Selling houses - what numbers of viewings should I expect?

[Katy May]

Hi. I put my house on the market 10 days ago. I researched estate agents and sold prices for the area, have put it on at a reasonable asking price (ie average of valuations), have done all DIY jobs and decorated it neutrally. I wasn't expecting a flood of viewings but I was expecting some, but so far there have been none. The estate agent said you get 90% of interest in the first 4 weeks so this doesn't bode well. Is this lack of viewers significant or am I panicking too early? If significant, what can I do to raise interest and get some viewings?

All advice appreciated!

[parkesquay]

It isn't clear as to whether you are actually using the services of an estate agent ,or do we assume that you are advertising your house with the agent who gave the average valuation?.

[Katy May]

Sorry, I've gone with the agent who has the biggest footfall, who appeared to provide the best service to buyers and who had the best satisfaction rating among people who've used estate agents in the area. Their valuation was the highest, but I asked them to put it on the market at a lower price than their recommendation. This may have been a mistake as so far I haven't got a for sale board up, despite phoning and complaining! Keep thinking guilty for nagging and then remembering that I'm paying them to sell my house!

[parkesquay]

By now(actually within 2 working days) the agent should have had a sign erected and your property should have been at least once in the weekly property paper.
This agency is going to get the same amount of money from you as your solitor and stamp duty combined so don't feel guilty about giving them a hard time.
Estate agents have a duty of care to their clients.
However there can be circumstances such as Easter hols which traditionally may not be a good family viewing period.
The sign however,is a must have for casual passers-by
Part of your contract should refer to a number of weeks(probably 8 or 12)by which time your agreement should end if house is not sold so you aren't bound to this agency for ever.
There should also be a

[Katy May]

Thanks Parkesquay. We did indeed have a contract, there was no time limit on the contract (they don't hold people to a minimum time apparently) but I agreed with them that I would not have to pay the withdrawal fee and annotated this on the contract.

It's good to know that Easter is a slow time and I will stay on their tail about the sign.

[shopper]

They should have also have taken photographs of the inside of your home and put them on the internet. Thats where most people look first for houses in the area.
If they arent doing the basic things to sell your house, get another agent.

[BenDToy]

Normally any agents I have dealt with have had a sign up within a few hours. 10 days is unreasonable. I suspect it is an oversight because they are usually over anxious to erect the sign. It is free advertising for them and their services as well as encouraging other sellers to use them. If this reflects their normal service, dump them ASAP.

[Cetti]

I agree with BenDToy, the board should have been up the next day - no excuses, as 'kerb viewing' is one of the best assets to selling a property.

Ours was on the market at the supposed peak viewing time, but had only a few viewees and they were mostly time wasters, so we ditched the Estate Agent found one that belonged to a group (always an asset) and it was sold to the first one to visit. It is down to lot of luck Katy, but also the right Estate Agent is paramount in the proceedings. The way its marketed - local paper, internet, lots of interior photos.

One tip that you may or may not know. Remove all photos of family and friends etc. as well as most ornaments as this makes potential buyers feel comfortable more likely to see your home as theirs.

[Katy May]

Thanks all. We now have a sign -in fact we have two as at first the sign was placed at the back of the house! They sub-contract the signage out apparently.

There are photos of the inside of the house and so far we've had one viewing - they liked the house but not the area. Not much I can do about that, and frankly, it's not that bad although i am trying to move out of the area so that says it all...

My initial thoughts were that one estate agent is much like another and that buyers would be proactive and look for houses so it doesn't really matter who you go with - but your experience, Shopper, suggests otherwise. I'm not really a photo/ornament person so there's very little to be moved.

I asked the estate agents what the market in Wakefield is like and they said not to expect much as it's very slow. I tested this with a few other agents who said they were expecting it to pick up (I made it clear I did not have a house to placce with them, so nothing in it for them!), so I'm giving it a few more weeks and then following Shpper's example!

Thanks for all your advice.