Selling your house? It takes buyers THIS amount of time to know if they’ll make an offer

Britons looking to purchase a new home know whether or not they’ll make an offer within 40 seconds of walking through the front door, according to a new poll on the behaviours of home-buyers in the UK.  

The team at online window blind provider www.web-blinds.com quizzed 2,928 Britons for the study, all of whom had either purchased a new home within the past twelve months, or were currently in the process of looking for a property. 

Each participant taking part was asked a series of questions relating to their experiences of house viewings. 

First of all, participants were asked to state how many homes they looked at before they purchased their current house. 

If they were in the process of looking for a home they were asked how many they had viewed so far. The average answer to these questions emerged as 11. 

When asked to estimate how long after walking into a home they knew if they wanted to put in an offer, the average time was just 40 seconds. 

Of those who’d already purchased a new home, or had wanted to make a purchase that had fallen through, the average length of time between leaving and ringing the estate agent to make an offer emerged as just one hour. 

The survey also revealed the most off-putting traits of a property for potential homebuyers. 

Participants were given an extensive list and asked to state (up to a maximum of five) what would most dissuade them from wanting to buy the home.

The top 10 answers emerged as follows: 

1. Dirty rooms/poor hygiene – 53 per cent 

2. Single-glazed windows – 47 per cent 

3. If someone passed away in the property – 41 per cent 

4. Evidence of dog ownership – 40 per cent 

5. Mould issues – 38 per cent 

6. Cluttered/messy rooms – 29 per cent 

7. Untidy/overgrown gardens – 25 per cent 

8. Old fashioned carpets – 22 per cent 

9. Undesirable/strange current owners – 20 per cent 

10. No central heating – 17 per cent 

Elements of a new home that would most convince homebuyers to put in an offer include an en-suite bathroom, hardwood flooring and a pet-friendly area.

Rachel Richards, spokesperson for www.web-blinds.com, said: “We all know that you’re more likely to get a better deal with a house that needs some TLC and modernisation work. 

“What you might not realise is that buyers can also secure a saving if the seller has a dog.”