Moving house is one of the most stressful things you can possibly do in life, along with having a family and divorcing. Not to put a negative spin on things; but let’s face it: there’s always SOMETHING that goes wrong. From the sale falling through, to wasting money on a pointless survey – it’s the little turns your house-moving journey will take that will catch you unaware and annoy you.
However, it’s always good to make sure you try to minimise the likely mishaps. One way of doing this is to make your home as attractive as possible to buyers and not to put them off. Presentation is, after all, everything. First impressions are vital. Make sure you make your home look as buyer-friendly as possible to put it above the competition. Leave no stone unturned when it comes to uncovering the potential problems lurking under the floorboards….
We as an estate agent in Holland Park have come up with a few helpful pointers on avoiding viewing DISASTERS:
Mess
Ok, this may sound obvious; but you’d be surprised as to how many people fail to nip this one in the bud. Imagine walking into a property to a disgusting smell, unmade beds, mould and just general chaos. Your property MAY be beautiful underneath the clutter; but it’s no good if no one can see this.
Before you hold viewings, make sure you get your precious home professionally cleaned and make sure it doesn’t smell bad. Give it a good airing. Even strong odours like cooking smells can put people off. Also, make sure there are no nasty surprises that the innocent viewer could stumble across. You may think the spider in the bathtub is cute – it’s unlikely that anyone else will.
And if you have a pet that’s not er, ‘normal’ (ie a snake) make sure you keep it well out of sight. Even a very enthusiastic dog bounding up to potential buyers may frighten some people off – not everyone likes that kind of intrusion.
Viewing in the evening
For some people it can be pretty tough to look at properties in the day – so evening viewings are a way round this. The problem for the vendor, however, is that evenings often don’t exactly paint your home in the best light. From children hanging around after school, plus cooking (yes, that again) creating random odours and spillage, as well as noise – television and stereo etc – you’d be surprised just as to how much this can put viewers off. As well as this, you’ll have to be able to guarantee you can get back on time and tidy the house to prepare. This is why sometimes it’s better to just give the keys to the estate agents and leave them to get on with it.
The problem of you
Have you ever viewed a property to rent or sell and had people hovering over your every move? If so, you’ll know how it feels, so don’t make the same mistake! We all know how precious your home is to you – after all it’s your special place, your space to stamp your mark and you are king/queen of your castle. However, it’s important to distance yourself from the whole process if you feel you may be a bit clingy when viewings are happening. It can be awkward for viewers to have owners hanging around, deflecting criticism and talking the property up. If they have questions; they’ll ask, if not; they won’t. Try to always be objective and brief. People know what they’re looking for and often these things are based on gut instinct – there’s only so much you can do to change people’s minds.
