Selling your home? 10 tell-tale signs to spot time-wasters

Time wasters.  Carpet-traders.  Voyeurs.  Serial house-viewers with no intention of buying. It's a rising trend and so it's always a good idea to check the sincerity of potential buyers. We've put together 10 tell-tale signs you could be wasting your time with viewers that will never make an offer. Don't forget to ask questions, listen carefully and watch their body language.

1. Your best prospects will go through the house slowly, visualising themselves in each room. Listen to their comments carefully as they will imply if they can see themselves settling into your home.

2. Close study of family photographs or bookcases is simply voyeurism! Unfortunately, they're more interested in you, not your property.

3. Ask if they’ve been pre-approved for a mortgage that works with your asking price. Serious buyers would have already met with their lender and will be able to answer your question.

4. Over-complimenting the decor could mean a guilty conscience and subsequently, no offer.  

5. Asking about the property's utility bills and council tax is an optimistic sign. The prospective buyer will be doing the maths, trying to find out how much will they have left once they have paid the mortgage and bills.

6. Requesting to arrange a second viewing before they leave is clearly a positive indicator.

7. Look out for signs of buyer attachment. 'Possessive comments' such as debating if their sofa will fit into an existing space implies that they feel like they already own the property.

8. Learning more about local amenities including parks or dog walking opportunities is a good sign. They're looking to see if the surrounding community meets their requirements too.

9. Try to get some background about why they're interested in your property. Working within the area or having family nearby supports their reasoning for buying locally.

10. It's safe to assume that your time has been wasted when it becomes apparent that they haven't studied your property details and make comments like: "It doesn't have enough bedrooms".