The House Hop Guide to Home Staging

Part III: Conducting Viewings

For guidance on dealing with enquiries and arranging viewings see our separate guide "The House Hop Guide to Selling".

Here we focus on how to successfully conduct a viewing.

• Before they arrive
• Personal safety and security
• Practice
• First impressions
• Best room first
• Questions
• Second viewings
• Responding to offers

Before they arrive

If you've followed the instructions above then you've already given your home a thorough clean and everything is tidy.

The house has had chance to air and you've arranged fresh cut flowers in several of the rooms to help brighten the place up and make it smell fresh.

The curtains are all fully open (assuming the viewing is during the day) and internal doors have been left open to help create a sense of light and space.

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Personal safety and security

The rule for personal safety is pretty simple — don't conduct viewings when you're alone.

That doesn't mean you need someone with you every step of the way as you walk buyers around the house, but if you don't have a partner or they're not home then make sure that you have a friend or neighbour in the house when viewings take place.

As for security there are two things to bear in mind. First, don't leave valuables unattended and easy to steal. Second, make sure that your house is secure generally — ie, that you have good locks and windows fitted — so that it does not appeal to thieves looking for easy entry.

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Practice

There will be no comparison in buyers' minds between the polished and informative tour given by you and the hurried viewing conducted by the house seller who did no preparation or the estate agent showing a property that they've only seen once before.

Also, don't forget to anticipate questions that you might be asked by viewers. This will allow you to prepare helpful answers and you won't end up looking flustered or having to say "I don't know".

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First impressions

First impressions really do count. You've already staged your home so you can relax about that, but you still need to great your buyers with genuine warmth and enthusiasm.

If you're smiling and enthusiastic about your home that can't help but rub off on your buyers. The same, of course, is true if you're down beat and lacking in energy.

Don't forget your own appearance either. We're not suggesting formal wear, but smart casual will create a much better impression than ripped jeans a dirty t-shirt and flip flops.

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Best room first

When people are shown things in sequence the items they remember best are those they see first and last, plus those that are unusual or distinctive in some way.
This also helps to create that vital good first impression.

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Questions

You've already tried to anticipate likely questions and prepare useful answers. If you do get asked something that you don't know the answer to it's much better to say so than to try and make it up. That also leaves things open for you to find out and let the buyer know.

Know how much council tax you pay and what your average utility bills are. You should also know which local schools are available, both primary and secondary.

Make sure that all your answers are honest. While you're not required to point out any problems that your property may have, you're not allowed to mislead buyers either.

If you do then you could be sued for misrepresentation by the buyer and have to pay damages. Prior to completion the buyer may also be able to pull out of the contract and you will have to return the deposit.

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Second viewings

If buyers are keen they'll probably ask for a second viewing.

Rather than the detailed tour, which they've already had, suggest to you buyer that you give them a quick tour to refresh their memory while answering any questions they may have, before leaving them to have a wander around on their own.

Once they've had a chance to look around on their own you can offer them refreshments and answer any further questions they may have. Again, make use of your best room for this.

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Responding to offers

We've covered the negotiation process in detail in our separate guide "The House Hop Guide to Selling" and you should familiarise yourself with it before you conduct viewings.

If you receive an offer in person thank your potential buyer and tell them you'd like time to think about it or that you need to discuss it before responding.

Even if market conditions are poor and you've had little interest it's usually a good idea to give yourself some time to calmly reflect on the offer once the buyer has left, rather than responding to it on the spot.

Let your interested buyer know if you have other viewings coming up and give them an idea of the timetable. Let them know when you hope to make a decision and that in the meantime you're happy to answer further questions and to keep them informed of progress.

Once you've decided to accept an offer let the buyer know as soon as possible — don't give them too long to cool off or to find another property. Refer to "The House Hop Guide to Selling" to see exactly what steps to take next.

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