Selling a house !

Being shown around then given the chance to wander round on my own!

Making sure all doors are opened and closed (like doors to airing cupboard etc, theres nothing worse then walking past a door and not knowing what its for!)

Noted !

Cheers flowmojo.

Personally I'm not keen on looking round a house with the current owners/tenants there at the same time, makes me feel a bit uncomfotable and as though I can't fully discuss with OH what I would do different, what I like/don't like etc.

Nutella, I know exactly what you mean, its difficult, I dont want to patonise people 'this is the kitchen, this is the lounge' etc etc.... I reckon I'll just walk round with them quickly at first then get out the way so they can have another look round on their own if they want to !

Agree. I'd actually feel 100% better if the owners weren't in to be honest although of course I appreciate that's not always possible.

Just make sure it's all tidy, pop some flowers in a vase, make sure it smells nice. I'd try not to cook dinner until they've gone, so they don't think the house smells of fried onions or whatever.

As a buyer it's helpful to see what every room is 'for'... master bedroom, guest bedroom, child's bedroom, dining room, lounge, etc. Nothing worse than seeing a room with just 'stuff' in it but no discernible purpose... will make a buyer think 'why am I paying for an extra room with no use for it?' Even if the stuff is tidy.

Don't stand in front of the windows - maximise the light.

Bunch of fresh flowers on a table somewhere.

Put away twice as much "clutter" as you think you ought to and shift most of the family photographs.

Make sure the house looks great from the outside - wash the front door!

Clean white fluffy towels, bathmat and bedlinen (keep new ones just for this purpose, you can use them when you've sold)

When I last sold a house in the winter I had a book of photographs of the garden in summer. You're selling them an aspirational lifestyle, not just a house!

Thanks for the help people !

Your help has worked !

They came round last night, loved it, and within 5 minutes of them leaving we had a call from the estate agent with their offer !

I dont know what I was worried about !

HURRAH! are u taking it or making them play the waiting game so they up it?

Wow they are keen! Are you going to accept the offer or play hard to get given that you can see how keen they are?

Well, they offered us £5k less than the asking price, so I said we'd have a think about it. Had a chat to the agent this morning and I said if they meet us in the middle of the difference then its done !

No one goes in with their highest offer straight off do they !

Also, we dont want to be greedy, we didnt think we would get near that considering what others around our way have been selling for of late so are very happy at the moment.

Cheers for your help yesterday ! - It worked well for me, I got brownie points for buying flowers and it made the house look nicer !!

That's pretty good to be fair as a first offer to be only 5k under so if they will meet in the middle it sounds like your on a winner, especially if as you say other properties locally haven't done so well.

Have you found somewhere to buy yet?

We're going back to see a couple this weekend that we like the look of, so its just a case of keeping everything crossed !

We havent had a great deal of luck on the buy side, we've made three appointments to view and each time the agent has called just before we were due to go to tell us they had sold.

Any minor jobs you may have been putting off, get them sorted. Make sure windows are clean. Tidy away bathroom items and ensure there are no stray hairs. Let some fresh air blast through the house before they arrive, but not to the point where the house is cold. Hide any trace of a pet.

Apparently the smell of freshly baked bread makes people want to buy a house, so maybe bake some bread before they're due to come round!

Excellent news Chippers.

Now don't be swayed by any of the above little tricks when you are buying....

Missed this yesterday, but congrats on the sale!

Just wanted to add that I'm the exact opposite. I like to be able to ask questions about how long they've lived there, why they're moving, the neighbours, the area, etc. etc.

I have to say I do like to do this on a 2nd viewing, just not the first. In a 2nd viewing we've already decided we like the house itself and can move on to why they're moving and what the neighbours are like.