My wife insists on showing potential buyers around our house - should we just let the estate agent do it?

Daily Mail​

24-05-2025

My wife and I have been trying to sell our family home for more than six months. We're downsizing as my mobility isn't very good any more.
Our children grew up in the house and it means a lot to us.
We've had multiple viewings, but no offers. My wife insists on helping show around prospective buyers and providing them with in-depth details of the history of the house, family goings on in the place over the years and even highlights renovation work or improvements that need doing.
Do you think buyers are being put off by my wife attending viewings? Is it just best to leave viewings to the estate agent and potential buyer?
Would this increase our chance of getting a good price for the house and selling it quicker?
Jane Denton, of This is Money, replies: Your wife sounds like a great character and that's to be applauded.
It's no surprise if you've lived in the home for decades that you've all got a deep emotional connection to the property - and as such, you care about who owns it next.
However, if you are both serious about downsizing, sentimentality needs to be removed from the equation.
Your objective is to sell your house for the best price possible as quickly as possible.
The viewing period is crucial and needs to be conducted correctly.
Putting it bluntly, your wife's interventions, while well-meaning, may be putting buyers off, particularly when she's talking about renovation works that needs doing.
Buyers will be totting up how much they will need to spend on a property on top of the house price.
During viewings, prospective buyers need the space and time to be able to view themselves in your house.
They need to be able to imagine themselves living there. I've asked two property experts for their take on your question.
Liam Gretton, owner of Liam Gretton Bespoke Estate Agent, on Wirral Peninsula, says: Viewings are one of the most crucial stages of a sale and you need to be strategic about them.
How prospective buyers are handled can make or break the experience and, in some cases, determine whether they make an offer or not.
It may seem like having the owner present is helpful, however in almost every case, the best person to carry out the viewing is your estate agent, ideally a personal agent who knows you, has read up and learnt about the property and understands your sale.
Believe it or not, most first viewings are booked on emotion. A buyer has seen your photos or video tour and started imagining themselves in the space.
At this stage, it's about them making an emotional connection to your home. If your wife is walking them through her memories and family milestones, she could be unintentionally breaking this connection.
Second viewings are often driven by logic.
That's when buyers are considering whether the property would really work for them and delving into the practicalities.
This is the stage where, if needed, the owner's insight can add value, answering specific questions about the boiler, the garden drainage, or the neighbour's dog.
However, this is only applicable if the buyer is already emotionally committed to the idea of living there.
A big mistake I see all the time is sellers getting their hopes up because a buyer was lovely to their face, only for that buyer to disappear without feedback.
Why? Because buyers don't want to offend. If you're present, they won't give honest feedback, they won't speak freely and they often won't stay long enough to form a real impression.
Some estate agents will say it's fine for sellers to show buyers around and that 'no one knows the home like you do.'
However, the truth is it feels more of a cost saving exercise and I see it as lazy standards.
Viewings aren't about the property, but about the buyer and their lifestyle, future and vision.
It is always sensible to have your estate agent show prospective buyers around. Buyers feel more comfortable and will be more honest.
If it's not for them, you want to know quick so you're able to move on.
It's also a good idea to block the bulk of the viewings together twice a week. As buyer one is leaving, they are seeing buyer two. This creates an anticipation that the property is going to sell fast and builds more interest.
Amy Reynolds, head of sales at Richmond estate agency Antony Roberts, says: Most estate agents will agree that it is far better to let prospective buyers view your home without the owners present.
Buyers need the space – both physically and mentally – to imagine themselves living there.
That's very hard to do when the current owners are walking them through a lifetime of memories, even if those memories are heartwarming. While your home's history is important to you, the harsh reality is that buyers are thinking about their future, not your past.
If your wife wants to share the story of the house, she could absolutely write a brief letter for your estate agent to hand to buyers after the viewing.
That way, the emotional connection is shared – but it doesn't overwhelm the practical process of selling.
It's also the estate agent's job to tailor the viewing to the individual, they'll understand what's important to each buyer and can highlight features accordingly.
They are trained to guide people round, pick up on reactions, answer concerns, and sell the lifestyle your home offers, not just the bricks and mortar.
Buyers often want to discuss changes they'd make – reconfiguring rooms, knocking through walls, changing the kitchen – and they're unlikely to speak openly if they fear offending the owner.
They may also hold back criticism or questions, which can prevent them from fully engaging with the property.
Instead of being present, the best way to help sell your home is to focus on presentation: declutter, refresh paintwork and keep the house clean.
If you are willing to invest in the property, ask the agent what cosmetic changes could be made to help improve the outcome of the viewings.
A freshly decorated hallway, with coat hooks and space for shoes is always more inviting than walking into a hallway and having to step over and around everything to get into the first room.
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