Viewings again and I can't be bothered

[GrannyWentToMarketAgain]

Just that really. Three failed sales because of flaky buyers and now back on the market, again.

Every other time, the place was pristine for each and every viewing, but with 3 dc (one a toddler) and now feeling completely jaded by the process of selling and buying, I can't be bothered.

What level of clean and tidy is appropriate? What is the middle ground between show home and we want to sell / acceptable for viewings?

I don't look at mess, i look at the structural condition of the house, the location, the price. The mess is irrelevant because 1. it won't be there when I move in and 2. I can see beyond the mess.

However, a lot of people can't envisage what potential a house has and would struggle to picture it as something else so on that basis I'd be making sure it was pristine before a viewing if you want it to sell.

Agreed. Normal family belongings are to be expected, but if it's filthy and cluttered, that would put me off. So beds made, nothing on the floor that shouldn't be on the floor (i.e. no clothes, books, etc), kitchen clean and tidy, but fine to have kettle, toaster, knife block, utensils, mug tree, fruit bowl, kitchen roll, etc out. Make sure it smells nice. I'm very sensitive to smells and if I smell dog, smoke, damp/mould or anything unpleasant that would put me off.

What level of clean and tidy is appropriate? What is the middle ground between show home and we want to sell / acceptable for viewings?

prioritise kitchen and bathrooms, no wet towels on floor, washing up done or at least stacked in the dishwasher.

Vacuum the main areas on the day of a visit.

DC to keep their bedroom tidy (small treat for the tidiest bedroom!)

if you can do routine things as you go along, then it isn't such a mountain to climb,

You only have one chance to make a first good impression.

I went to see many pristine houses but fell in love with one that looked like a bombsite (unexpected viewing)

No dirty dishes, made beds, bathroom and kitchen clean. A bit of toys on floor and general household clutter is fine. It should be showroom ready for photos, but you have to live there.

Is there something wrong with your place that is only coming to light at conveyancing. We had 1 failed sale but 3 is wild.

It absolutely won't be a bombsite. I think the issue is that every viewing in the past has had me cleaning and tidying to the same degree as when the photos were taken. It's not fun to live with and a pain in the arse. I'm willing to do it for those that can't see past pristine but after failed sales, I'm feeling rather jaded.

To answer the previous poster's question - all sales have failed just before exchange. All surveys were fine, no requests to negotiate on price. Instead we've had one chain collapse, one where our buyer was made redundant (and still is unemployed and thus not proceedable) and lastly a pair of ftbs who messed about for 6 months and then disappeared at exchange. Not quite sure 'wild' is the word I'd choose to describe it but I'd suspect it will become increasingly common in today's market and not very pleasant.

I think that decently tidy and superficially clean is fine for viewings. The only thing to avoid is clutter lying around which suggests there isn't enough storage, and bad smells which people might fear are ingrained. Other than that, it can look like a home which has been reasonably loved and cared for.

if I was viewing a family home, I would tell the estate agent to tell the seller not to make too much effort cleaning. Having just been through the process myself several times, trying to get rid of all normal life mess and clutter was a right pain, especially when the viewings are not grouped together.

This is the most expensive and important purchase for you and your buyers. Sorry but it’s absolutely worth being arsed for. There’s no point people saying “ mess wouldn’t bother me” if they are not the ones viewing your house! As clean and tidy as you can is the best way to attract people

Clean and tidy is really important
I think you know that too

You said ‘we’
so assume you mean a partner
If Youre both carrying the load it shouldn’t be too much and
hopefully the next sale will be the one

I found the viewing stage difficult too OP. Definitely one of the worst stages of selling, but try to present the property in the best way you can, some buyers struggle to look past it. I hope you get a committed buyer very soon. Good luck.

if I was viewing and felt that not effort was put into to present it then I might think they weren’t serious committed buyers. However that depends on how much competition there was, if hardly any then I might be more relaxed. I do get that it’s a pain in the arse, been there, got the t.shirt!

Sorry should say ‘sellers’ not ‘buyers’.

The one time we finally got our offer was when we had reached the stage of getting tired of making look like a show home. Left it clean, very tidy, but a lived in a family home and it seemed to do the trick!

We had a similar experience - went away for the weekend in a mad rush and I called the agent and said “no viewings this weekend as place is super untidy” ( none scheduled at that stage). He called the next day and said a family were down from London and really wanted to see it. I agreed as nothing to lose and they ended up buying it as said they could really see themselves living there. It was clean but the teens rooms were bomb sites and there was a massive drying rack with wetsuits and stuff in the kitchen/ baskets of washing in the utility etc. They had kids the same age and were looking for a beach house as into kite surfing so maybe it just chimed with them. I dunno.

Just remember, you are selling a life style as well as a home. Doesn’t need to be pristine, but if your market is young couples, then a warm family home is selling the lifestyle.

Selling is about price much more than how tidy.

It has to be priced properly, they don"t have the same access to mortgage debt now as they once did.

I wouldn't worry too much. The whole "selling a lifestyle" is very dated. The market has changed. Ignore all the nonsense about handwash and bathmats.
Someone will buy your house if it's the right location for them, and at the right price.

Yes, people have little interest now beyond price, size, location, the house has to be tidy that"s all.

Granted it was over 25 years ago but i got so fed up I asked for one open house on a Saturday morning. I spent the Friday cleaning to far beyond my usual (even insisting we went out for a meal on Friday night so that there were no lingering cooking smells).
The Saturday morning saw about 10 couples turn up. We got 3 offers . It was like a competition to see who could get their offer in first. The house was nothing special and we hadn't spent much money on it.

We used to live in a Victorian terrace and I used to spend ages getting the entire house absolutely pristine before viewings including in cupboards and corners.
Had a flaky buyer who pulled out of the sale at the last minute and we were only allowed 6 weeks by the seller of our current house to complete, so became absolutely desperate to sell.

One day I finished work later than I was supposed to and got stuck in traffic on y way home and was panicking because we had viewers due and my DH was at work too.
The house was in a complete state when my viewers knocked on the door early (and the cat had unhelpfully decided to use THAT moment to lay the foulest smelling turd in his littler tray).
I was panting like I had run a marathon because I'd been trying to quickly tidy each room so I thought to myself "There's no way they're going to want this cat crap scented shithole"

The viewers looked round and told me there and then that they were going to put an offer in. They said that because there "was a bit of mess" (they were being generous, it was a tip!) it helped them visualise it as a home rather than a house.

Sale went through and we got our dream house after all.

@MrsMoastyToasty All you've done there is emphasise what a dreadful economic environment we're having to sell our properties in at the moment and that the comparison with the environment at the turn of the millennium is stark.

In the early/mid-2000s, houses were flying off the shelves and prices were rising every month, year on year. That's probably why we're in the mess we're in now, the prices were never controlled, market forces and all that - and now mortgage rates are increasing to the extent that borrowing is too much for people to afford.

add wars in ME and Iran and it's a perfect shit-storm.

"It was like a competition to see who could get their offer in first. The house was nothing special and we hadn't spent much money on it."

As you say, those days are long long gone.