House hunting is not an activity that can be undertaken from the sofa.
Property buyers should spend less time on their phones, and more time on their feet.
“House buyers’ obsession with online property portals is undermining their chances of securing the right home. Despite homebuyers spending an average of six hours a week scrolling property websites, many fail to carry out even a single in-person viewing. The result is distorted expectations, missed opportunities and prolonged, frustrating searches.”
Ed Jephson of Stacks Property Search says, “Physical viewings are not optional — they are essential. Online listings frequently mislead, whether through flattering photography, poor angles, or omissions about roads, neighbouring land, noise or the character of an area.
“People think they’ve been looking for a year, but when you ask how many houses they’ve actually seen, the answer is often none. They’re destined to be always searching, never finding.
“A house that looks like an eight out of ten online can turn out to be a six in real life — and equally, a six on paper can become an eight or even a ten once you’re standing in it. You simply can’t judge a place without seeing it.”
Clare Coode of Stacks Property Search says, “Many of the best homes never reach the portals at all, selling before being listed publicly to buyers who have built personal relationships with local estate agents, or those who have used buying agents.
“Face-to-face contact with estate agents beats anything you can do online. If an agent knows who you are, how serious you are, and exactly what you’re looking for, you’ll hear about properties that others never see. They will have you in mind as soon as a new property comes on that they know meets your brief.”
Nick Cunningham of Stacks Property Search says, “In-person viewings help buyers refine their preferences. Looking at properties with problems steers buyers in the right direction. It allows buyers to discover what they don’t want – whether that’s isolation, flatness, lack of community, whatever. It all helps to build the wider picture and to refine the brief.
“This is particularly important for buyers who are unfamiliar with an area. Two villages separated by a few miles can be completely different; it’s important to walk around the area, visit the pub, the café, the shop, and to get a feel for the community. That simply can’t be done from the sofa.”
Clare Coode says, “One Canadian couple searching remotely lost a property that they had made an offer on unseen. The following week they came over to Cornwall for ten days of intensive viewing. I took them to see over twenty five houses. They had thought they wanted a property in rural isolation, but found that what they were drawn to was community life, and they bought a lovely terraced house in a vibrant village. When they saw the property that they had lost, they realised it wouldn’t have suited them.”
Ed Jephson says, “Flicking through your phone occasionally won’t cut it. You have to get out there, build reference points, see the good, the bad and the ugly. And to be best friends with the agents. There’s nothing to be lost and everything to be gained by looking at rubbish!”
Stacks Property Search, 01594 842880 / www.stacks.co.uk
