An estate agent will help you sell your flat faster and on better terms

Should the owner attend the viewing of their property? It might seem that their presence is essential. After all, the viewing of a flat is one of the most important stages of a sale.

Right from the start I would like to dispel one of the myths – that the owner should be present at the viewing of their property. It may seem paradoxical, but their presence sometimes gets in the way of closing a deal. Why does this happen? There are several reasons; below I present the three most important.

REASON NO. 1

Lack of professionalism

During a viewing, owners who are very attached to their home can prove problematic. Even though they have decided to sell the property, they sometimes treat clients not as partners but rather as intruders. Worse still, as intruders who disturb their peace.

That is why the typical owner, instead of answering interested buyers' questions reliably and objectively during the viewing, ignores them or, even worse, takes them as a personal attack. From there it is only a short step to a conflict, and conflict has never helped any property transaction succeed.

REASON NO. 2

Lack of knowledge of modern sales techniques

When discussing home branding, I mentioned that managing a property's image properly is quite important when selling. Especially today, when competition is truly enormous and a flat will not sell itself.

A good estate agent, thanks to their knowledge of the market and current trends, is able to create a brand for a flat or house that will be attractive to clients. The owner, however, can completely undo the agent's efforts and present a second, contradictory concept during the viewing. Consistency and home staging are quite important nowadays, so any inconsistency will be viewed negatively. If we care about selling the property, it is better not to take the risk.

REASON NO. 3

Lack of objectivity

A person who does not deal with selling property day to day generally lacks knowledge of which things matter most when presenting it. It is not at all easy to find enough convincing advantages of your own flat to clinch a deal. Talking about the flaws of the flat being sold can also be difficult for the owner.

It is also important whether the owner will be able to defend their property during the viewing so as to sell it at the right price. Their negotiating skills also matter, as these are, after all, what should lead them to the best possible profit. This is certainly far from easy – otherwise anyone could become an estate agent. And it is particularly difficult when the house or flat being sold stirs up many emotions and memories. In that case I recommend enlisting the help of specialists who will take care of the subsequent stages of the sale. They will do so professionally and objectively, using all modern methods, to present the property in the most favourable way and move closer to concluding a good deal.