Property viewings are an essential part of buying and selling a new home. It’s the most important purchase you can make. At a property viewing, a buyer will decide to buy the property, have an idea of what they are willing to pay, and start envisaging themselves living there. For sellers, a viewing can be intrusive and challenging especially if they don’t want to move a home that they are emotionally attached to. Here are some tips to help you avoid common mistakes people make when viewing or showing a property.
When selling with Clyde Property, we carry out property viewings, but there can be certain circumstances whereby the vendor shows potential buyers around their property themselves.
Sellers
When selling your home and carrying out a viewing by yourself, make sure you are clear and concise about the property and are honest at all times. Don’t oversell it or be too friendly – and avoid all discussions about price; that’s what our negotiators are for.
Make sure the home is presentable and clutter-free – remove any personal items, including letters, and remove clutter, such as shoes on the floor, handbags and jackets, as it could look like the home is lacking in storage. Try and help the buyer to envisage themselves in the property by keeping the floorspace clear. If you have pets and young children, try to keep them away from the viewing – some people don’t like them!
There’s a fine balance between keeping a distance so buyers can look around the property with some freedom and being in the same room to ensure that your possessions are secure – even though all viewers are vetted, we don’t advise letting people explore the home on their own. Try to be there without getting in the way.
Buyers often open cupboards and drawers to see the mechanisms or storage space, so try to keep the hidden areas clean and tidy too.
Buyers
When looking at a home to purchase, you feel that this is ‘the one’ don’t show it! If you fall in love with it, don’t be gushing about it, as you want to try to keep your cards close to your chest to make the negotiations easier. You don’t want to appear desperate; otherwise, you could be weaker when making an offer and trying to negotiate the best purchase price.
It’s also imperative to be respectful. Remove your shoes upon entry to keep the carpets clean, don’t open cupboards and doors without asking first and don’t vape or smoke anywhere inside or outside the property. Even if you offer the best price, a seller can decide not to sell to you for any reason, and it’s important to remember that this is still their home.
Viewing a property isn’t the time to discuss the asking price or tell the vendor what it’s worth or what similar properties have sold for in the street. If you want to make an offer, negotiations must occur between the seller and our negotiators.
Finally, if you don’t like the property, it’s better to keep quiet and make the viewing short rather than say that you don’t like it.
Clyde Property is a leading independent, multiple award-winning estates and letting agent with more than 30 years of experience in selling and letting property in Scotland. Call your local Clyde Property branch today, for friendly, impartial advice on finding your next dream home.
