Viewings are like buses

Forgive me for trotting out this tired analogy but it would appear that home viewings are like buses – you wait for (what seems like) ages and then many come along at once.

Just a night after I conducted the first viewing three more potential purchasers contacted me to arrange to see my flat.

This deluge of interest finally convinced me that my plan was not as crazy as it seemed and that I would be able to sell my flat without having to line the pockets of an estate agent. Actually, it also made me question whether I had put my place on the market too cheaply but it was too late for that.

Anyway, I arranged all the viewings for the same night of the following week – one after another – in the hope (later dashed) that the end of each viewing would be interrupted by the next, leaving the impression that my flat was in demand.

When the night came I was feeling quite relaxed, having exercised all my nervous energy on the first viewing just days before. The first people to turn up were a middle-aged couple who seemed impressed by the flat but they said it was the first place they had seen in the area and I got the impression they were merely checking out the market rather than really interested in a quick purchase.

Unfortunately, the second viewer didn’t turn up at all – which of course scuppered my plan for her to interrupt the first appointment. I was actually quite annoyed because the woman in question did not even bother to ring me to tell me. Not only that but she ignored my call when I phoned her – but I am told that that is what happens when you try to sell your home, whether through agents or directly, so I shouldn’t take it too personally.

Anyway, my anger was quickly tempered by the third viewing that went better than I could have ever imagined. This time it was a young, professional woman and she seemed very interested -so interested in fact that she put in an offer before she even left my flat.

It turned out that she had been looking for a place for more than five months and had become very frustrated with the whole process. She said she had seen too many "horrible little flats" and had just “fallen in love” with my place.

Of course, the fact that she had told me this gave me a crucial edge in negotiations.

Although I was excited by her offer, I managed to keep my calm and refused it. We instead arranged that she should come back round for a second viewing a week later.

To read the full story of my plan to sell my own home click here