happy to say the 40+ single lady moved in 3 days later..happy days!... so i think sometimes its the agents who expect perfection more than those looking for somewhere to live!!

BubbaUk_2

I think serious buyers see through mess and work, the price may vary depending on the seriousness!

The house I'm in now was a pig-sty (think 3 day old washing up all over the house and upturned underpants on the floor), that's when they knew I was coming! I have OCD so found it a challenge..... but overcame it because the house was perfect...

.. it's immaculate now of course

NOVASTAR

My OH's mother went to view a house recently and apart from the huge smelly dog being loose in the smallish house - when the EA opened the door to the second bedroom - there was a body snoring loudly in the bed and the room smelt of alcohol!!! The EA had confirmed with someone on the phone earlier that day that it was ok for the viewing ... she wasn't that impressed!