Selling house viewing: any experience?

[88V8]

In the US it is common to "stage" a home. People are often impressed with all the wrong things.

I always think it a huge error to market an empty house and a black mark against the agent.

Furnishings make all the difference.
If I were in that situation, I would go out and buy or borrow everything and I mean everything down to the nicknacks, needed to furnish.
After all, new homes are always sold through a Show House. As commented in a Times article recently, most buyers have no imagination and need to be lead by the nose.

I recall when selling my late parents' house, the agent said to pull the dining table into the centre of the room 'to show it's a dining room'.
'But it's always against the wall' I said.
'Well, it needs not to be now'.

There was no furniture for one bedroom, so I took stuff from our own house. That same room was rather small, so I cut short a cheap bedstead and topped it with a small air mattress and bedding, it looked like a full double. The mattress unfortunately leaked, and I had to go over there every few days to inflate it. The buyer must have been a little puzzled if they tried fitting a normal sized bed into that room.

V8

[brightncheerful]

Yesterday, 3 viewings, each comprising two people (ie, couple consisting of husband and wife). For this, I'll call them A, B, and C.

All arrived on time. All wore masks. (I also wore mask). Only B husband wore gloves. On arrival, I asked if they would like me to put some hand-sanitiser on, non-greasy,. All said yes, including B husband who removed his gloves. I forgot to ask C husband.

A's viewing lasted 45 minutes. Conclusion that our house ticks most of their boxes. I don't think we've heard the last of A.

B's viewing started 15 minutes after A left. I think it might've been the agent who suggested that each viewing would take about 15 minutes but short of whizzing people around a high speed I don't understand how that would be possible: it's not as though it's studio flat. We have circa 20 component parts. Answering questions can take time.

B was interesting. a retired couple with a grand house and grand garden wanting to downsize. Parts of our house ticked their boxes but not many, which doesn't surprise me because the shift from grandeur to relatively modest is psychologically challenging. B husband was surprised how new looking everything seems about our house, asked twice how long we've lived here (16 years), I said we live like this. my feeling is that B won't be interested but as Mrs Bnc said, after I'd told her more than I'm telling you, quite possibly they could be. Agent told me that B had viewed a number of properties recently so I guess they are still weighing up their options.

Arrival some 3 hours later, C had asked beforehand whether they could bring their young children with but if we minded then husband and wife would view one at a time, I minded. But I don't know if they did bring their children. they did bring a cat, which wife said follows them everywhere so as husband and wife viewed separately I guess one was looking after the cat outside and possibly the children in the car. (In these parts, 2 children unattended in a car isn't asking for them to be abducted! - relax I'm joking: C lives in the next road to us). On arrival, they said wife would view first but I said husband would be better. On the principle that men have something specific in mind and females linger. Spot on: husband's enthusiasm is for our driveway. which with the garages can accommodate half a dozen vehicles. Last year, they'd viewed another house in our road which has been on the market for a few years: lousy position amongst other things. Interesting what they said about the brand new housing estate that Barretts are building on a greenfield nearby: that 4 bed houses with only 1 garage and 2 tandem parking spaces isn't enough for a growing family which as time passes would likely have 3-4 cars. i think tandem parking is an inconvenience as it is.

After A and B had left, I rang the agent with some feedback on the viewers. I doubt many sellers do that but as a property man myself I thought it would be useful when the agents do their follow-up.

Of the 3 viewings, I think 1 or 2 possibly were time-wasters. Years ago when I was selling my thatched detached cottage with 0.25 acre garden in NW London, it was to avoid having to be nice to time-wasters the agents kept sending (unbeknown of course to the agents) that I put the property for sale by auction. Here, no such option. Instead, we think that the pandemic will deter and only the more serious risk it.

Having spent much of weekend before last and the whole of last week and all Monday morning getting the place spick and span in readiness for the viewings, I'd like to think our hard work would have been worth it. We shall see. early days. got until December before we need to be concerned at not enough time in a chain sale to avail of the stamp duty holiday. In the meantime, we shall continue the experience of living in a house on the market which at relatively short notice can be viewed.

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On PLP I shall post on a related topic, concerning the trend for estate agents to recommend sellers of second-hand property not to accept offers from buyer who themselves have not got a buyer for their existing property.