Block viewings – simple, smart and civilised (2024)

FAQs

Why do estate agents do block viewings? ›

Even if you don't accept any of the offers placed on the day, a block viewing provides a good indication of the level of buyer interest in your home, what they are prepared to pay so you can ascertain whether the asking price is accurate.

A block viewing day works in a similar way to the open house technique but with one major difference. Rather than everyone descending on the property like bargain hunters at the New Year sales, with sharpened elbows and no allocated time slots, block viewings are far more civilised affairs.

Thank them for coming, and let them know you look forward to hearing from them. Let them look around independently – No viewer expects to explore your house alone, but you can give them breathing space in each room. Let them go in first, then stand back as they walk around the room.

By day of the week: You'll prioritize different tasks on different days of the week, and you'll time-block broadly for priority activities on those days. For example … Monday: Lead generation 8 a.m.-11:30 a.m.; lunch 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; lead conversion 12:30 p.m.-4 p.m.; respond to communication 4-5 p.m.

Fake property viewings Some estate agents may arrange viewings for people who are not genuinely interested in buying the property. The people looking around the property could be the estate agent's friends or even colleagues from another branch.

Here are just a few reasons why an estate agent may turn down your request for a viewing: The property is in the process of being taken off the market; They consider you an abusive customer; Your required date and time are unsuitable for them, or for the seller.

Arranging the Viewing

You will typically need to contact the letting agent or landlord that is advertising the property to let them know you are interested and to organise a time to visit. This can be done over the phone, by email or through an enquiry form on a website.

The idea of an open house viewing is that the house is available for a period of time on a certain day for any interested buyers to come and look around.

In most cases, however, it generally takes somewhere between 10 and 25 showings to sell a house. With that in mind, it can sometimes take just a few showings, and others can take many more. This will go hand in hand with how long your home is on the market.

What is the busiest day of the week for house showings? ›

What day of the week do most house showings occur? Sunday is the day of the week with the most home showings.

Medium Elevation (Unobstructed)

The medium elevation is still better than the ground level. The combination of having an overlooking view of the neighboring houses below and the open area can increase a property's value from 6% to 8%.

Tap the Street View square in the lower-left corner, where you see a picture of your house or the street. Tap the ⋮ overflow menu in the upper-right corner. Tap Report a problem. Adjust the red square to fit around your house.

Brighten up your home inside and out so buyers can clearly see your house's features. Turn on every light: Overhead lights, lamps, even appliance lights and closet lights. Be sure the porch light is on, especially after dark; solar lights along your walkway are a nice touch as well.

Sellers can net thousands of dollars more if they sell during the peak months of May, June and July versus the two slowest months of the year, October and December, according to a 2022 report by ATTOM Data Solutions.

Winter is usually the cheapest time of year to purchase a home. Sellers are often motivated, which automatically translates into an advantage to you. Most people suspend their listings from around Thanksgiving to the New Year because they assume buyers are scarce.

Most home buyers tour properties over the long weekend, Thursday through Monday, with Sunday being the most popular.

This occurs when an agent presents false information about a home, both intentionally and unintentionally. Usually, errors are accidental but if you feel like a misstatement of a home's property boundaries or structural features led you to pay more for a home, you may pursue legal action against the agent.

If you're unsure whether an agent is lying to you about their production, a simple phone call to their broker to find out their track record will usually uncover whether they're lying or not about their sales history.

What can you not say as a real estate agent? ›

In simplest terms, a real estate agent typically cannot speak about the makeup of a particular neighborhood as it relates to its people. That's because providing an opinion or information on a community's residents can be discriminatory, even though this was not the intention.

An agent can fire their client?” Absolutely. The listing or buyer representation agreements go both ways, and in rare cases, it absolutely makes sense for an agent to move on from a client.

Estate agent fees – the bare essentials

Watch out for hidden costs when speaking to agents – all the key services, such as photos, floorplans, marketing and managed viewings should be included in their fee. You should be suspicious of estate agents charging less than 1% – there's usually a reason they're cheap.

You do not have to allow viewings if they are not mentioned in your contract. You could say that they must only take place at certain times. If you refuse viewings and your agreement says you must allow access, you might find it difficult to get a reference or have problems with getting your deposit back.

Ultimately, there is no right or wrong answer although it's almost always a good idea to view a property more than once before making an offer. Typically, people will view houses between 2-4 times before making an offer, but you should view a property as many times as you need to to be sure it's the right one for you.

It's always advisable to view a property more than once! Now's your chance to go back and establish whether this could be the right property for you. This second viewing is much more important than the first one.

A typical house viewing lasts an average of 30 minutes, so don't necessarily expect to find out everything on your first visit. You might not be the only person viewing the property, so try not to hang around too long, although the estate agent is likely to usher you out before you get the chance.

noun. noun. an occasion when a few people are invited to look at an exhibition of paintings, a movie, etc. before the public is allowed to see it.

The act of seeing, watching, or examining.

Estate agents will arrange an appointment for you to look around any property you're interested in buying. This will be your opportunity to take a closer look in person and decide if it's somewhere you would like to live. Consumer guides. Buying and selling property. Get the most out of property viewings.

Why am I getting showings but no offers? ›

If you're getting a lot of showings but no offers, you may just be attracting the wrong buyers. Make sure your agent has taken great photographs and posted on popular sites like Zillow, Trulia, and Facebook, besides more traditional marketing tactics like a multiple listing service (MLS).

The best time to hold an open house is typically in the mid-morning to early afternoon between 11 am to 3 pm or in the early evening between 5 pm and 7 pm. That way, home buyers can come after they finish up their errands or take care of their kids.

How many times to look at a house before buying? Ideally, four to six viewings should be sufficient. Attending two to three visits inside, with a realtor and/or appraiser, and another two to three visits scouting the house and neighborhood independently, from the outside, may be a good approach.

April, May, June, July, and August are the busiest months in real estate.

Most set their daily limit around six to eight homes per day, depending on the market. Some would not go on more than four tours in one day. Narrow down your search, especially if you've already decided on a neighborhood or specific area. Drive around and find homes that you like.

Bottom line. Thursday is generally thought to be the best day of the week to list a house for sale. Studies show that homes listed on Thursdays are more likely to sell faster, and for a higher price.

Maximum value will be added by improving the main living spaces, such as the kitchen, dining and living area and the way in which they work together. Before removing walls, work out which are loadbearing by checking the direction of the floor joists as these should always rest on structural walls.

In many cases, a kitchen or bathroom remodel can offer a 100 percent or greater return on your investment—and that number could be even higher depending on the finishes you choose, the amount of labor you're willing to do yourself, and how much of an upgrade these changes offer over your home's current condition.

A peek-a-boo view has a sliver or small view from probably only one area of the property. This is usually something that can be overlooked if you're walking through the home quickly.

“When you have a showing, you can easily store the caddy under the sink,” Nielsen says. Keep the same neat and tidy appearance in the other rooms of your house. If you want bonus points, get rid of any countertop storage containers or over-the-door hangers for items such as jewelry, shoes, or toiletries.

How do I get my messy house ready to sell? ›

Make sure to do any loud cleaning (like vacuuming) before bedtime, however. You should clean whenever you have the most energy. Morning people can clean bright and early while night owls may prefer cleaning while the rest of the world is asleep.

The main reason it's wise to do so is that burglars or stalkers can quickly check out your home online and plot a way inside. Because Google Maps offers a thorough look at your house, it's easy for people to understand your home layout and figure out how they'd breach your privacy and enter your home.

If Google is the photo owner, you can report a photo or request it to be blurred if it contains: Your face, home, or other identifying information. Anything that violates the Google-contributed Street View privacy policies.

You are free to remove your listing from sites like Zillow at any time, assuming you don't yet have a buyer.

Doors: Do leave the doors to all the bedrooms and bathrooms open when you are expecting buyers, except that room where you've stashed the dangerous dog. Leave that door closed with a large sign declaring in large, legible letters “Do Not Enter – Dangerous Dog Inside.”

Turning the lights off when you leave your room is necessary to help save electricity and lower your utility bills. As a homeowner, turning the lights off when you're not using them can help save money by reducing your electricity bills, extend the life of your light bulbs, and buy bulbs less often.

It could be the listing agent, a neighbor, a buyer's agent, or even the seller. But one thing is certain—you don't have to ring the doorbell or knock on the door unless there's a sign posted instructing you to do so. Otherwise, open the door and walk in.

One questionable resource used by real estate agents to screen potential tenants is what's known as a tenancy database, or 'blacklist'. These databases store information about your tenancy history and are privately owned, and there are a number of them out there.

Helpful news or information in the real estate industry. Videos showcasing a property. Testimonials from clients.

Can you go around the listing agent? ›

Can (and should) buyers contact a listing agent directly? Technically—yes. The only people who may frown upon contacting a listing agent are buyer's agents, who make their commissions based on representing buyers. But there is no law or rule saying a buyer cannot contact a listing agent.

Realtors use their headshots on business marketing because even if they belong to a big name brokerage they are self employed and running their own business. Keeping your face and name in front of potential customers helps to keep you top of mind.

The information about the blacklisting can be found in your credit profile as held by the Major Credit Bureaus :- Transunion Credit Bureau ; Experian Credit Bureau; Compuscan Credit Bureau and Xds Credit Bureau.

Experienced real estate professionals know there are hundreds of ways a deal can fall apart, from credit and financing problems to appraisals to just plain cold feet. But certainly, one of the more common deal killers is the home inspection.

3: Good news for those trying to sell your home: "the effect on house prices of having an attractive listing agent is about twice as large as that of an attractive selling agent." 4: Just because your selling agent is attractive doesn't mean that your property will sell faster; in fact, it's quite the opposite.

Ethical concerns

Buyer's agents only receive their commission when they close on a deal. Working with multiple agents means that whichever one doesn't close on a house with you misses out on their compensation. “Simply put, you're asking one of the agents to work for free, and that is wrong,” says Capozzolo.

While there may be a time and a place for buyers and sellers to talk directly with each other, those times are far and few in between. It is usually recommended you limit interactions between the parties of a home sale. It is just going to be human nature to start talking.

The Location

They say the three most important things to think about when buying a home are location, location, location. You can change almost everything else, but you can't change your home's location.

What is door knocking? Door knocking is a technique real estate professionals use to generate new leads. It involves researching and canvassing neighborhoods and knocking on doors to speak with homeowners. Door knocking offers a low-cost way for real estate agents to build trust with homeowners and find new listings.

Are most real estate agents honest? ›

Most real estate agents are honest and hard-working, but there are also a few bad apples out there that can cost you if you choose the wrong person. Some key things real estate agents may lie about include credentials, property conditions and value, or the level of interest in a property.

A property seller may choose a pocket listing real estate option in order to: Market to a more exclusive or limited clientele. Keep their home sale relatively private, particularly if they are celebrities or public figures. Test out an asking price or gauge the public's interest in the home.