[Important SellingUp information: Housesimple is now called Strike and its property selling service is now 100% FREE. That means with Strike you can sell your property with no estate agent’s fees. For fully updated information on this opportunity to sell your home without paying a estate agent please visit the Strike website.]
Viewings are one of the most vital aspects of the property selling process, so it’s important to get them right. Many sellers using an online estate agent are happy to conduct these viewings themselves – it can be cheaper and, for some, more convenient. But for those who don’t have the time or inclination to meet buyers, online estate agents that do hosted viewings can be invaluable.
Too busy to deal with buyers? Try online estate agents that conduct viewings
Some online agents that offer accompanied viewings usually do so for an additional fee.
The reason is that delivering a hosted viewings service adds personnel cost to the agent which is striving to keep its fees as low as possible. So if you require an online agent that conducts viewings you may have to be prepared to pay a little extra.
Here are three online estate agents that can help you by conducting the viewings, so you don’t have to. Please note all prices are correct at the time of writing – to confirm any details please visit the indiviual agent’s website.
YOPA
YOPA (‘Your Online Property Agent’) launched in 2015 but has already made big waves in the UK property market (and not least because of its popular Village People-inspired TV advertisements).
Like most online estate agents, the company operates on a fixed fee basis, but offers a number of add-ons for an additional cost. For a one-off additional payment of £300 you can opt for YOPA’s viewings package and have your property shown to potential buyers by an experienced agent.
SellMyHome
Winner of Estate Agent of the Year 2017, SellMyHome has pioneered innovation in the online estate agency sphere – it was the first to introduce social media advertising for properties – while remaining true to the principals of property sales.
SellMyHome doesn’t advertise a property viewings service on its website, but it happy to offer one to customers who can’t for whatever reason conduct a viewing themselves. They charge £50 per single viewing or £80 for a one-hour open house. Which option is best for you of course depends on your property and what you hope to achieve with the viewing. A single viewing ensures potential buyers are given one-on-one attention without feeling harried or jostling for room, while an open house will means greater exposure for your property and perhaps a more competitive buying environment.
HouseSimple
HouseSimple is one of the longest-established online estate agencies, launched in 2007 by a brother-sister duo who’d become disillusioned with the UK property market. With 30 years of property sales experience under their belts, they created what is now the UK’s second-largest online estate agent business.
Like SellMyHome, HouseSimple doesn’t advertise a hosted viewings service but does offer them if needed, either on a pay-as-you-go basis (see HouseSimple for latest viewings prices) or as a package with a set amount of viewings included. The viewings will be conducted by a trusted local representative who will have a set of keys to the property, so you needn’t worry about the logistics of the viewing in your absence.
Bear in mind that both SellMyHome and HouseSimple use an outsourced third party company to run property viewings, so they won’t be able to give potential buyers a great deal of information about the property or local area. Their role is simply to provide access.
If you’d rather potential buyers received a more personal touch it might be worth conducting the viewings yourself, or enlisting the help of an online agent who is more knowledgeable about the things a would-be buyer is likely to enquire about.
[Important SellingUp information: Housesimple is now called Strike and its property selling service is now 100% FREE. That means with Strike you can sell your property with no estate agent’s fees. For fully updated information on this opportunity to sell your home without paying a estate agent please visit the Strike website.]