Vendors talk, purchasers walk

SOME vendors prefer to be absent while purchasers inspect their property while others feel they want to stay and contribute.

“Some stay because they think their input is essential for the optimum marketing of their home,” Bellarine Property managing director Christian Bartley said.

“But in most cases direct contact between vendor and purchaser can result in lost opportunities, especially when purchasers are put off the property by too much information too soon.”

Mr Bartley said that it is not uncommon for vendors to anticipate and answer objections before they are voiced and in so doing highlight negatives.

“For example, a vendor conscious of the steepness of their driveway might say as the purchaser walks past the wheelie bin: ‘We always put the bin in the boot and drive it to the gate’.

“The purchaser’s attention is drawn from the general to the specific before their emotional connection with the property is fully established.

“They are asked to concentrate on features – negative ones at that – at a time when they are still in the initial stages of embracing or rejecting the property.

“Even if they noticed the steepness in passing they may not have thought it through in terms of day-to-day inconvenience.”

Mr Bartley said that vendor presence during inspections inhibits purchasers in other ways.

“It can make buyers uncomfortable and make it harder for them to ask the agent for the very details they do want to know,” Mr Bartley said.

“It draws their attention away from the property and causes them to focus on small talk.”

Mr Bartley said it is natural for vendors to be interested in the progress of the sale of their property.

“The best way to stay involved is to choose the agent you can trust to show your house to best advantage – and one who communicates with you every step of the way.

“Knowing what’s going on takes much of the stress out of the marketing process and allows you to take a back seat with confidence.”

For more information, phone Christian Bartley on 0410 695 325, email [email protected] or head to bellarineproperty.com.au.