Thoughts on sellers doing viewings?

[northchesterforest]

Hi there, in a nutshell our estate agent has said they will dramatically reduce their commission if we, the sellers, take on the viewings.

I work from home so I'm more than happy to do this. My only concerns are whether this will put buyers off?

Please give honest opinions!
I can be really welcoming and professional, but also give them their space... I look quite young for my age so I worry they might not take me as seriously as your traditional middle aged, male agent even though I'm the seller but I might be being silly.

It wouldn't bother me if seller showed me around, in fact, I know I'd find it more useful - you can ask about local area, ask one or two things about the house. As you say, at some point ensure they have their own space, maybe show them around and then say I'll leave you on your own for a couple of mins to go and look at anything you want again.

That's why I stayed on the landing/stairs or in the hallway. You are close enough to tell if cupboard doors are being opened whilst still giving them space. Just remove any valuables or medications off the surfaces, including any small but loved toys in case a little child falls too much in love with it.

I’m sure that wasn’t off putting for your viewers at all having the owner hovering on the landing while they looked inside the rooms.

Sorry I appreciate people have different opinions so there’s no right or wrong answer. But I would find it uncomfortable having the owner hovering nearby and listening out for any sounds while I was viewing a property

For me it’s a complete no. When the owner is there you feel awkward, like you have to tell them it’s nice, and they always look at you expectantly and like they are trying not to, and failing to look nonchalant.

if you go round with the agent is a much less emotional thing, you can be blunt and honest, when the owner is there, you have to be all polite and oh that’s lovely, great size nonsense.

honestly that’s so bad, the owner hovering like that.

It can't have been that off putting. I got four offers in the first three days shrugs

Wow, that’s an excessive amount, 😄

Excessive? What do you mean by that?

I'm just saying that owners can, and do, sell their own house successfully.

I prefer an agent as a buyer, but if you have to be there I would let people walk around themselves and only answer their questions

Please don't go into overdrive selling the place

As it’s the norm in Scotland for vendors to do the viewings you’re really going to restrict the numbers of properties you can consider.

Also, and for everyone who’s talked about feeling pressure to be nice about the house in front of the owner - you don’t need to say anything you don’t mean! If you like something, say so. If you don’t, then say nothing.

I sold my last house by doing all the viewings myself. I could talk (positively and honestly) about the neighbours, boiler, the extension etc which the EA wouldn't know.
I'm currently selling again and am doing the viewings as I WFH and I want to be able to answer any questions they have.

After greeting them, I sit at my workspace so they can wander and chat. I then ask them if they have any questions so they can be answered there and then rather than have to ask EA to ask me then go back to them!
I did have the EA do a couple but I left a list of FAQs for him as I thought the viewers would also ask the same.
The place I'm buying I initially viewed with EA, but second viewing with the vendor was much better as he could answer my questions re parking (it's an apartment block) refuse collection, energy efficiency, communal areas maintenance, service charge coverage etc.
good luck

I prefer the estate agent when I'm viewing but it's no big deal. As long as u show them around and then leave them on their own so they can chat as they go round.

I also don't like doing the viewings when selling but did them all as was just easier.

Most properties I've viewed it's usually the owners, very few have been the agents. I'm in central Scotland maybe that's not normal around here 🤷🏻‍♀️

I wouldn't bat an eyelid at your youthfulness, I'd assume you know the valuing your home etc.

It's actually good to have the owners sometimes. As can give info on council tax, Utilities etc, parking (if that's an issue in the are-) and just local knowledge or things the estate agents never know!

What is frustrating is when they start telling u oh they haven't even put their house on the market yet but love yours and no doubt it'll be gone by time they sell theirs! Also the middle aged guy that showed up with his parents, then told me it was great but his mum was desperate to view it and it was out of his price range 😡 🤷🏻‍♀️

Any estate agents I've had show us around have also left us to wander after showing us each of the rooms.

Agree with this. I don't especially like having the seller there but it wouldn't be a deal breaker if I loved the house. It's awkward if you are viewing as a couple and you want to be able to point out the negatives to each other, so yes buyers need to be able to walk around by themselves.

We viewed a house once where they were selling the family home due to divorce and the lady that showed us round clearly didn't want to move out. That was fairly excruciating tbh.

For some of us that doesn't come naturally though, to walk round with a poker face while the owner is smiling & being friendly. It's natural when you go to someone's house for the first time to say something complimentary and so you look for the positives whereas with an EA you can also voice your concerns about "the living room being a bit too dark" or "the astro turf is a turn off" or whatever. Which could be useful feedback if the property fails to sell quickly.

It sounds like people from Scotland tend to take the view that it's normal for owners to do viewings because that is the norm there but in England it's the norm in most areas for EAs to do the first viewings and the owner maybe being there for second viewings when more questions are asked.

So to answer @northchesterforest question, maybe choose whatever is normal in your area as that will be what your viewers will be expecting & therefore comfortable with.

I do think estate agents have a nerve to ask this. Makes them a glorified admin service, with a shop window.

Im up north, when I was buying quite a lot of the viewings were done by a random key person who knows nothing about the property. I’d rather have the owner than a random bloke who works part time at the EA and whose sole job is to just let people in

@Pixiedust1234

i would fully expect potential viewers to open any doors/cupboards that are built in. I do & id be pissed off if I was then 'checked up on'

@northchesterforest I prefer it to be the owner if they feel able to give me some space to look around/think, but not if they're going to hover & make me feel uncomfortable.

im going to spend several hundred thousand buying a house, I'm not interested in pilfering shite from your cupboards🤣🤣(I have enough of my own!!)

you sound like the kind of owner that would make it a good experience.

I think you missed the:

they will dramatically reduce their commission

They’d need to, if doing so little!

I did my own, far better

Mostly I felt that this worked well for houses that we viewed. The owners pretty much let us wander but were able to chat and answer questions. The only one that was awful was a midday weekend viewing where both the husband and the oldest son were still asleep and the mum still insisted on showing us around the bedrooms. I think as long as long as there's no awkwardness along those lines it's fine.

I hate it. It's always awkward with the owner there. You have to nod and smile when you may really just want to walk out as its not for you.

The agent normally just leaves you to it and you can be honest. I can't walk in a room with the owner and go "oh this is a bit smaller than it looked online" as they will be pissed off. Where as an agent doesn't care.

We bought from an owner who showed us round - but they were nice and normal.

Also had some horrorshow viewings. One was a soon-to-be-divorcé, whose commentary went "and that's the parquet SHE wanted.... I put those marble work tops on for HER" and another one where the woman explained how you could fit 3 people in the shower 😉😉😉with her adult son listening.

I'd a million times rather be shown around by the owner. Estate agents never know the answers to any of the questions I want to ask. I don't get this worry about having to make nice comments either, there are plenty of relevant questions you can be asking instead.