House viewings - hate them!

[OriginalFloorboards]

I’m selling our home. I’m doing the viewing myself, mainly because it’s an equestrian property and I can answer things better than the estate agent.

But, oh my gosh…I absolutely hate it. I know we have to go through the process. The cleaning, the stables, the fields…then sitting there for an hour beforehand not daring eat or drink in this show home (we can’t keep up this standard!).

Then people coming and they don’t talk all the way round. I feel I have to fill in the gaps.

Or people talking and being here an hour and a half asking questions to then say it’s not for them to the estate agent.

I know I have to go through the process. I know we all have to suffer this. How do you all get through them? I have anxiety from perimenopause and I feel it’s really stressful.

I have such large grounds I can’t get my viewings down to less than an hour and and ten minutes, even if I’m business like.

Am I the only one like this?

Does anyone else dread them but know we have to do them?

Just needed a few kindred souls to tell me I can get through all of this!

I’m not even selling because I want to. It’s just got so expensive and too much to do with my health.

The viewings are too long. Even if you have many acres and buildings, they don't have to see them all. A 15 minute slot is standard near me for a first viewing, no matter how large the property.

Would you consider letting the agent do them and you can prep them properly?

There's always gin!

Why don't you let the agent do the viewings and exhaust themselves, but be present (perhaps sitting on the patio) for any questions?

Don’t show them all the grounds. House, stables, wave hand at grounds in the distance. Second viewings could be longer.

Our estate agent was fab - organised a Saturday viewing day and scheduled back to back viewings. We went out for the day (neighbour kept us updated with what was happening). Helped that the best secondary school in the area was at the end of the road so lots of interest. People made an offer on the Monday but dropped out due to Brexit, so EA invited the other viewers to put in an offer. But there was a new couple who had missed the viewing day so he brought them round. The man really wanted it because of the school but the woman clearly didn’t want to move. She lived in a big Victorian detached house with a 50ft garden. Ours was a semi on a new build estate! She kept moaning that our ceilings were too low. I felt very protective of my house!

I looked around (and am in the process of buying) a house with land. There were multiple viewings going on at the same time. The two owners were chatting to people, the estate agent was chatting to people, and some were just wandering around the land. We only managed to get one viewing in, but like you say, it lasted about an hour and a half, and then we spent a couple of hours roaming the village. There were several offers on the table a few days later. We were lucky to secure it.

I’m with you, we have sold around 13 houses and have just put our current home on the market.
We have an expression “buyers are liars”.
We have heard it all, one woman who spent over an hour in the house and even opened wardrobe doors later confessed to the agent she booked the viewing as she wanted a closer look at our kitchen, it was bespoke and she wanted to know who built it!
We have had unruly children running around unsupervised, people bringing their relations for a first viewing and one couple who wandered around saying things like “well I suppose it would do” !
Cash buyers are rarely cash buyers and a lot of estate agents are crap at their jobs.
I asked one agent who was doing the viewings what school catchment we were in and what facilities we had in the village, she had no idea, it was before the days of RightMove and internet.
Rant over!

Thanks everyone.

The viewers want to see everything, arena, land, stables, go in every outbuilding. I really do try to waft my arms and say the land etc. They go in each and every stable too. Some have even looked in my built in wardrobes to see the depth despite me saying you can see the depth from the outside.

One couple rocked up and seemed to want to make an afternoon of it.

I might look at just doing viewings for only people under offer and asking the estate agent to do them like you say.

Take my guard dogs out in the car, the family and get a drive through coffee!

Thank you everyone.

Oh I feel you!

One family rocked up a week EARLY for a viewing and we were baking in our PJs at 7pm.

We rushed round and told them to look round outside for ten minutes. They were lovely, but then they hadn’t got their house on the market and asked if their dogs could go for a walk on their leads.

Then they avoided calls from estate agents.

So frustrating.

They were lovely, but then they hadn’t got their house on the market and asked if their dogs could go for a walk on their leads.

WOW that's cheeky. You should have said sure - when you buy it!

@Heirian love that. You made me laugh out loud.

I did tell the estate agent I want every house checking on Rightmove that it’s up for sale after that.

Don’t be ridiculous- equestrians (I’m one) are far more interested in the stables than anything in the house).

@OriginalFloorboards get the agent to do it, you really don’t need to answer questions there and then, if they genuinely have any they can find out after. Buyers are largely uncomfortable viewing with the owner, they can’t say what they really think.

Go for a hack and leave the agent to it.

Yep they are horrendous!

We’re buying somewhere with land and have spent the last year and a half looking (finally found the right place in April so keeping fingers crossed it goes through!!). About 3/4s of the places we’ve seen it’s been owners showing us around and we have found that has led to quite a lot of awkward situations where we knew within seconds of arriving that it wasn’t going to be right but it has been hard to get out of a full 1 to 2 hour tour without wishing to offend the owners. Also when you are viewing as a couple it’s hard to know if the other one is thinking the same as you or if they are totally loving the place! Personally I would MAKE the agents do the viewings - if people are keen they will come back and can ask questions then.

I would also say we found quite a lot of properties we travelled a way to see because the particulars had left out important details or not been clear about things that would make a big difference. For example, new housing about to go up next door, the extent of work needed, actual photos and details of all the outbuildings, condition of fencing in fields, whether the fields could be cut for hay/ silage etc. I guess estate agents think these things don’t matter to people but it made a huge difference to our budget if the roofs on large outbuildings needed replacing/ what they were made of etc. so you might be able to avoid some wasted viewings by really making sure your particulars are up to scratch for the type of people who would be interested in your property and being clear about any compromises.

Good luck though!

Oh man I am literally lurking in a room full of boxes waiting for viewers to turn up, then once they've cleared the path and got into the house I can escape into the garden and lurk there.
My DH is upstairs working but does the being there for questions bit. I just want to sit outside and drink my tea and not have to talk to them, but if I go in the garden now they'll see me as they come up the path (garden is only at front). They're late and my tea's getting cold but I have nowhere to sit in this bit of the house because we're all packed up!
Grrrrrrr. Totes with you OP. 😂

Oh also I would say agents always left us to look around land (and often outbuildings) on our own so you should definitely feel confident that it’s ok to do that and be forceful if needed.

Good luck with your hiding @heldinadream 😆 this so made me laugh.

Thanks everyone who has posted - I appreciate it and your wise words.

Thank fuck they arrived and I'm now here. 😄

@heldinadream I need this chilled approach! It’s freezing where we are and blowing a gale.

Honestly this house selling caper has been a NIGHTMARE. I'm not chilled I'm alternately past caring, exhausted, and angry.

I hope you have a better time of it. I really do.
But yes the weather's nice here today (at the mo).

I'd suggest the estate agent doing the first viewings. As you've done some now you know if there are regular questions, so you could put together a sheet of "FAQs" and leave them out so the viewers can take one if they want.

If someone is serious they'll want to do a second viewing and you could do those instead.

Really, really good idea on the q and a sheet.

I’ve recently viewed a few houses (with intent to buy) and the agent told me that where I’m looking lots of locals just like to have a nosey.

told this to our estate agent who was horrified and said “but the agent’s job is to qualify people to check they aren’t time
wasters?!”

sounds like you need a decent agent on board - I am tired for you!

It’s horrible selling houses let alone equestrian properties with land.

One thing you can do to reduce the stress is tell your EA to only allow viewings from people who are in a position to proceed or at the very least have their own property already on the market.

If there’s lots to see give them a 30 minute slot. I understand looking in wardrobes though; the built in wardrobes in my house were all mouldy inside and I wish I had looked when viewing.

Can you put together a fact sheet on the common questions that keep coming up, say to people fuest viewing slots are 20 mins walk round only and questions can be submitted afterwards by email. Also a virtual tour or video tour that can be sent to buyers pre veiwing might weed some out too. Or ooen house only, so hold an open house once a month and no viewings in between.

You only need to make one sheet. Leave it somewhere obvious and people can take a picture with their phone if they want to take the information with them.