How a Home Viewing Can Make or Break House Sales
Do you know how a home showing works? House viewings start a buyer becoming interested enough to make an offer on your place.
Showing a house is one of the primary functions of a buyer’s agent. It would help if you strived to make the home viewing experience a pleasant one.
Viewing a house can make or break whether a buyer will put your property under consideration or not.
Many house viewings lead to disappointment for numerous reasons, including the home not being well kept, lots of clutter, apparent repairs needed, undesirable floor plans, and a whole host of other reasons.
Let’s take an in-depth look at some of the best home showing tips to increase your chances of a fast home sale.
Your First House Viewings Start Online!
Keep in mind that the first viewings of your home don’t start when a buyer walks through the door but online. You want your property to look exceptional on all of the best real estate websites for home buyers.
For this to happen, make it a priority to hire a Realtor who will provide professional photography. There is a difference between what a professional can do and the real estate agent who does it themselves.
There is no comparison. Your house viewings will increase when buyers are looking online at properties that are presented better than others.
A professional photographer is worth every bit of the money they charge.
Don’t Restrict House Viewing Access if Possible
One of the best showing tips for selling a home is being exceptionally flexible! When selling a home, if buyers can’t get in when they want to, you’ll make things hard on yourself and your agent.
Quite often, sellers will put up barriers to access, such as making advanced showing notice a necessity.
Some sellers fail to understand that buyers often don’t look at one property. They will schedule multiple homes to view on a given day. If your house is the only one with showing restrictions, the buyer may skip seeing your home.
Viewing a house should never be a challenge.
A missing showing is a missed opportunity to sell your house. It is as simple as that. One of the other homes may catch the buyer’s fancy, and they never come back to view your home.
If you don’t want to leave money on the table, getting as many people through your door as possible should be a priority.
Making home showings complicated is not going to achieve those goals. A home showing should be a piece of cake to make, not an exercise of jumping through hoops!
Don’t Make Your Real Estate Agent Attend House Viewings.
One of the more significant misconceptions in real estate sales is that agents influence a buyer’s decision to purchase a home. Sorry, folks, it doesn’t work that way. Real Estate agents don’t have magical powers of influence. Your agent will never talk someone into buying a home.
Buyers typically know within a few minutes of walking through a home whether they are interested or not. Having your real estate agent point out that you just painted the bedrooms, installed granite counters in your bathroom, and added a Nest thermostat isn’t going to make them buy your home.
Buying a home is a HUGE emotional decision. It is not like buying a pair of shoes that a salesperson might talk you into purchasing. So what difference does it make if the listing agent is there?
It matters plenty! Why? For a couple of reasons – most buyers and their agents don’t want the listing agent hovering over them. Buyers and their agents want to be able to speak freely about the house. Frankly, they can’t do that when your agent is there.
More importantly, when you require your agent to be there, you add another level of difficulty in viewing the home. Your agent will have to match their schedule with the buyers and agent.
Let me be frank – if your real estate agent can do this all the time, you have picked the wrong agent! A real estate agent with all the time on their hands is not who you want. What this means is nobody else is hiring them. Top-producing real estate agents do not accompany showings!
It should be simple when a real estate agent wants to show a house.
Bonus home showing tip: Don’t leave these things out when having an open house. So many people do not realize how much theft occurs at open houses.
Defer Your House Viewings
One of the most powerful sales strategies, especially in a seller’s market, is to start your showings after they have been listed for sale for a period of time. This is what’s referred to as deferred showings.
Essentially you list your home in the multiple listing service at the beginning of the week but don’t start the showings until the weekend.
This gives all the buyers in the marketplace ample time to know your home is for sale. It provides all of them the opportunity to potentially buy a house. You don’t have to worry about leaving money on the table as a seller.
You’ll be exposing your home to the broadest audience possible. When you list your house the traditional way, it’s possible you could receive an offer on the first day it hits the market. It might be an offer you would accept.
Deferred Showings Increases Buyers Viewing a House
What you’ll never know, however, is if other buyers also would have made an offer! Guess what happens when you receive multiple offers on your home? If you’re thinking bidding war, you’re 100 percent correct.
With a bidding war, you get the terms you want. It’s entirely possible and, in fact, likely; you’ll sell your home higher than the asking price.
Deferred showings are something to ask your real estate agent about. It is important to note that a deferred showing is NOT the same as a coming soon listing. Coming soon, marketing may or may not be suitable for your circumstances. Take a look at the article to see why.
When you have deferred showings, you also eliminate any need to host an open house. Instead of having a bunch of deadbeats going through your home, increasing the risk of theft, you’ll have only qualified buyers.
Never be fooled by the real estate agent who wants a pocket listing. You will want as many house showings as possible to get top dollar for your property. Pocket listings do not accomplish that goal.
Tips for Showing Your Home
Now that we have covered the sales strategy of showings, let’s talk about the presentation. The best showing tips for sellers start with curb appeal. First impressions are everything, especially when you are selling a home.
You often only get one chance to put your best foot forward. Potential buyers will either be drawn to the property, ambivalent or pushed away.
Ideally, your staging will excite buyers so much that they can start to see themselves living in the house. But to accomplish this, you will need to pull out all the stops for your home showing.
1. Make Sure Your Exterior is Presentable.
Going the extra mile with your home’s exterior appearance is important. The first thing a potential home buyer sees when viewing a house is the outside. Here are some tips for getting it in shape:
- Make sure the grass is cut and raked with no extraneous debris.
- Keep the driveway clean and passable. A beautiful seal coat always works wonders for those driveways showing their age.
- Make sure the walkway is presentable – you might want to give it a good power wash.
- The shrubs and plantings should not be overpowering – ensure a clear path around the home.
- If you have got mold or mildew on the siding or deck, have it washed.
- Plant some seasonal flowers to add some color near your entry.
- Your door and entryway need to sparkle. Buyers will notice this area.
These are all minor improvements that will increase the value of your home. Read the article for more ways to improve your house value.
2. Make Your Interior POP For House Viewings
Real Estate agents always talk about how vital it is to prepare your home for showings. Staging a home is essential.
One of the more essential things to do is get rid of extraneous furniture and other items that really “clog up” a room.
The home showing should be inviting. You can do a few things before your house showings begin that will help a buyer be able to picture themselves in your home.
Start by calling a junk removal company such as 1-800-Got-Junk to get rid of the things you know you won’t be bringing to your next home.
Some charities will pick up furniture donations for you if you have furniture to get rid of.
Once all the junk is removed, you should put things you wish to take with you into a self-storage unit or rent a portable moving pod.
Removing these excess items from your home will make showing the house much better.
2. Offer a Warm Welcome For Those Buyers Viewing Your Home
You have been to homes where you feel welcome. You have also been to homes where you don’t. When showing, you want buyers to feel like they belong—better yet, you want them to feel right on the edge of living there themselves.
There are some things you can do to encourage a welcome feeling, including:
- Let them keep their shoes on. Making buyers take their shoes off to enter the home isn’t always a great idea. Forcing them to take their shoes off risks making them feel like children visiting a stern relative, the opposite of what you are going for. Of course, if the weather conditions don’t allow for this, that’s a different story. If your carpets have never seen a shoe print, then, by all means, do so. The buyer will probably appreciate your pride of ownership.
- Give them as much time as they need. Waiting for someone to explore your home is not always easy, but do your best to avoid hurrying buyers. Remember, they are deliberating on one of their life’s most significant financial decisions. A rushed home showing is not a pleasant feeling.
- Stay away. Buyers need the opportunity to talk about the home, but they will not feel free to speak their minds if you are hovering around. Do not ever attend the showing. Let the real estate agent do their job. A house showing should always be free of sellers present.
3. Don’t Skimp on Heating or Cooling For a House Viewing.
When viewing a house, a potential home buyer should feel comfortable. House viewings should never be a miserable experience.
Homes are designed to provide shelter, a safe and welcoming space out of the elements. A desirable home allows us to stay comfortable no matter what the weather is outside.
Unfortunately, some sellers get so caught up in their frugal ways—keeping the thermostat at a certain level to save money—that they create an unpleasant environment for potential buyers.
It would be best if you kept your home as comfortable as possible while showing it. In cooler weather, turn the heat up so that the house is warm and inviting, a soft cocoon where buyers can picture themselves with their families while winter storms rage.
In warmer months, turn the air conditioner on and keep the house cool and pleasant. Buyers want to know that they can depend on their new home to keep the sweat away when the summer sun is beating down. Again, a home showing should be a pleasurable experience.
Besides making your property comfortable, generous heating or cooling can make buyers stick around for longer than they usually would on days when the weather is harsh. The longer they shelter from what is going on outside, the more likely they will see the property as a great place to live.
4. Cultivate An Inviting Atmosphere For Your Home Showing.
One of the keys to effective home staging is creating an atmosphere, a mood that everyone can feel and enjoy walking through the door. There are several things you can do to enhance the mood in the home, including:
- Light a fire in the fireplace. Summer or winter, spring or fall, a fire in the fireplace can add to the homey atmosphere in a room and throughout the home. Most fireplaces are not particularly good at heating a room, so even in summer, you probably do not have to worry about the fire being too warm. Keep it small, of course, and adjust the thermostat accordingly.
- Turn on your fountains. Water fountains are great for white noise and relaxation. Whether you have a large fountain in the yard, a tiny desk fountain, or something in between, turn it on so buyers can associate relaxation with your home.
- Play pleasant music at low volume. The music you pick should be something that sets the desired mood without distraction. Keep the volume low enough that people can speak without shouting but high enough that the music is audible.
- Make sure the home sparkles. While someone may not have the money to make expensive improvements, there is no excuse for not making sure the house is spotless.
5. Pay Attention to Scents.
Some risks come with relying too heavily on scents when showing a home. What smells good to one person may be unpleasant or even harmful to another. Buyers should not be distracted when viewing a house.
It is usually best to avoid any scents that are too strong or too pervasive—like having every room smell like pine or vanilla. If the weather is beautiful, opening the windows and letting fresh air in can be much better than artificial scents.
Of course, if there are foul odors outside or too much noise, it may be better to keep them closed.
Another essential thing to remember with scents is that you should never promise what you cannot deliver. Filling the kitchen with baking smells, but having no baked goods to snack on, will only frustrate buyers.
If you have pets be mindful of how essential it is to ensure there are no odors. Nothing can stop a successful home showing in its tracks than an unpleasant pet odor.
The same can be said for cigarettes. If you are a smoker, it would be advisable not to smoke in your home while trying to sell it. You can turn away a significant amount of buyers at house showings.
Bad odors can easily kill your home sale!Click To Tweet.6. Brighten Things Up Before Showing Your House
Buyers are there to view the home, which means they need light. It is an excellent general rule to go through the house and turn on every light you can have.
With all the lights on, buyers will not be stumbling around in search of light switches and will not be suspicious when they cannot view specific areas of the home.
Opening blinds and letting the sunshine in is even better than indoor lights. However, if you have certain things you want to avoid showcasing, like an ugly fence outback, you can keep some curtains drawn.
One of the things I always counsel my clients on is making sure lights are turned on before showings. This is one of the best showing tips for selling a home, and it costs you next to nothing.
7. Offer Snacks and Refreshments For Buyers Viewing Your House.
You want potential buyers to stay and look around. You also want them to feel at home like they could live there. Providing snacks and refreshments helps you accomplish both of these goals.
Leaving some refreshments is a nice gesture that could influence in a positive way how the buyer thinks about you even though you’ve never met. No one will either have to leave because they are hungry or thirsty.
8. An Open House Isn’t The Best House Viewing.
Many agents never bother to explain the downsides of an open house. If you want your house viewings to be from many people that don’t belong on your property, then have an open house.
The best viewings of a house happen from scheduled showings, not from an open house. Open houses bring in the unqualified, your neighbors, and those with nothing better to do than being nosy.
Will there be some serious buyers? Possibly, but if they are serious, they will schedule a viewing with an agent regardless of whether there is an open house.
Open houses benefit real estate agents, NOT home sellers.
9. Make Sure Your Real Estate Agent Has a Feedback System For House Viewings.
If you’ve followed through with these showing tips, people are undoubtedly going to a lovely property.
From your perspective, you’ll probably want to know what they’re thinking. Do they like my home? Did they hate it? Is there something I can do to improve the showing experience?
As a seller, you should expect your agent to provide feedback. A top agent will have a showing feedback system to let you know what buyers think. Insist on it!
Showing feedback should be part of a carefully crafted marketing plan to sell your home. When interviewing real estate agents, pay particular attention to this.
There are national companies such as Showing Time. They are a tool for real estate agents to set up showings and provide feedback.
How Many Showings Before an Offer
Many real estate agents ask how many showings they can expect before getting an offer. There is no magic number. The number of house showings will depend on numerous factors, including the local real estate market conditions, the price of the home, and much of the advice laid out in this article.
Whether it is a buyer’s or seller’s market will likely significantly impact the number of buyers viewing the house.
If you have followed the showing tips and your home is appropriately priced, it should sell quickly.
Final Thoughts on House Viewings
From a real estate agent’s perspective showing a house can either be an excellent experience or one that can’t get over quickly enough. From a seller’s point of view, going the extra mile to make the home showing process smooth can help your sale.
Hopefully, you have enjoyed these tips on how to show a house. If you need home selling assistance in my area of Massachusetts, feel free to reach out.
About the author: The above Real Estate information on the best tips for house viewings when selling a house was provided by Bill Gassett, a Nationally recognized leader in his field. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-625-0191. Bill has helped people move in and out of many Metrowest towns for the last 36+ Years.
Are you thinking of selling your home? I am passionate about real estate and love sharing my marketing expertise!
I service Real Estate Sales in the following Metrowest MA towns: Ashland, Bellingham, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sutton, Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton, and Uxbridge MA.
