Property P Eye

Open Home.  Open For Inspection.  Buyer Viewing.  All these terms describe the same accepted (well, in most cases) Real Estate practice whereby a home seller’s agent ‘throws the doors open’ to the home, which is of course for sale, and encourages prospective buyers to look through at their leisure and without pressure for half an hour or forty-five minutes.

After conducting somewhere in the vicinity of two thousand Open For Inspections, which I now call Buyer Viewings, I am confident enough to anoint myself as the Nambour and Hinterland’s resident expert on the subject.  I have handled everything from dozens of people streaming through the one property to mind numbing boredom manning overpriced and under-promoted properties on behalf of sellers whose motivation level to sell was almost below zero.

During the thousands of viewings I have conducted I have experienced everything from refusing entry to belligerent sticky-beaks to shaking hands with prospective buyers walking through the door and within ten seconds asking, “Do you have a contract with you that I can sign?”  I’ve also had everything from sellers who refuse to leave their home during buyer viewings, literally scaring off prospective buyers, to vendors who almost leave me a three course meal and a banquet of snacks for prospective buyers.

Over the last decade here in Nambour and throughout the greater Sunshine Coast area, buyers and sellers alike have become far more accustomed to Buyer Viewings with the vast majority of buyers expecting that the home they have identified, through the various forms of promotion, to be open for viewing at some stage over the weekend.

I can say, hand on heart, that sellers who do not incorporate Buyer Viewings as part of a solid and cost effective marketing campaign should think twice about whether or not they should place their home on the market.  More than 60% of the properties I have sold in the last nearly ten years were as a result of the buyer attending a Buyer Viewing.

Ok, so what about the etiquette for Buyer Viewings.  Over two thousand buyer viewings later, I am still doing my utmost to help sellers and buyers make the ‘Buyer Viewing Experience’ productive and enjoyable.

First of all, I’ll help the buyers:

1. Be on Time: Draw up a time and travel schedule if you plan on visiting multiple properties on a given viewing day.  The average buyer spends around fifteen minutes looking a home during a Buyer Viewing, so if you have two properties with viewings starting at the same time, say 1pm, then get to the first property right on start time and aim to arrive at the second property with fifteen minutes to go for that viewing.  I know we should not have pet hates, but I do have one.  They’re called the ‘Last minute Larry’s’. I am packing up at 1.44pm after a brisk buyer viewing with two groups showing keen interest, I am excited about the good news I will pass onto my clients and a car pulls up, the occupants amble out, look at the sign, can clearly see the time has expired, but they wander in and say. “Oh, is it finished?  Can we have a quick look, sorry we just finished lunch.” “Ok,” I say, “Could I get some quick details please, but I do have to be at my next Viewing in eight minutes.” “We’re not really looking to buy we’re just seeing what’s out there.” My smile is now in need of major support and my tongue has glued itself to the top of my mouth to prevent me from saying what any other normal human being would.  Details are taken regardless using a little ex-cop persuasion, the non-buyers are ushered through, shown the door and I am on my way, now two minutes late for my next viewing.  In short; Buyers – be on time!!!!
2. Take notes:  Once a buyer has seen more than four properties on any given day, the properties can start to meld and blur.  Write down what you like and what you don’t.  Ensure you get an information brochure from the agent.
3. Wear slip on, slip off footwear:  Whether it is wet or dry, it is a nice courtesy is you remove your shoes before walking into a seller’s home.  Unfortunately the fellas are the worst offenders when it comes to footwear because many like to wear runners or boots, and it is a monumental pain in the ‘youknowwhat’ if you have to take your shoes on and off at five different properties.
4. Be Discreet:  If you are inspecting a property and you don’t like it, the agent wants to hear your feedback but please don’t bellow your opinion down the hall for everyone to hear.
5. Provide Details:  You are a stranger in someone else’s home.  They have a right to know who has been in their home.  When the agent asks for your name and contact details don’t be evasive.  A good agent will contact you at some stage for feedback.
6. Be open to providing feedback:  A seller is very anxious to hear what the market (buyers) has to say about their home.  If the agent is unable to obtain your opinion at the open home, when he calls soon after for feedback, give it freely so he can report back to his clients.

Now, sellers, here are a few Buyer Viewing etiquette techniques for you.

1. Let there be light:  Open all blinds, curtains and shutters to allow maximum light flow.  Dark homes are an immediate put off for buyers
2. Tidy up:  This is the most obvious of all.  Don’t think that pile of dirty washing left by your partially brain dead teenager (I speak from experience – I have them inhabiting my home) in the corner of his room will go unnoticed by the buyers.
3. Remove Rover from the property:  I love dogs, but some buyers just don’t.  Take Rover for a walk or a visit somewhere and pick up any of his ‘barker’s eggs’ before you leave.
4. I would like to say this in the nicest way – Get Out!  Leave your home about 5-10 minutes before the scheduled Viewing time.  If you have any last minute instructions you need to give your agent, like switch off all the lights, lock all the doors and windows, put the cat out, turn on the roast in the oven, bring in the clothes if it looks like rain………give them to the agent earlier in the day.  There is nothing worse than having three car loads of prospective buyers waiting at the kerb whilst the owners load up the kids, the dogs and the bikes and give the important last minute instructions to the agent, “And make sure the oven is set at 200c….bye….”
5. Do not return home until fifteen minutes after the viewing is finished:  Your agent may still be dealing with some Last Minute Larry’s or talking serious ‘Turkey’ with a buyer who has stayed the distance and has a genuine interest.  Bursting in the door and saying, “How did it go?”  While the agent is doing his thing has been termed by me ‘negotiatus interruptus’.  I clearly recall one Buyer Viewing I was conducting and there was about five minutes to go and I was deep in negotiation and fact finding with a prospective buyer.  Bold as brass, up the stairs comes the seller with a hearty, “Any action today?”  I looked at him, as did the buyer, the buyer shut up in mid sentence and said, “Thanks.” Then walked out.  By the time I did talk to the buyer between ‘negotiatus interruptus’ and the time I called him about 30 minutes later, he had gone quite cold on the idea of purchasing the property.  Oh dear!  It was back to the drawing board.
6. Don’t invite them in:  If a buyer a turns up well after the Buyer Viewing has finished and says, “So sorry, we couldn’t get here on time,” DO NOT invite them in for an inspection.  Politely ask them to call your agent and he will arrange an inspection.  This has happened on a few occasions and I get excited sellers calling me telling me that the home is about to sell as they showed a buyer through, who was late (couldn’t read or tell the time is closer to the truth), and they love it and want to buy it.  My first question to my client is, “Did you get their name and phone number?” “No, but they said they would call you.”  Sadly the call never comes.

Without sounding blasé , I can conduct buyer viewings in my sleep, so I am very adept at quelling any fears a seller may have and love welcoming prospective buyers and allowing them to feel comfortable  during their inspection.

Even in this evolving world we live in, where all manner of purchases are made over the internet without the buyer actually seeing or touching the product in the flesh, property is most unlikely to take up this trend.  Therefore property buyers will always want to see, touch, smell and physically judge the property they have identified as there next abode.

My guide to Open Home etiquette is designed purely to help buyers and sellers enjoy the experience and optimise the anticipated results.