Turn speculative viewings into acceptable offers!

Inviting people into your home can be a great way to socialise but, for many of us, entertaining can be a slightly stressful prospect. What will people eat? Do I need to tidy up? Are they scared of the dog?

But when you’re selling your property, organising a great viewing for prospective buyers is an entirely different ball game, and even the most consummate hosts often need a few pointers. This blogpost will give you our top tips to get the best result and help turn viewings into offers.

But before we start…

Think about where your viewings (or previous viewings) end. After you’ve shown potential buyers around the house, do you take them into the garden?

The problem with this is that it’s very easy for buyers to escape to their car, to say goodbye and to leave quickly. But that’s not what you want, is it? Wouldn’t it be better if they had another look around the house and had a chance to talk in private?

Take the time to plan your viewings in advance.

When you do, consider the following advice which helps vendors maximise the chance of receiving an offer. And remember: if you take control of the viewing and make it last at least 20 minutes, you will significantly increase the chance of viewers falling in love with your home, just like you did not so long ago:

1. Start and end the viewing in the best room. This creates good first and last impressions;
2. Take people on a natural journey through the property – from the kitchen to the reception rooms to the study to the bathrooms etc.;
3. As long as it isn’t too dark, leave all the doors closed so your potential buyers don’t wander into rooms in the “wrong” order;
4. Show the bedrooms in reverse order so that the master bedroom feels bigger by comparison and you end the house tour on a high note;
5. Don’t talk too much – most people like to look round a property in peace;
6. However, at the same time, highlight key features of the property;
7. Avoid introducing the room as you walk in … this is normally self-explanatory (and can be quite annoying);
8. After the guided tour, encourage the prospective buyers to view the property again without your support;
9. Make time to answer any questions that they may have. Remember to answer all questions as honestly as possible and don’t be afraid of the phrase “I don’t know”.