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PREPARE VIEWINGS WELL WHEN YOU SELL YOUR PROPERTY
Viewings play a central role in selling a property. Scheele Immobilienberatung, as an estate agent in the Rhine-Main area, can confirm this from many years of experience. A successful viewing needs good preparation. This applies both to investment properties and to owner-occupied properties. Sellers should leave nothing to chance and invest generously in good preparation – time and, where necessary, money.
PREPARING FOR THE VIEWING
Good advertising and a meaningful exposé are the key to attracting as many suitable prospective buyers as possible. The exposé must contain all important information on the condominium, the house or the plot. The location, features and condition of the property are described in detail in the exposé, and its advantages should be highlighted. Defects should not be concealed, however, as it is pointless to lure many prospective buyers to a viewing with false hopes. Photos, floor plans and the living-space calculation give prospective buyers further information to help them assess how far the advertised property meets their expectations. Of course, the selling price must not be missing. The aim of the exposé is to attract the right prospective buyers to a viewing.
THE FIRST IMPRESSION AT THE VIEWING
You only get one chance to make a first impression. Once it has been made, it cannot easily be corrected. Every property viewing should be thoroughly prepared. Your property should make the best possible impression. Take enough time to put your house or apartment in the best possible condition, both inside and outside. Create an inviting and friendly atmosphere. Prospective buyers should feel at home straight away. Here are just a few tips to bear in mind:
- Air all rooms.
- Create a homely atmosphere.
- Make sure the temperature is pleasant.
- Good lighting in all rooms is important.
- The property should be thoroughly cleaned.
You should definitely point out defects. This does not mean the usual signs of wear and tear from normal use. If, for example, the house suffers from damp, the seller must point this out to prospective buyers. It is a great art to highlight the advantages of the property and at the same time discuss its defects constructively.
DOCUMENTS FOR THE VIEWING
For viewings you need various documents that you should hand to prospective buyers. This helps them remember the property better. These include:
- A high-quality exposé with the most important information on your property
- Floor plan
- Site plan
- Building specification
- Current service-charge statement
- Energy performance certificate
DON'T SHOW THEM EVERYTHING AT THE VIEWING!
You should always prepare your property well for viewings. This includes asking yourself what your home says about you. Protect your privacy while your property is on the market and viewings are taking place! Are your secrets safe? Before a property is offered on the market and the first prospective buyers view it, experienced sellers will be careful with confidential information. Even so, it is astonishing what buyers can find out.
Is it snooping if a prospective buyer opens a drawer during a viewing? Not if the drawer is part of built-in furniture that is sold with the property, as is often the case with fitted kitchens or built-in wardrobes. Buyers may innocently open a drawer during a viewing to assess the build quality or the depth and see important documents not intended for their eyes.
Don't leave your post where someone can find it Many sellers leave piles of opened post neatly on the kitchen table. Buyers could find out how many and which loans have to be serviced. They can tell if you are late paying your mortgage. Some sellers believe prospective buyers would never read someone else's personal post, even when it is stuck to the fridge door, begging to be read. A buyer armed with such information can easily work out what price to offer for the property – certainly not the asking price.
Remove awards, certificates and wedding photos for viewings
Although all personal items should be removed before viewings, sellers sometimes overlook the obvious and leave awards or certificates on the wall, for example. Some people then tend towards prejudices that go too far. For example, the seller might be a lawyer. There are buyers who do not feel comfortable buying a property from a lawyer – for whatever reason.
Wedding photos could give clues to the seller's religion, as could certain religious objects in the house or apartment. Do not give prospective buyers the opportunity to form an opinion about your private affairs. Do not let prospective buyers be distracted from your property and form an idea of what kind of music or literature you like. All valuable items should also be removed before viewings. Your property should be the focus, and prospective buyers should be able to imagine what it will be like to live there.
The contents of built-in wardrobes Sellers who are separating or going through a divorce often feel under great pressure to sell their property quickly. But that is not information most sellers want to share with prospective buyers. Yet they do – by keeping only men's or only women's clothing in the built-in wardrobes. It really is nobody's business if a seller's relationship is ending. But as soon as a buyer finds out that a seller urgently needs to sell, the buyer will make an offer well below the asking price. So don't leave tell-tale clues lying around that could hinder the sale.
Before you offer your house or apartment on the market and hold viewings, we recommend preparing it well. If your property says a lot about you to prospective buyers, it probably also says something that does not help the sale.
Many sellers feel overwhelmed by viewings. One reason is that they have a personal connection to the property. It is not easy to face many detailed questions and to listen to critical remarks about your own house or apartment. As an estate agent in the Rhine-Main area, Scheele Immobilienberatung has many years of experience in selling property and in dealing with people and challenging situations. Simply ask us for non-binding advice on selling your property.