Property viewings are a key factor in attracting tenants to your offering, as first impressions count. Tenants want to get an accurate look and feel of their new potential home, and landlords want to do all they can to make their home stand out.
However, sometimes when showing off a property to tenants, landlords can either forget to highlight certain aspects of the viewing, or push hard in certain areas and put off tenants in the process.
Looking to achieve the perfect viewing? Here are some common mistakes that landlords make when showcasing their prospective homes to tenants, and some steps you can take to avoid them.
1] Forgetting to highlight the home’s kerb appeal
Of course, you want to make sure that everything inside your property is perfect, but don’t forget to see what you can do to improve what your home looks like from the outside too. ‘Kerb appeal’ is an important aspect of marketing a house, and it can have a positive or negative affect on a property’s value.
Frame your home as best you can when photographing it, and take a look at the attractions and points of interest that are within its vicinity.
2] Neglecting to clean the property
This is particularly important for landlords that are advertising a property and completing viewings while the property is still occupied by a tenant. Showing the tenant around a dirty and messy home will more often than not give them a bad impression, even if the current state isn’t a true representation of what the property will look like if they were to move in.
If worried that the property is looking a little cluttered, why not consider a bit of a minimalist redesign? These are popular in student properties such as the ones offered by companies such as RWinvest, and maximise floor space in a given property, allowing tenants to choose how they want to personalise it. Freshening up the space and making it feel modern will make that extra bit of difference in a viewing.
3] Lying to the tenant about the condition of the property
Tenants make it their mission to go over every nook and cranny in a property with a fine-toothed comb, and so it can be difficult to cover up things you don’t want your tenant to see anyway, but don’t make a habit of hiding the negatives.
Issues with your home that aren’t addressed will only come back to haunt you, and a negative relationship between you and your tenant won’t help anyone. Be honest and upfront with any problems and breaks that might be prevalent and work together with the tenant to come to a resolve if there are any objections.
4] Cherry picking the areas you show to a tenant
Handholding your tenant during a viewing, and showing them the things that you think they’ll want to see is not the right way to go. Not allowing the tenant freedom to roam the property and inspect what they see fit will often leave them feeling frustrated, and thinking that you might be hiding something.
Don’t be too pushy – give the tenants the information and what they need to know, but invite them to look around at their leisure, and don’t make them feel like they need to make a decision then and there.
