Ready to sell or......Not?

I have had several conversations with different vendors in recent days regarding the stress of selling & why the initial process generates so much heart ache when seemingly it should be so straight forward. 

Whether you have children, dogs or just an untidy partner the demands of agents wanting viewings often with little warning is certainly one cause of alarm. For agents the opportunity of immediate viewings for potential buyers who suddenly find time in their diary’s is without a doubt a huge bonus. Those buyers moving within the City are often the worse culprits. Those investors looking to take advantage of Birmingham’s growth and those relocating usually set up their appointments in advance as they wish do tours with consecutive viewings. 

For vendors we recommend that they do try to keep their properties tidy & decluttered where possible. On those second viewings certainly when potential buyers bring their spouses, parents and friends we recommend that the properties do present properly. This is because more time will be invariably spent than on the initial viewing. Whilst we are not asking for coffee to be percolating or bread being baked, we do ask that the windows are open prior to viewing so the property isn’t full of stale air. The autumn and winter are difficult times when there is a trade-off between losing some heat & that of ridding the property of old cooking smells however the upside is when the offer is forthcoming. 

One local vendor found to his recent horror the day after cancelling an immediately sought-after viewing, because his apartment wasn’t ‘presentable’ that the applicant looking had made an offer of one of the other properties he saw rather than waiting and rearranging a viewing to the following day. There is a balance. For those properties with unique qualities buyers will often give more time but sometimes these buildings too, find buyers who weren’t initially searching for them and it is the agent suggesting an immediate viewing that sometimes secures the best buyer. 

The biggest help almost all vendors can give before any viewings happen is that of decluttering. City apartments are often the worst places because space is at a premium & there just isn’t an adjoining garage or garden shed that can hide those bulky rarely used items. This is something suburban vendors invariably take advantage of. There are several good storage companies located close by that will ‘hide’ goods during the initial sales process…being for a few weeks or few months and their service is to be recommended. 

Another help potential buyers and vendors can give once terms are agreed is to set a target date for completion of the sale. This date provides a focus for both sides to work to. Through the conveyancing period it is vital both sides keep each other informed as these dates can & do slip however there is considerably less stress if both sides through their agent keep the other regularly updated.