A POTENTIAL home buyer recently attended an open home, was unable to speak to an agent, and left with questions about features of the house.
He sat in his car parked near the driveway, realised there was solar paneling on the roof, yet decided the house wasn’t for him.
At least one real estate agent says impatient selling is an emerging problem in a hot market.
Michael Wardlaw, of eHouse at Springwood, said it was time to re-think the way houses are sold, particularly if buyers were keen to maximise the return on their property.
“Think about it,” he said.
“As a potential buyer, would you like to have direct contact with an agent about features of the home? Or would you prefer to be put through a house for sale like a cattle yard?
“It’s not uncommon for 25 people to be looking at the same home at the same time. There’ll be someone in the corner pointing out all the faults they see, which to other people aren’t faults at all.
“It’s an overly stressful way of house hunting, so things need to be done differently to suit the market. That way, you’re giving sellers the best opportunity to show off their homes.”
Mr Wardlaw said an emerging trend was for agents to sit at a property for 4-5 hours, scheduling private viewings of homes.
“The old school open house, anywhere from 30 minutes viewing time to an hour, just doesn’t work any more,” he said.
“That system doesn’t respect the buyer or the seller. By rushing it through, people are leaving their money on the table at the end of the negotiation. Sellers are missing out because buyers are not getting the opportunity to discuss their needs.”
Local Realty Group principal Peter Mitchell said open homes were an important part of the process, but were only one component of marketing a house.
“Buyers like to see and feel a home before they buy,” he said.
“Having a video or private inspections are other ways to increase people viewing the property.”
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