Arranging, preparing and completing viewings is a partnership between the vendor and ourselves here at Tortoise Property. For a successful sale we do rely on each others flexibility and commitment to ensure that each viewing is completed to the highest possible standard. This article explains the importance of the viewing process while also giving you an insight into the stages involved.
Arranging viewings
When arranging a viewing, flexibility is key and is just as important as property presentation. We work with many busy people and therefore to support your sale we accompany every viewing. We are happy to accompany viewings with you present or not, for example if you’re unable to attend due to other commitments. We find when a vendor is present we like to involve the vendor in the viewing where we find they can be helpful in providing information on the cost of living in the property, local amenities and general lifestyle of the area. We do find many of our vendors do not feel comfortable being present during a viewing and also find that potential purchasers can be more candid and honest with ourselves when vendors are not present. The choice however is always yours. We always respect a vendors personal life and keep Saturday viewings to mornings & lunch times. We generally keep our last evening appointments to 6pm in order to enable vendors to enjoy their evenings. We encourage potential viewers to give our vendors 24 hours notice before requesting a viewing slot, however we do get requests from potential buyers that are visiting Peterborough as a one off and have come across our advertising on their visit. The key to a successful sale is to remember that it only takes that one viewing to make a sale.
A part of arranging the viewing is the flexibility to show your property during optimal times of the day when the most amount of light benefits your property, for example your has a large garden to show off. This is easier in the summer and however, requires planning in the winter months.
Preparing your property
When you’ve made the choice to sell your property it becomes important that the presentation of the property reflects the advertising that is widely available to potential buyers. This helps to meet the expectation of prospective purchasers. The goal of a viewing is to increase the emotional connection between the property and the potential buyer which has been built through the photography, property videos and brochures. This connection can be broken immediately if the first impression is very different. This may mean an adjustment to your lifestyle while your property is on the market to accommodate the fact that your property is now your shop window.
The walk around
A viewing can take anything from 20 minutes to a full hour to complete depending on the size of the property. This generally involves a formal introduction to the property and vendors if they are present. Your customer relationship manager will have planned the journey around your property and will end the viewing by asking the prospective buyers for their thoughts on the property and if they would be interested in making an offer. This is where the initial stages of negotiation start. Even if an offer is not immediately submitted we can get an idea of if or when an offer will be made.
The feedback
So now the viewing has been completed, we will endeavour to gain feedback from the prospective buyers. This is not always instantly available as some buyers are comparing and contrasting different properties, which will also mean they reflect over time on what they like and dislike about each one. Some prospective buyers are very forthright with their feedback while some are uncomfortable in giving any feedback as they feel they do not want to offend any vendors that have kindly let them view their property. Therefore, only constructive feedback is useful to this process as well as a final answer as to whether an offer will be made or not.
If you’re interested in selling your property or are a landlord looking for more property advice please call Tortoise on 01733 592020 or find us on Facebook and on our website.