Guide to Viewings
On average, it takes roughly 10 to 15 viewings before a property is sold, (although this may vary depending on the state of the local property market), with the favourite viewing day being Saturday.
Getting Ready for the Viewing
When preparing the house for the viewing, do bear in mind that not everybody will love your pets as much as you do - in fact, they will put off a certain proportion of potential buyers - so keep any animals out of the way when showing your house, and eliminate any evidence of pet hair or odours that they might leave behind. If you let viewers to inspect the house without close supervision, it's a good idea to make sure you don't leave valuables or jewellery lying around.
What You Should Do Before a Viewing
1. Make sure that the kitchen and bathrooms are spotless.
2. Tidy away clutter (newspapers, post, toys, etc).
3. Brighten rooms by drawing back curtains.
4. Make up the beds, empty waste bins and put down toilet seats.
5. Light a fire if it's winter or anytime when it's cold, or make sure the central heating is on.
6. Turn on lamps to brighten rooms and enhance dark corners.
7. Put fresh flowers in the living room and a bowl of fruit in the dining room or kitchen.
8. Make sure that the house smells fresh and pleasant.
9. Do a quick clean up, vacuum or sweep floors.
10. Fluff up cushions and pillows.
During the Viewing
If you're showing the potential buyers round yourself, make sure you're as friendly and open as you can - people are much more likely to make an offer if they like you and think you will be a good person to do business with. It's also worth bearing in mind that when selling to a couple, it's often the woman who decides what to buy, so it may be a good idea to concentrate your selling efforts on the female partner!
Give them the opportunity to look around the house themselves; don't let them feel that you are hovering at their shoulder. This will give them the opportunity to look at the rooms more closely, imagine themselves living there and discuss things amongst themselves.
