Simon Barnes offers his insights (and some advice) for property buyers and sellers; including mobile phones, smelly pets and annoying sellers.

Buyers

Buyers who do not pay attention during viewings and instead spend their ‘viewing’ time texting or on the phone. If you’re serious about buying, there will be an important decision to be made; so for perhaps 20 minutes, dare to turn your phone off!

Buyers who disappear after a viewing without giving any kind of feedback leaving everyone concerned in an unenviable state of limbo. Just let us know what you thought of the property… that’s all!

Buyers who ask stupid questions – usually because they’ve been on the phone for the duration of the viewing! You would know what the service charge is if you’d been listening… likewise that there is permit parking/off street parking/garage parking…or no parking etc etc

Sellers

Preparation – decisions are made within the first few minutes of viewing a property and yet strangely, few sellers seem to fully understand this so I make a point of always arriving at least 30 minutes before a viewing to ensure everything is as it should be.

Vendors who follow you around on viewings with a running commentary do nothing to ingratiate themselves to any prospective buyer – they only irritate!

Pets may well be loved by their owners but their ‘scent’ does not assist the viewing process – so I would recommend removing all evidence of smelly pets… or any pets for that matter.

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About Simon Barnes

Simon Barnes has built a reputation for possessing insider knowledge, treading the pavements of London’s fanciest streets for more than 20 years acquiring prime properties for the well-heeled and wealthy. Working slightly ahead of the curve; his code of practice has been always to retain a manageable cluster of clients rather than spreading his attention too thinly.