How Many Viewings Does It Take to Sell a House?

If you’ve taken the plunge and decided it’s time to sell your house, you’ll no doubt be asking yourself plenty of questions. How many viewings it will take to secure an offer is often close to the top of the list.

The answer to this query depends on many factors such as location, property type and the state of the current housing market. It takes an average of 185 days to sell in the UK, and in that time, other research indicates that you could see anything from 9 viewings to as many as 27 before the house is sold.

In our blog today, we look at the number of viewings and how you could find the opportunity to sell your house fast and reduce the number of viewings before your property is sold.

Can you sell your house with just one viewing?

It is certainly possible, but it remains unlikely. Unless you approach a cash house buyer who offers to buy your home regardless of its condition or location, you will probably see multiple viewings before you get the concrete offer you are hoping for. Even if the first viewers are incredibly interested in the home, they will likely want a second visit to give them added assurances that this is the ideal property to make an offer on.

What affects how many viewings it takes to sell a house?

Lots of factors can come into play when trying to get viewings on the house you are trying to sell. Things such as price, condition, location and the state of the market all play a part.

Hot or cold market

Should the property market be hot, you would expect to see more viewings than if it is cold. A hot property market means that there are more buyers than sellers, therefore, the potential interest in your home should be higher than if the market is going through a cold patch. Data curated by The Advisory tells us that you’ll see an average of 11 viewings when the market is hot compared to 9 when it is cold.

As you can probably surmise, a cold market is when there are fewer buyers and more sellers. With more sellers and a smaller pool of buyers, your home becomes one of the many available and viewings become thinned out, rather than focused on just a small collection of properties.

The same report from the team at The Advisory also indicates that only 20% of sales in both hot and cold markets saw fewer than five viewings.

Condition

When someone views a home, they want to visualise it as their home even though there is no guarantee they will be buying it. This becomes much easier if the property is in good condition. Should there be various maintenance issues requiring urgent repair, overgrown gardens or a general state of untidiness, a viewer finds it much harder to see the home as somewhere they can live. They also factor in the substantial cost it may take to get these issues rectified.

The asking price

We all want to make the most money possible on our house sale but overestimating its worth could see viewings becoming non-existent. Find an estate agent who has a good reputation, and prices your property fairly, taking into account the market for the local area, your property type and its condition.

Marketing

Your home may be fairly priced, it may be in the best condition possible, and the market might be hot. Everything is in your favour, but the viewings just aren’t happening. You ask yourself why? It could well be that the photos and marketing just don’t do your property justice. Lots of views are done online and these give the first impression of the house to any potential buyer. This first impression then translates into whether a viewing will then be booked. Get the home seen in its best light and viewings could soon mount up.

Your flexibility

We all have busy lives but sometimes how we prioritise things can have a detrimental effect on the bigger picture. If, for example, you have stated that viewings can only take place at weekends, or they might only be available for a set time frame on specific evenings, you could miss out on the viewing that becomes an offer.

Should the market be especially competitive, this choice to limit potential viewings could see your home stay on the market for way longer than you had hoped.

The chain

If your property is part of a complex chain, fewer buyers may be interested in it. Just like you want a fast sale, the buyer wants a smooth and quick purchase. Knowing the property is in a chain could make them look elsewhere for a quicker property purchase, avoiding your home altogether.

Timing

Even if the market is hot, you might be jumping on the sales bandwagon at the tail end of this fast-moving market and see you’ve missed the best opportunities. Think of it as a seasonal change. Like Autumn moves into Winter, hot markets can move into cold markets. If you’ve just missed the peak and the market is getting cooler, you could be joining just as the pool of buyers and viewings begin to slow down and freeze.

Will I always get a second viewing from an interested party?

A second viewing is a good sign that a buyer is keen on your home. Whether this translates to an offer is not guaranteed but it certainly indicates that something about your home has piqued their interest. It might be that they want to get a second opinion from a friend or family member, it could be that they want to double-check the layout, or it could simply be that yours is one of many homes they are considering, and they want to finalise their shortlist.

Will I get a lot of viewings as soon as my house is for sale?

It is hard to say. Much depends on the factors we mentioned above. However, sometimes, people can forgive slightly poor-quality photos or a slightly out-of-budget price, if the home ticks other boxes for them.

For example, should the market be hot, you might see 2-3 viewings booked within the first week. Should the market be cold, you may see 1-2 bookings every two weeks.

How can I increase the number of viewings my house gets?

If you’ve been struggling to get viewings, you could do a few things to help draw a little more attention towards it.

Market it at the right time

Timing is everything when trying to sell your home, so it pays to sell your home at the optimal time of year.  The best time of year to sell a house, according to the Homeowners Alliance, is Spring. Fewer families are away on holiday, the busy festive period is still some way off, and the weather isn’t too dull and depressing. That being said, the other seasons do offer opportunities too. Autumn, especially in October, can be a good time for viewings. Traditionally, July and August are the slower months to attempt a sale.

Speaking to your estate agent and looking at the local market will help give you an idea of how the market is performing.

Improve kerb appeal and property aesthetics

Tidying up the exterior of your house is a surefire way to start generating interest. An article on Estate Agent Today revealed that 60% of property viewers make up their minds within one minute of seeing the outside of a home. If your home lacks that “wow factor” outside, potential buyers may also wonder what it lacks on the inside.

Tidy the garden, plant new flowers, remove the rubbish, and make it look nice. Then take to the interior. Should there be blinking light bulbs, change them, should there be dull walls, freshen them up with new paint and remember that missing cupboard door? Replace it.

All these things and more go some way to improving the visual aesthetic of your home. When the listing goes live, more people will say “wow” than say “what?”

Change estate agent

Many agents unfortunately overpromise and underdeliver. They could do this by leading you to believe the house will sell for a far higher sum than it should. They may also convince you that your road, street, avenue or lane is the most sought-after in the area. Then once the home is live, nobody wants to know.

Study the estate agents in the area and the online estate agent options. See how they align with your goals, find out more about their reputation and see what fees they may charge. Once you’ve found something that suits you, consider seeing whether you can list with multiple agents and improve your chances of viewings.

Revise your price

Have you been lured by an agent into thinking your home is worth more than it really is? This could be the reason nobody is viewing it. See if your price matches similar properties in the local area or whether it is the outlier. If your home has been listed at £20,000 more than other similar homes in your area, you could be killing the chances of any viewings at all.

By making your home affordable and more in line with the current market, you can start to see the viewings increase and hopefully, a sale follows close behind.

Why am I getting lots of viewings but no offers?

If the viewings are coming in, then you might have the right price and the right property, but it could be lacking that little something else. If you have had one or two viewings but no offers made, you don’t have much to worry about. Especially if the market is competitive. Should you already be on your tenth viewing with no offers forthcoming, you may have to look a little deeper.

Your location may not be desirable for some. Whilst you would hope interested parties would be aware of the location before a viewing, an estate agent may work their magic highlighting any positives but carefully avoiding any negatives. Only once the property is visited does the buyer then notice the proximity to busy roads, the anti-social behaviour or the general untidiness of the area. You can’t move your home, but you can move your price, and this may be the only way to convert a viewing into a sale in this instance.

The property may not be in the best condition. The photos may look wonderful, the home may be in an idyllic location and the viewings are almost daily but still, nobody wants to make an offer. Should some issues affect the structure of the home, buyers might look elsewhere after having a closer inspection of your property. You might still be able to sell at a reduction, but you might be best off repairing the issues and selling at a higher price. This just means you may have to slow down your property plans.

Unsuitable viewers could also be a factor. Earlier we mentioned the estate agent under-delivering and this could be a huge reason your sale is not moving how you had hoped. Unfortunately, some estate agents may think it better to appease you with lots of viewings of no quality rather than a few that are more sporadic but of higher quality. This won’t necessarily be evident right away but if you are seeing multiple views with nothing coming from them, and your property is ticking all the other boxes, it might be time to review your sales method.

One way to sell a home with minimal views is with Bettermove. We guarantee a fast house sale and do it without charging you a penny. We sell your house for free so no surprise fees or hidden charges are hindering your sale. With our extensive network of buyers ready to make an offer, you can say goodbye to complex chains, multiple viewings and the uncertainty of the sale, and say hello to the better way to sell with Bettermove. Contact our team today and get a no-obligation cash offer now!