After all of the pictures are shot, the listings have been tweaked and checked and gone up online, and (hopefully) the phone calls and email enquiries have begun to come in, that is when the actual work starts when it comes to ‘selling’ your rental property to prospective tenants. Unless you happen to be in an area where rentals are snapped up quickly, or you have something truly exceptional (or cheap), it could take many weeks – even months – of viewings to get someone who wants to make your house their home. This does need to be remembered when you are preparing the place for viewings.
Showing folks around your home is among the most crucial components of the marketing procedure. It enables a prospective tenant to discover the specifics about the property, where it’s located, measure up for furniture, get a good feel for the place, and decide whether or not they can live there. Online viewings are all very well and good, but that gut feeling is crucial to many, and nothing really beats physical viewings. Thankfully, the pandemic is now in a position where this is possible, so lettings should be easier than they have been.
Here are some useful tips for ensuring that your viewings go as successfully as possible, cutting down on the time and expense it will take to let your property.
Pick Good Times for Viewings
Let the letting agent (if you’re using one) know the viewing times that suit you ahead of time. The way you are not rushing a viewer around the house so that you can go and get the kids from school on time, for example. Don’t have them book viewings during your working hours, or when you already have commitments in place. Or, if you don’t want to miss out on prospective tenants, have the agent do some or all of the viewings for you. This can actually work out very well since they won’t have an emotional attachment to the place, and some tenants prefer to have an agent show them around anyway.
Despite having said this, it’s still important to be as flexible as you can. If your property is suitable for commuters, you may have to show it at weekends or in the evening. If it’s a family home, you might have to fit in viewings during school hours.
Remember Kerb Appeal
The very first thing a viewer will see regarding the property will be the outside, therefore however glamorous and spotless it is on the interior, it has got to look great in the open air too! It’s all about kerb appeal. Keep the driveway clear and the front garden (if there is one) tidy. Make sure the front door is in good condition and the door furniture is shiny and new. It won’t cost a lot, but could be the difference between quickly finding a tenant or waiting for weeks without any rent coming in.
Make It A Home
In order to help someone envisage themselves in the property, tell them more about it. Let them know what you loved about it, why you bought it, the history of it. Give them something to think about.
Keep your rental property tidy and spotless, but looking as it has been lived in. It needs to feel like a home to viewers; they shouldn’t be afraid to touch anything or worried that any little mark is going to be a huge issue. They need to be able to live there, after all. But equally, let them know that you care about it and take care of the place. This fine line can easily be balanced, and it will help you greatly.
Don’t Oversell
No one likes a pushy salesperson, so if you’re showing someone around your property, don’t make them feel forced into making a decision and never, ever lie to them. Even if you think that whatever it is you have to say is going to push them towards buying, don’t do it – it will only come back to bite you later on, especially if they ask you to put certain points in writing which you can’t deliver on.
Make A Lasting Impression
Try to keep your property’s greatest feature for last when viewings are happening. Whether that’s the amazing view from the master bedroom, the gorgeous, brand new bathroom, the garden, the peace and quiet, the huge inglenook in the living room, if you can (and it will depend on what it is and the layout of the house) leave it until last because that will be the main image people walk away from your property with. It might be the thing that persuades them they need to live there.