What makes buyers book a house viewing?

[sbplanet]

We're looking to put our property on the market and had some estate agents round to do valuations (or appraisals apparently). (FWIW it's a 3 bed semi in a rural location in very good renovated order) There is a difference in fees charged and also in what is offered in their marketing package. Some do videos, some photos only, maybe premium listings, or social media postings.

So if you were looking for a new home what makes you go to view a place and how have you found out about it?

A floor plan. Location (not on main road). Some photos that give me a sense of decorative order. Price that is in line with what I would expect (too high or too low raises alarm flags, one for unreasonable sellers, one for hidden issues).

Well look at this the other way- you own a house so what did you look for when buying it?

Most people look on Rightmove.

They want location, photos of the inside, and a floor plan.

Videos- not important.

Buyers can get street view using their own search - they just need the street and town then google.

DECENT PHOTOS- most agents are rubbish at this and some look as if they took pics with their eyes shut.

Photos need good lighting, show the full room, not zillions of pics of a set of taps or the kitchen from 50 different angles, or a worktop with a plant on it.

I’ll go on Rightmove to look for houses.

Personally, this is what I look for:

Photos of every room, plus the front/parking situation and the garden.
Floor plan so I can see the layout (with sizes).
I also hate photos of vases and cushions.
A good description by the estate agent. I want to know if the kitchen has a dishwasher etc

Edited to add I do love a video and a 360. Photos taken with drones to show a bird’s eye view of the garden are popular now and I do find them helpful to get an idea of the size and to see what the neighbour’s gardens are like, too!

Proper floor plan with dimensions is a must. Ideally the photos should be labeled with room names/numbers that match the floorplan so you can understand which bedroom is which etc. And there should be photos of every room.

Personally I ever bother watching the videos.

We've always done all of our house searching on Rightmove

We bought this property over 22 years ago, what we looked for then is not what this house is now. Nor is it's situation the same; lots more courier services, supermarket deliveries, satellite broadband, it's not the same at all.

And whilst there are some obvious things like photos (but those fish-eye numbers, really?!) and plans with dimensions, what else...

I actually think in some houses videos are vital, it can be quite difficult to easily convey the property well with photos but a video does a lot of explaining. Plus it's not as easy as saying 'get good photos', been there and seen the results.

There are some interesting points on this thread that I'd not considered plus it gives an idea of what weight certain points have. Estate agents offer certain things within their fees, different agent offer different things, so priorities have to also be considered when looking at end price.

Location first always

Then think about the details of the property

When I was last seriously looking the only time a video was particularly useful was for a property where the floorplan was complicated. The video made it clear that there were internal steps - I was looking for an accessible bungalow. Without a video I would have booked a viewing which would have been a waste of everyone's time because the property would not have been suitable. So my opinion would be that a video would be likely to weed out some potential viewers who would never have offered anyway, more than drive people to view.

Another property we didn't view looked like a good option, despite the photos showing it as being very cluttered, but the listing completely hid the fact that the bungalow was up a steep flight of stairs from the road/parking space, street view saved wasted time there!

If I was selling I would not want lots of viewings by people who were not likely to buy, I would want fewer, but realistic viewings.

As mentioned above some agents will encourage prospective buyers to view properties they would never buy, so they can look to the vendors like they are being proactive.

I agree that rural pricing is difficult, especially if there has been little sold close by. Other villages in the same Secondary School catchment are probably worth looking at for comparable properties. In this area villages used to attract a premium price, especially for properties with a view, but that does not seem to be the case anymore, properties in good parts of town/city suburbs attract more as many people value shorter commutes / easy access to facilities. In other areas, eg near the national parks, that might be different.

I don't see how deliveries etc are something you need to factor in to a description.

If someone buys in your street or town they will look up if supermarkets deliver there if they need that. I'd not expect that on EA details. They may also use local sites like facebook to ask questions or even Mumsnet!

I don't think videos are essential. They tend to be superficial and omit the bad parts.

My DD bought recently and the video showed nothing more than the photos or floor plans and actually was deceptive as it didn't show some of the slightly negative aspects.
As long as you have a floor plan and can read it, it shows the same thing.

When we bought for the 3rd time- 30 years ago- we went to view certain towns/ villages/ streets before even looking for a house on the market. We narrowed it down beforehand.

Turn this the other way- you're selling so presumably you're buying too?
Where do you look and what do you want to see in an advert?

You asked "Well look at this the other way- you own a house so what did you look for when buying it?"
I was pointing out that the house itself and it's situation (ie what might be seen as 'isolated') are quite different now.

I know what I look for but I don't know what other people look for when searching for property and what encourages then to make a viewing, hence the thread.

Location.
It's always location. That is the one thing that cant be changed.
The town, the street, the position in the street.

The things you mention like broadband and deliveries - well, everywhere has that now bar some remote areas.

People look for location -

Possibly good schools
Open spaces for exercise
Sports facilities
Good shops and supermarkets
Good transport links

Then there is the house itself.

Well maintained or sold as a do-er upper.
Parking
Crime free area
Not next to a pub or on a busy noisy road

They don't care about the colour of your walls or carpets.
They will have preferences for maybe 2 loos or an en suite, or room to extend.

Every buyer has different needs.

On principle we would not pay for photographs. That should be included in the EA % fee.

if they sell our property they will get their commission which should include the basics like photographs. I wouldn't pay for them upfront because you're then implicitly tied to that EA.

Videos tend to be added extras. Depending on the style of house,they try to enhance the property as a "lifestyle" choice. If it's a big aesthetically pleasing property, showing it off in a video is possibly a way of getting more footfall but we didn't buy into that approach. Nice photos of a well-presented house, realistic price, good quality information, good EPC rating, clear floor plans and the property should sell itself.

Floorplan with sizes on is essential, make sure the map icon is showing the right property as location and position on a street is vital to me. I will spend time exploring the plot/garden/parking through Google maps plus look at neighbouring houses on the street, what amenities are nearby, is there anything hidden photos aren't showing like a pylon, or industrial buildings. I separately check crime statistics, pollution, planning applications and school catchment.

Photos only need to be good enough they don't influence me much as location is key for me. During COVID and when relocating video tours have been helpful to decide whether it was worth the time and effort travelling so may help reach a wider range of customers?

For me it's the feel of the house when I view in person, is it well maintained (doesn't have to be perfectly modernized), I'll knock on neighbours to ask about the street, listen for any noises.

I've never, ever heard of EAs charging extra for photos.
How can they market your house online with no photos?
Photos are what you're paying for with the commission they earn.

You should ask if they are going to list it on RightMove as that is the main source for buyers.

Back to your other question of 'what do they look for'- well, every buyer is different, surely?

It has to tick around 80% of their wish list to be worth viewing.
Every wish list is different.

Some buyers don't care if the photos show untidy rooms- the look beyond that. Others will be put off.

Some buyers don't want to do anything to a house so want neutral decor, decent modern bathrooms and kitchen, a garden that is already mature or landscaped.

Others will overlook all of the above as long as the location is right, the number of rooms is right, (or the option to extend), and are happy to rip out dated or the wrong colour bathrooms and kitchens when they can afford to.

Decent photos. An accurate floor plan. Fitting my criteria - the area, house size, parking requirements etc

They are one of the most popular agents (from a limited number of local ones), the payment for photos/plans/epc would be refunded on sale. But we didn't get that far. A lesson learned, but of limited use as the only agent so far that includes photos in their fee is .25% pricier.

I think the agent description has to show how your house is attractive to a certain type of buyer.

Who will it appeal to?
Families with young children? They want good nurseries and primary schools.
Older children? Catchment area for good secondary schools.
Older couples downsizing? Small manageable garden or a large plot for enthusiastic gardneners?

I suggest you make a list of the pros and cons of your house and location and help the EAs promote it to the right buyer.

A house won't sell without photos.

How on earth would they sell it otherwise?

Are they using Rightmove to list it or simply calling local buyers and emailing details?

I didn't say that. I said photos/plan/epc weren't included in the EAs fee. The idea is you pay for them and they refund them on sale. They don't get caught by the 'no sale no fee' part of the agreement. We had the photos etc done before signing up to the Terms (they were being adapted to our negotiations). When we saw the photos they were carp, thank goodness we hadn't signed up. They offered to do them again, but too late along with other niggles, we said no thanks.

Location
Seeing potential
Being able to imagine myself living in the house.

If it’s a decent house for a reasonable price then that’s all buyers care about.

Lack of videos will make no difference to viewers.

Also social media makes no difference. If it’s on Rightmove then anyone looking for a house will find it.

The fee is usually commission on the sale of the house.

There is every chance someone's house may not sell through them. But they still get their fee for the photos.

Both my adult children have sold houses within the last 2 years. No agents asked for extra money for photos.

Floor plan with measurements and compass direction
Clear photos- front, back, garden, all rooms. No to arty photos
Council Tax band - I know it can be looked up
Freehold management fees- be upfront please
Leasehold information including service charges
How is it heated and utilities information
Accurate map location

Good advice.

If they want payment for photos, so they don't get 'caught' with a 'no sale no fee' , there isn't as much incentive on them to sell it.

Most EAs in my experience are useless. They do barely anything other than put it on RM, show up for a viewing and make a few calls to try to create a sale.

A nice clear listing where you can see all the rooms and outdoor spaces along with a very clear floor plant with measurements. I want to know where it is as well, check that the street view works or if not ensure there is a description. You need to look at other listings the agents have. Good photo's make a world of difference, our agents had property photographers who came around. Often you can tell when an agent has just taken some snaps and they pften don't maximise the space.

A lot of it will come down to my criteria. For our last house I wanted detached, ensuite, utility, garage, side access, nice garden, nice big kitchen, office / downstairs bedroom space. Tough criteria.

The house before that needed 3 beds, a downstairs loo....or potential for one and a kitchen diner and parking. Think about who you are selling to and make sure the features which would appeal to them are highlighted in the photo's. When we sold the 3 bed we had a really clear photo of the large kitchen diner, the view from the kitchen outnof the doors onto the level garden, the large garden room/ playroom and the double driveway, we knew we were aiming at a young family.