Is a viewer a waste of time if they still have to sell their own house?

If you've had your home on the market for a few months now, you might be starting to feel frustrated with viewing appointments that take up your time but don't seem to go anywhere. So, should you refuse viewings from buyers who are not even ready to buy? Read this article to find out.

When you put your property on the market for sale, it's exciting, and each time you get a call from the estate agent to arrange a viewing appointment, you're filled with anticipation. This viewing could be the one; the buyer could fall in love with the property, and you'll be on your way to moving into your dream home.

You carefully prepare every inch of your home, cleaning and polishing, plumping cushions and perhaps even staging areas of your property, replicating the images from glossy property magazines.

You put so much effort into presenting the property just right, making it look perfect and ready for the viewers. You greet them warmly and make polite conversation, guiding them around your property, highlighting the best features and hoping that they fall in love with it, just like you did before you moved in.

After they leave, you imagine how great it would be if they made an offer. You might even struggle to sleep as you play the different scenarios in your mind or spend time on the property portal websites making a shortlist of properties you might call to view.

The following day, you wait patiently for the agent's call. But, by lunchtime, you still haven't heard anything. Maybe you call them to see if there has been any feedback or offers, but you're told that the agents have left them messages and sent an email but haven't heard back yet.

It's around now that you start to lose faith. As the hours pass without any call or update from the agents, you might begin to feel as if you'd imagined the positive ooohs and aahs from the viewers. They seemed to love it, and you'd been sure they would make an offer.

All those hours spent fantasising about your move, poring over the properties online, and dreaming about viewing those seem to have been wasted. You feel let down and despondent. You might get feedback from the viewers if you are lucky, but no offers.

After going through this process repeatedly, getting excited at the prospect of viewings and disappointed when they don't offer, you are beginning to get frustrated with each viewing appointment. You don't feel excited anymore and probably won't be dreaming of your future. What's the point? Some of the properties you had your eye on might have sold now, too. You might be losing hope of ever getting a sale.

If each viewer causes frustration and the rollercoaster of emotions that ensue, you might begin to dread the viewings. You might be thinking about telling your estate agent not to let anyone come and view who isn't in a position to buy. If a viewer can't buy your property yet, what is the point of preparing everything for the appointment? In fact, what is the point of letting them come and view at all? They couldn't start buying your property even if they want it, and you will be cleaning and preparing for no reason.

Sellers frequently ask this when they begin to lose patience in the marketing process, but it is a very damaging view. It can be frustrating to keep showing your property to viewers without getting offers, but you never know which buyer the property will be perfect for. If you refuse viewings to anyone who is not in a position to buy straight away, you could put them off altogether. They might decide not to view ever, even once they do have a sale agreed on their own property, and they could have been the perfect buyer for your property - now you'll never know.

If you refuse a viewer, you are narrowing your pool of potential buyers. This is the opposite of what we aim for when selling a property. The aim of the game is to appeal to as many buyers as possible.

And what if a viewer who hasn't sold their property falls head over heels in love with your home, and they have a secret stash of cash squirrelled away or a rich aunty who would happily loan them some money, or they even managed to sell very quickly?

The point is, you just never know, and if you refuse viewings from people for whatever reason, you are reducing your pool of potential buyers, which will reduce the chances of getting a sale. The key is ensuring that you have an estate agent that qualifies applicants fully, establishing their needs, wants, and ability to buy. This way, you and your agent will know who the viewers are, if they have cash stashed or a house to sell, and what stage that property sale is at. Of course, there is never a guarantee that any viewing will result in an offer. But, if you don't let people see the property, they will definitely not buy it.

Regardless of their buying power, they don't need to have everything in place right now. As long as there is a way to raise the funds to buy your property, then they are a potential buyer. If they love your house and need to sell their own, they might be prepared to reduce their price in the pursuit of a quick sale. You just never know.

If you're struggling with viewings and are thinking about changing agents, contact our property experts today for more information about how they help hundreds of homeowners move each year.