Selling:Things to do before the viewer turns up

speedtwin

Now we have all heard of getting the smell of coffee and baking bread woofting through the house before the viewer turns up.

I thought I would pick your collective brains and see what gems we could come come with.

Any thoughts

vivatifosi

Get a really good friend, that you can trust and won't fall out with, to come round your house and tell you everything that they don't like about it. Then work out a plan to put these things right, cheaply. They'll see the things that are no longer obvious to you. It might be something as basic as putting a few accessories into a boring space, or organising furniture slightly differently.

lynzpower

Clean the place within an inch of its life.

Buy new door mat, and anyother items in the house which get dirtyy and skanky ( tea towels, bath mats etc)

Dont cook smelly food and dont deep fat fry for at least a few hours before...

Magic_Dragon

I am selling at the moment

I have made sure that I pack all my sons toys, steraliser, walker, baby gym ect away. However, every viewer has had young kids and all commented on how uncluttered the place was - and couldnt imagine what it would be like with all thier stuff in! I think next time I will leave it a bit more lived in. (I will make sure I find out if they have kids next time or not!)

I always make sure the house is nice and clean and light a few candles - havent done anything else really!

no1gymbunny

Let the viewer(s) walk into each room first - they don't want to see the back of your head! If you have a dog, see if a neighbour or friend can look after it. Open the windows for a bit to get some fresh air in. Make sure all the lights are on.

Make the bed, hide all laundry, wash up and put it away.

If they ask why you're moving - don't say it's because you need more space, etc. Focus on positives. Good luck!

Jorgan_2

no1gymbunny wrote: »

Let the viewer(s) walk into each room first - they don't want to see the back of your head!

Very good advice. There is no need for you to go into the room, you'll only make it seem smaller. It also leaves a path for a quick exit, should you ever need to make it.

MadMonkey

We had around 10 viewings on our house.

Before a viewing we would

• Clean the whole house from top to bottom.
• Remove all kids toys, highchair e.t.c
• Remove the hoover and washing basket.
• Take everything off the kitchen worktops
• Move Dh's van off the drive and move the car right over to emphasise the space.
• Light scented candles.
• Put the bedside lamps on and ensure the rooms were lit up well.
• Heat / cool the house to a comfortable level.
• Send Dh and the kids out to the park for the viewing.

Then a few weeks ago I got a call off the EA asking if we could do a viewing - I asked when. Now:eek:

I managed to tidy up slightly but none of the above was done. The house was clean and tidy but we still had the day to day living equipment about and there were baby bottles on the draining board.

I apologised profusely to the viewer who told me that they actually did not like the minimalist clinical look and preferred a house to look lived in as long as it was clean. WE had an offer within 5 minutes of them leaving.

So yes you do need to clean - make sure woodwork, kitchen cupboards are cleaned as stains are off putting. Make sure all beds are made.

IMO don't brew coffee or bake bread - we did a day of viewings and the coffee smell did not endear me to the houses it just reminded me that we had not had any for ages !

The other thing that really annoyed me was teenagers lounging around their bedrooms. Kick them out - they are very offputting;)

gazzak_2

As the above poster says, don't make it smell of coffee or bread, it just makes you look desperate. When we sold up last year the estate agent brought every viewer over and showed them around while we just hid away. One day we had an appointment turn up but the estate agent was late so I showed them around and was simply honest about everything. We got asking price from that buyer.

leftieM

Put the toilet seat down.

TBeckett100

clean the fridge. one viewer insisted on opening my wardrobe and fridge,

TBeckett100

if you have lots of rubbish stuffed away the viewer will think you have no storage