The Complete Guide to Doing Your Own Viewings

Choosing to sell your own home through an online estate agents, can save you a tremendous amount of money. However when it comes to selling your home, the way you present and carry out your viewings can make all the difference in whether your gamble to go it alone pays off.

Here, you can find the top 10 tricks of the trade detailing how to carry out and prepare for a successful viewing and get your house sold.

Give your buyers the lowdown

It is a good idea to give your buyers a (brief!) lowdown of all the main features of the house, including any important information. The house's distance from the supermarkets and schools, the fixtures that will come with the house, the surrounding area – are all useful things to mention.

Think about Safety

Of course, when you're showing your own home – ensure there is someone else present for safety reasons. Whilst most buyers will be polite and easy to work with, you could easily miss someone thieving or put yourself in a vulnerable situation should someone dangerous turn up. Clearly, we don't suggest having your buyers followed – but be sure that you keep an eye on them, and have someone to keep an eye on you!

Know Who You're Showing Around!

By doing a bit of research into who you'll be showing around, you can tailor your viewing to their individual needs and make a friendlier first impression. When you greet buyers at the door be sure to welcome them warmly and keep a friendly tone throughout the viewing to made them feel at ease. Moreover, be sure to highlight certain rooms or aspects of the house that will appeal to their requirements.

Be Hospitable

Be prepared to expect a little criticism about your home. No two individuals have exactly the same tastes in home décor so you must be open to accommodating buyers own ideas and help them think of ways in which they can make your house their own. Leave all emotion at the front door and remind yourself you are there to SELL.

Choose your Selling Method

Hard or soft sell? There are different ways to deliver your sales pitch to a buyer and you'll need to decide which would be most appropriate for you and your buyer's needs. However, we'd recommend you don't go overboard; it can really put buyers off. Be natural and friendly and let people make up their own minds.

Best Room First

First impressions are indeed important. By showing your potential buyers the best room first you will begin the viewing on a positive note and hopefully trigger an optimistic mind-set which might just compensate for some of your less attractive rooms. You will be the best person to know what your houses best features are, so be sure to take buyers there first.

Give them Some Space

It's vital that your buyers feel comfortable during the viewing. Following them consistently throughout may not be the best way to do this. A better method would be to introduce your buyer to the main parts of the property then encourage them to have a look around themselves. Stay nearby but allow them space to explore the parts of the property they're most interested in and discuss what they think in relative privacy.

Don't "Over-exaggerate"

If a buyer asks about a certain feature that you don't have, it can be tempting to be flexible with truth. However when the buyer finds out the truth, you'll probably lose the sale altogether. Instead be honest, but offer ways in which they can adapt the house to suit their needs when they arrive. How the garden can be changed or wall knocked through.

Let Them Leave

When the viewing is over, don't hold prospective buyers ransom by asking them awkward questions. This is not the right time for enquiries about their interest, if they are going to put in an offer, what they thought of the new bathroom. It will just make you seem pushy and desperate – which is not the impression you want to give. Thank them for coming and say you look forward to hearing from them and then let them leave.

Prepare the House

You may be the perfect salesman, but without a presentable house – your skills will be greatly limited in swaying a buyer. If you have a viewing scheduled, give yourself plenty of time to clean and tidy your home from top to bottom. Open up the windows to freshen up the property, turn all the lights on, unlock all the doors and make sure there's no clutter or items littering the surfaces.

– Make repairs

– Paint away

– Declutter and deep-clean

– Refresh your kitchen

– Update your bathroom

– Turn on those lights