After every open for inspection, it’s natural to expect your agent to contact you and advise you how it has gone.
You’ll want to know how many people attended, and get an understanding for how many visitors are likely to be serious contenders to buy your home.
Some agents will contact you immediately after the open and report in, while others may want a day or so to get back in contact with those who attended. This will give them a deeper insight into their interest in your property. This is often the case if the open has been extremely busy.
Either way, you should discuss with your agent before the first open to find out when they’re likely to report in, and the information you can expect to receive so you feel confident in the process and how it is going to be handled.
After each inspection, you should also consider asking:
What did the interested parties tell your agent they were looking for?
Try and get more information on about the brief that those who expressed an interest gave to your agent. How closely does your property match that brief? This will help you understand if they are really serious, or how much of a compromise your property may be for them.
Did any of the interested parties express a particular interest in your location?
You want to understand if they’re just looking generally and liked the style of your home, or whether they are particularly interested in your street or neighbourhood. Buyers who are particularly interested in an area or street are likely to be more serious.
How long have they been looking to buy?
Potential buyers who have been looking for a while, or how have lost the bidding at homes similar to yours are more likely to be serious contenders for your property. They will also more likely understand its value, and have the finance in place to purchase quickly.
Do they have family close by?
Sometimes the answer to this can surprise you. If your potential buyer has family around the corner or even in the same street, this can be a major motivator to buy and augurs well for a sale.