House on the market ....

Or Northumberland.

I agree with Terribull - 'presenting a property in the best light is quite crucial to achieving the best possible price, in a way you are selling a lifestyle and need to stage the home accordingly'.

We have sold a few houses over the years. All of them sold quite quickly. All of the houses were 'presented' well.

I think you should remove clutter from surfaces and make sure the house is clean and tidy, especially kitchens and bathrooms. Don't have too many knick knacks around. Things like bookcases are different but I would make sure they look tidy.

Some people cannot see beyond what is already there.

I am always suspicious if there is a strong smell of air freshener or scented candles as it makes me wonder if it is covering up something. I would use flowers and open the windows prior to let some fresh air in (weather permitting of course). I think people are wise to the coffee and bread aromas now.

I also think that people are put off by pets, especially if they are not animal lovers. We had two dogs when we sold one of our houses. On the open day we moved the baskets and dishes from the house and made sure there was no doggy smell. It was quite easy for us as we had hard flooring.

Good luck with the sale

I think people are wise to the coffee and bread aromas now

Oh, I won't try that then!

Yes, I would be cleaning. I just want to say good luck.

Agree with you! Clean sells!!

And the fresh smell of paint … that is not to say diy done 6 months ago.

Clear and clean the hall or entrance, 1st impression and buyers sometimes stop to ask a question here on their way out. No smelly shoes!

Dig out any paperwork on planning permission for future projects.

Hope it goes well for you today and do follow them around. I was cross to find someone had broken the handle on my Aga.

Yes, someone broke the catch closing a window on our 5 year old townhouse in London. I hadn't accompanied them up to the top floor. I assume they wanted to see the full view.

hazel hope everything went well with your open house and nothing was damaged.

Oh yes, how many viewers did you have? Did they show any interest, do you know? We had immediate feedback from the agent on the day, and the offers came in on the Monday and Tuesday.

I'm eager to know how things went too hazel93.

My pet hate when viewing houses it the owner being there. I always go out when people come to view, I think the owner being there is a distraction and stops you visualising the house as yours.

I agree Coastpath. You can't openly discuss any changes you'd make if the owner is there or check out the cupboards (well, not unless you're a rather rude person!).

My DH is fussy about shower pressure and I have to hold him back from testing the plumbing when we view houses.

We viewed three identical houses on the same estate.

We bought the clean and tidy one.

If the others couldn’t be bothered to clean we assumed they wouldn’t have bothered much with maintenance either.

I admit it - I am a cupboard peeper. It's not purely that I'm nosy (I am!) but knowing how much storage space a house has is important to me so cupboard size is as important as room size.

Storage space is important to me too and sadly lacking in many new homes.

Does anyone actually bother to view the loft? Or only if you have plans to convert it?

On the second viewing -yes! That’s when you really poke about.

Got caught out when I was young by vendors who left a loft full of junk. Now I make sure complete clearance is written into the contract or a hefty penalty.

They certainly should. Lofts can hide all sorts of horrors.

Mr Coastpath views lofts Josieann. He's balanced on stools with his head amongst cobwebs and Christmas trimmings in many houses. He's also an electric socket counter and water pressure tester!! Aside from this he's a normal, interesting guy.

Germanshepherdsmum you're so right about the lack of storage in new build homes. I always feel they're designed on a computer to get the most out of every inch and that the person operating the computer has never owned a mop or a vacuum cleaner.

Coastpath I'm glad I not alone with a fussy husband! Mine has one of those laser measure machines toys and points it at walls to get readings in alcoves and awkward corners where he sees the potential to extend!

All these months later I regret being so sympathetic towards my vendor's apparent nervousness due to Covid.

She ushered me so quickly from room to room I missed lots of things I should have asked questions about.

Shandy57

All these months later I regret being so sympathetic towards my vendor's apparent nervousness due to Covid.

She ushered me so quickly from room to room I missed lots of things I should have asked questions about.

She shouldn't have been in the house at all, Shandy!

People we know were selling their house and they went to stay with relatives while the estate agent took charge of the viewings. They weren't allowed back straight away afterwards.