With social distancing now the norm, open houses have
been replaced with virtual viewings.
Virtual viewings are a great first step in helping buyers evaluate a
property.
They are a great opportunity for both the buyer and the
seller. They give the seller the chance
to showcase their home and the buyer can narrow the search to houses to really
want get “hands on with”.
In order to have make the best of a virtual viewing,
there are some tasks that should be completed by the seller beforehand.
The most obvious task is cleaning. The house should be spotless. If you work full time and don’t have the time
to get the house cleaned, maybe think about hiring a cleaning service. The money spent is well worth it if you are
able to sell quickly. It might be hard
to keep it clean if you are still living there, but remember, this is for an
event so your home presentation must be impeccable.
Clutter is a major turnoff to potential buyers. It just isn’t comforting to see piles of
clutter everywhere. Keep small
appliances stored instead of out on the countertops. You want people to envision their belongings
in the house. If there is no reason for
something to be displayed, get rid of it.
If you can, remove non-essential furniture to make the
rooms appear larger. Spacious rooms are
more appealing to the camera. Keep your
boxes of junk stored out of sight. It is
a good idea to start figuring out what you need and what you can live
without. It might also be a good idea to
have a garage sale before you put the house on the market.
Don’t ignore the outside of the house either. The outside presentation has a major impact
on the buyer. Don’t let garden hoses or
other tools pile up outside. Pick them
up and store them elsewhere. Make the
effort to beautify the front entry. Keep
the flower beds neat and free from weeds.
Look at the walls and try to put yourself in the
buyers’ shoes. How would you look at the
walls in someone else’s house? Is the
paint chipping? It would be well worth
your time to give the walls a touch of paint.
If you have a garden, maybe bring in some fresh flowers and put them in
attractive vases.
Lucky, as buyers are not appearing in person at this
stage, you won’t have to break out the old “baking bread” trick but candles add
a nice touch along with background music to facilitate those that may have
audio enabled. Classical or jazz music
are both good choices. First impressions
go a long way.
One of the major plusses of virtual viewings is
flexibility. Even in the days of social distancing,
last minute requests for viewings are very common but agents normally request
24 hours notice before a showing. Virtual
viewings help in accommodating the hectic schedules of a potential buyer will
make you and your home look that much better.
The goal of the virtual viewing is to progress
qualified buyers into arranging an in-person visit. Organising them well means less disturbance to
your life, less people coming to your home and a smoother sale.
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