With supply outstripping demand in the housing market, now is the perfect time to put your house up for sale. The lack of properties for sale relative to buyers means you’ll have queues around the block to view – and as a result, you’ve got every chance of getting the right price…if that is, you prepare properly for the viewing process.
So, what do you need to do to ensure your viewings are a success and you’ve got buyers champing at the bit to secure your home? Jeremy Trott, Director here at Hockeys has compiled a viewing checklist below to ensure you’re armed and ready.
A Cluttered House is a BIG No No
Declutter – a house spilling over with the current occupants’ personal items is, in short, a disaster. You want the person or family viewing to picture themselves living in the house - if it’s cluttered with old photos or the record collection gathering dust on the floor, then the potential buyer will have a very hard time visualizing the property as their home. Put your storage to good use, put away as many of your possessions as possible and make the most of the space!
Curb Appeal Is Key
First impressions are so important. The potential buyer is making an assessment of your house as soon as they pull up outside the front door, so curb appeal can be the difference between them making an offer or not. If you’ve got paint off the woodwork on the door, or a bit of guttering is coming down, it’ll be noticed immediately. Make the front of the house shine and ensure your viewing gets off to the best possible start. The same applies for when your agent first comes to value your property. Ensure it is photo ready, so when it goes live, it jumps out for all of the right reasons.
Know Your House Viewing Etiquette
A lot of this comes down to common sense, but you’d be amazed at how many people get it so wrong. If your potential buyer walks in to an off-putting odour, such as cigarette smoke or damp, they are not going get “the feeling.” That overwhelming sense that this could be the property for them and their home for years to come. Make your setting as welcoming as possible – the smell of home cooked food for example (although nothing too overpowering). Take the time to clean your house prior to viewings, make it feel - and smell - like a HOME!
Trust Your Agent For Viewing Victory
Firstly, it’s in your agent’s interest to perform the best viewing possible - after all we don’t receive our commission until the property is sold. But there’s an even more important reason why you should trust your agent to handle your viewings. Here at Hockeys, we get to know buyers’ requirements, so our agents are experts in exactly what the person or family viewing is looking for from a property. This enables the agent to accentuate particular “must have” areas – such as good living space for a family, a pretty garden for a green-fingered buyer or the potential to do work and improve the house for someone looking for a project. If you feel more comfortable being present as well, that’s fine, but let the agent do the heavy lifting because it’s literally where they earn their money!
Tackle the Snag List Before the Viewing
Having the DIY list hanging over you is annoying, but it’s essential you tackle those snags before viewings start. If your potential buyer spots snags in the house even if they’re superficial, it gives them license to make a lower offer with the argument that there is work to be carried out that will cost. Simple things like a door hanging off a hinge or a faulty light socket can have an impact. It is worth investing a bit of time in touching up your property. You want the buyer to leave the house thinking about where their sofa might go when they move in, not which tools they’ll need to invest in to fix all those snags!
Arrange a Property Valuation
If you are in the Cambridge area and would like to know how much your home could raise, get expert advice from local estate agent Hockeys. You can request a Cambridge property valuation now using our quick online form.
10 Mill Road, Cambridge CB1 2AD