Viewings are one of the most important parts of the property selling journey. It’s the make or break time between potential buyers deciding whether they’re going to tempt you with an offer or carry on looking at properties elsewhere.

So it goes without saying that as the seller, anything you can do to gain the upper hand will eventually pay you back great dividends. Here’s how to stack the odds in your favour without getting yourself in a tangle…

During my career as an Estate Agent I’ve been on thousands of viewings.

Some have been just me, the buyers and the property.

Others have been me, the buyer, the property AND the owner (which can be slightly awkward).

There’s even been instances of the odd squatter.

So all in all, there’s not much you’re going to experience showing your home that I haven’t already encountered myself and I’d like to share a few important lessons I’ve picked up along the way.

Now if your property is on the market and you’ve chosen to do the viewings yourself, that’s great.

Nobody knows the property like you do and you’re going to be far better at answering any questions and providing information on recent works and upgrades etc.

However, there is an art to performing a great viewing.

I’m sure most Estate Agents can recall an instance where the seller has been present throughout the viewing and has caused many cringe-worthy moments as they spew out all sorts of information that the viewers aren’t all that interested in…

The better prepared you are for the viewing, the more chance you have of really wowing your buyers and securing that all important sale.

There’s loads of tips and tricks which I could write about for pages and pages so I’ll just (try and) keep it to the fundamentals so that you can get off to a great start.

My first rule of showing your property is to, surprisingly, prepare.

It should go without saying that your property should be tidy, clutter free and odourless.

We’re not talking completely spotless here but would you walk into a car show room and see a dirty BMW?

Your property is probably worth considerably more than most cars and they keep them polished and shiny for a reason!

However, buyers will be well aware that they are not coming to view a property in “show home” standard and pristine condition.

You live there and it’s to be expected that the tins aren’t stacked in alphabetical order and the garden doesn’t look like something out of the Chelsea flower show.

But, whatever effort you make, you will be rewarded for.

Kitchens and Bathrooms in particular.

Also, is your property welcoming from the outside?

First impressions count and if it’s looking a bit dull, try brightening it up with some hanging baskets and tidying up the frontage.

It can make a world of difference.

Now on to tip number two.

Make them feel at home.

What we really need to encourage during this viewing is for the buyers to imagine themselves living in your property, and enjoying it.

If we can do that, you’re halfway home and almost certain to at least receive an offer.

It goes without saying that you should welcome your buyers with a smile and introduce yourself.

How about offering them a cup of tea or a coffee as they look round?

It’s going to take out all of the stress out of the situation and make everybody much more relaxed.

After all, it’s just as stressful for the buyer looking around a complete stranger’s house as it is for you showing it to them.

If you have super clean carpets, get some of those blue plastic shoe covers from your local DIY store.

Not everybody feels comfortable about taking off their shoes (you’d be surprised at how awkward this can be) and this way you get a happy buyer and a stain free staircase.

It’s these little things that make the viewing so much easier for everyone involved and allow your viewers to just appreciate the property you have to offer.

You may have heard the old wives tale about taking down family photos so as not to put any mental hurdles in the way of them seeing themselves living there.

However, I’ve never seen this make any real difference.

If anyone can point me towards any studies that have actually proven this, I’d love to see them.

Honestly, if I was viewing a family house and all traces of family photos and the like had been removed, I’d probably think the owners were a bit strange.

Do they have a particularly hairy family member that they don’t want outsiders knowing about?

Or are they trying to use some sneaky sales tactics on me?

Either one isn’t going to be doing much for me wanting to live there.

Now, tip number three.

I want you to dig deep down and channel your inner “second hand car salesperson”.

Now I want you to lock that salesperson in the cellar or in the shed way down at the bottom of the garden.

The reason that a lot of people aren’t particularly keen on salespeople is because most of the general public don’t like to be “sold” to.

Which, is the mission of a sales person.

There’s a slight conflict of interest there.

BUT, they do love to buy!

As the owner of the property, your job is not to flummox your buyer with information on every single home improvement you’ve made to the property since you’ve lived there and give a full life story on each neighbour within a five mile radius.

Your job is to simply show the property and give information if requested by the viewer.

Simples.

However, it should be made clear (in a nice way) that if your viewers do have any questions, they are more than welcome to ask.

The property is going to sell itself on this one, there’s not a lot you’re going to be able to say that can affect that.

I’ve witnessed it time and time again where the owner has gone off on a long winded speech about how they’ve done this, that and that when the buyer really hasn’t been interested whatsoever.

Rather than actually getting a feel for the place and enjoying the accommodation, they’re left listening to the owner whittling on the whole way around the house.

By the time they’re back in the car, they’ve completely forgotten what the property was actually like and it’s definitely not on the short list.

When you go to look for a new kitchen, do you like to just take your time, ask questions if needed, have a play around with the features and imagine it in your own home?

Or do you prefer to have a salesperson talk at you the whole time telling you how long ago it was made, what type of wood it’s made of, where the tree that it was built from originates from and how there’s no better kitchen in the whole neighbourhood?

It definitely would not be the latter for me.

If you have made lots of improvements, print off a sheet that you can handover to the buyer so they can view them at their own leisure. Or make sure your agent has them listed on the brochure so you can give them a copy with everything on.

It’s always worth having a couple of spare copies of your property brochure.

My third and almost final rule to a successful showing is to create an excellent first and last impression.

Before the viewing takes place, think about the order in which you are going to show your property.

First and last impressions count so you should always start and finish the tour in your best room – usually the kitchen or the lounge.

As best you can (without going from ground floor to first, back to ground and to first – the buyer might think you’re up to something) show the best rooms in the property first and work back.

To finish off, go back to the room you started, invite any questions, thank your viewers for coming and job’s a good’un!

Make sure they’ve been out to see the garden too.

And finally, my last rule is to let the agent do what they’re good at.

You may get some buyers who want to make you an offer there and then.

I can tell you from over a decade of experience that it is always best to let your estate agent handle negotiations on price.

Firstly, it’s what we’re trained to do and largely why you chose to instruct an estate agent in the first place.

Secondly, more often than not, when buyers start communicating with sellers it can quickly turn sour.

As the seller, you’re probably looking for as much as you can get.

Whilst the buyer on the other hand is looking to spend as little as possible.

That’s not a great foundation for building a long lasting relationship, or getting the house sold.

If the buyer asks for your telephone number or wants to make an offer, what you choose to do is up to you but I would always recommend telling them you would prefer if all negotiations were handled by your estate agent.

Deep down, they’ll be expecting you to say that anyway – but you might get the odd one that tries their luck.

Oh, and one more!

I know I said that would be my last one but I do have another important tip.

I’ll be quick.

Don’t judge a book buy its cover!

Everyone is different and it can often be the person who seems the most disinterested that actually goes on to buy the property.

If a viewer is not talkative and isn’t very responsive – don’t get disheartened and don’t take it personally, it might just be how they are in real life!

So, there you have my four(ish) rules to blowing the socks off your viewers and giving yourself the best chances of getting that all important “SOLD” slapped on the sale board.

So, if you have any viewings coming up, take stock of these tips, relax, prepare, don’t panic – you’ll be fine!

Good luck!

Yours faithfully,

Benjamin Brain
Hannells