How painful is completion day for you

The day you move in to, or out of, your home is a big one. Buyers can’t wait and want to move in asap and sellers have the headache of working out how to get the keys to the new owner. In the midst of all this the agent is at the whim of both party’s solicitors, who will enact the final choreographed play when it suits them yet are expected to keep everyone happy.

Sellers will probably have to drop the keys in to the agent, the buyer will collect from the agent, but often is waiting outside because they don’t understand that release of keys can’t take place until the seller’s solicitor reports receipt of funds. Some buyers will insist on being met at the property, again at a time that may be thoroughly inconvenient.

Many agents go out of their way to make this easy, it’s a vital transaction point and cards, flowers, champagne etc are all used to remind the buyer who did the deal and who can do it again if they ever need to sell.

Bottom line though is that it’s a genuine pain – so how can all the above be ameliorated?

Simple – offer the seller, if they don’t have one already, a key safe. Key management has become a vital part of Viewber’s path. Keysafes have proved very effective, many more people have them than you might imagine. 

Tell your seller [if you didn’t do this when instructed as more and more are doing, it makes access and managing the keys so much easier anyway] you’ll fit a keysafe so that they don’t have to come in to see you to drop off keys, they just put in the keysafe when they leave. You then tell the buyer that you’ve fitted a keysafe for their convenience and simply tell them the code when you get notice of completion. The buyer can then go straight in and you tell them they’re free to keep the keysafe too. Maybe put a sticker on the keysafe to remind them who you are every time they use it.

Job done and a whole load of hassle sorted. Talk to us, we’ll fit one for £65 + VAT anywhere in the UK – and that includes the cost of the keysafe.

You can see my video on the subject here