How to schedule property viewings without the phone tag
Estate agents and property managers: one service per listing, viewing slots or open viewings with places, questions for the note, and valuations for sellers.
6 min read
Create one bookable service per listing, open viewing slots on the days you can be at the property, and send the link in every reply to an enquiry. Choose between individual viewings of 20 to 30 minutes and group viewings with a set number of places. Ask in the booking note what you need to know before the visit, and remove the listing's service as soon as the property is under offer or let. Valuation appointments for sellers get their own service.
Why viewings eat your day
A new listing brings calls, emails and messages from portals, each ending with the same question: when can I visit? Agreeing on a time with each person, one by one, can take longer than the viewings themselves. Meanwhile, the owner or tenant wants to know when people will come, and you want to group visits so you don't drive across town for a single one.
A booking page turns that back-and-forth into one step: the enquirer picks a slot, and you receive an email for each new booking. It also leaves a clear record of who booked which viewing, with their contact details, ready for your follow-up call after the visit.
One service per property
On Book, a service has a name, an optional description and an optional price. For viewings, make each listing a service, named so people recognise it: "Viewing: 2-bedroom flat, city centre". In the description, give the key facts and practical details: the area, the floor and lift, parking, and the documents a tenant should have ready if it's a rental. When the property is under offer or let, remove its slots or the service itself, and nobody can book a viewing for a property that's gone.
Individual viewings or group viewings
| Format | How to set it up | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Individual viewings | 20–30 min slots, one place each | Sales, family homes, detailed questions |
| Staggered viewings | 15 min slots back to back, one place each | Busy rentals, one afternoon on site |
| Group viewing | One slot of 30–45 min with several places | Rentals with high demand, new builds |
For a group viewing, set the number of places on the slot: each person books one place, and once it's full, the slot disappears from the page. Couples or flatmates visiting together can mention it in the note, or you can book several places for them yourself from your calendar. To repeat viewing times on several days, create a slot once and repeat it on the weekdays you choose until an end date.
Occupied properties
When the owner or a tenant still lives in the property, agree with them on the viewing windows first, then open only those slots. Tell them the times that have been booked; your calendar syncs with Google, iPhone or Mac, so you can check at a glance. Grouping viewings on one or two afternoons a week disturbs the occupants less than visits scattered over every day.
What to ask in the note
The booking form asks for first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note. Use the listing's description to say what you'd like to know before the visit, for example the planned move-in date, whether the visitor is buying or renting, or whether they have already seen similar properties. Keep it short and practical: the visit and your usual process are the place for the rest.
Valuation appointments for sellers
Valuations are how new listings start. Offer them as a separate service, for example "Free valuation at your home", with slots on the days you prospect in a given area. Ask for the address and type of property in the note, so you can prepare comparable sales before arriving. Property appraisers can do the same for paid valuations, with the price shown on the service.
Changes and no-shows
Book confirms each booking by email but doesn't send reminders. A short message the day before, with the exact address and the access code, helps. When a viewing has to move, reschedule or cancel it from your bookings list and tell the visitor yourself, since Book doesn't email them when a booking changes. Your page shows times in your business's time zone, with its name displayed.
Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited bookings and services, no commission and no contract. Agencies with several agents have one booking page per business; a simple workaround is one service per agent or per listing.