Someone wants to view my house and I don’t want them to. How do I phrase it with estate agent?

[Myhousemy]

I’m selling my house and have an open day on Saturday.

I do not want one of the viewers, Mr Smith (not real name) to view my house but how do I tell the estate agent this without getting in to too much detail? Reasons I do not want Mr Smith viewing my house:

He viewed it several weeks ago. Estate agent said he was going to make an offer but was carefully thinking about what to offer as he felt certain work needed to be done. No offer was made so I think he’s a time waster.

Mr Smith has a dd in the same class as my dd and when he viewed my house he brought his dd with him. My dd was upset at the thought of this girl in her class going in her room, seeing all her things etc. It’s obvious my dd lives here as there are school photos on the walls etc

I am confident my house will sell as we have lots of viewers lined up and house is in good area etc We have spent a lot of money on new kitchen/bathroom etc so I guess there is an element of annoyance at Mr Smith saying he “needs to work out how much to knock off asking price for renovations” - estate agents words.

should I just tell estate agent to cancel Mr Smith and if they ask just not give a reason?

I think it's completely ridiculous but of course she can be forgiven as she's a child.

The OP however is an adult who seems to be indulging her.

1. You can sell to whoever you like
2. The estate agent works for you. Tell them your wishes, they should follow them
3. I would NEVER EVER put in an offer on a home I was intending to live in after just one viewing

Would your DD be happy to move into a house she has never seen?

I was looking after the sale of my grandparents much loved home.

Someone who many years ago had massively taken advantage of them and financially ripped them off, asked to view. I just told the EA we did not want them in the house and would not sell to them. Didn’t give an explanation, EA didn’t bat an eyelid and cancelled the viewing.

The other child seeing the bedroom is absurd, surely there are photos on Rightmove that the whole world can see? You don’t sound like a very motivated seller to me and I’m sure your agent’s got the same vibe. If I really wanted to sell my house I wouldn’t be picky about whose money I took.

I am glad you told the EA no. There is no reason why you have to indulge someone you don't want to buy your house, particularly if you are in no rush to move and there are plenty of buyers around. The EA have literally said the man is wondering about the cost of renovations and how much to knock off price and that is the reason for the second visit. When I sold my last but one house there were two early viewers who I just knew from their questions were going to try to get the price down and I told the EA not to take any further viewings as I wouldn't be negotiating on the price. I didn't think twice about it - couldn't give a shit what they thought , they were working for me. Your EA should be trying to get you the best price, not helping Mr Smith to talk you down.

Be polite obliging and very firm. "Mr Smith may have a second viewing on his own; THIS TIME his children must stay in the car. and will not be admitted."

No need to explain a reason; the estate agent will get the drift.

I thought open days were for anyone to turn up and have a look? Might be better to revert to traditional booked appointments and then you can decline to book one. If you’re not willing to sell to him it’s a waste of everyone’s time

How odd. Of course many of not most buyers have second views and that will include their dc having a look around any potential new home.

I can see you've already contacted the EA to cancel this family's viewing but it would seem totally unreasonable to have done so.

Playing devil's advocate here. What happens if someone else from school turns up on Saturday? If people are looking in the area there's every chance it's because a) their current house is too big/small, b) they have kids at school in the area and/or c) it's closer to work. So there's a chance that another kid from school will be amongst the visitors in future.

I wouldn't buy a house on first visit. I normally go away, work out my finances and what I think would need to be done on one or a number of houses and go back to see all of them if possible. And I may ask for another visit if it's between two or three houses. That's the deal when you're selling a house.

And, if I have a child, there is no way I would bother to look at a house where my child couldn't look around with me. They will be living there. That room would be theirs so they have every right to say to me whether they'd be happy in it and the house. Having said that I would hope my DS would be sensitive enough to keep anything they saw in the room or the house to themselves.

But, ultimately, the estate agent is working for you. Tell them what you want. But you do need to be aware that you may have other children known to your child coming around for the open day. Most people buying with kids will bring the family with them.

What is wrong with a child seeing another kid's room anyway, was it very messy or scruffy something to be embarrassed about? I presume she wasn't rifling through her belongings and someone else would have been present throughout .

Is your daughter concerned about the move? It does seem to be a bit of an overreaction tbh. That said, it’s tough being a teen/tween!

In answer to your question, just let the agent deal with rejecting Mr Smith if you are sure that he won’t make a sensible offer.

I’ve been messed about by both a seller and a buyer. The buyer tried to gazunder me close to exchange and the seller wasted everyone’s time and money for months before finally pulling out of the chain.

If I got the impression someone was likely to mess me about, I wouldn’t deal with them. It’s a stressful enough process without dealing with chancers.

I had a property viewing booked for tomorrow, but cancelled it when I found out that an offer had already been accepted on the property. The estate agent said that the buyer had gone quiet, so they were “looking for back ups”. No thanks!

A lot of people view houses of acquaintances out of nosiness. Incredibly rude. Mr Smith is one of those.

I’d follow up your message with a call to the agent to explain that you know Mr Smith slightly socially, as your children are in the same class, and that you do not believe he’s viewing the house in good faith or has any interest in making and offer, and you do not want acquaintances able to tour your house out of sheer nosiness. If agent says she thinks he is genuine just say well I’ve known him longer than you and I have to disagree.

Why's it matter if posters on this thread have kids who wouldn't be bothered....OP's kid is bothered, and OP isn't convinced by this guy as a buyer either.

People do say rude things sometimes when viewing properties. In our case a woman who viewed the flat said it was way overpriced and other negative stuff. She made an insultingly low offer to the extent that I told our estate agent not to bother talking to her anymore as we were offended.
Luckily he has way more experience than us. He said he could tell she was interested but wanted a bargain. He kept in contact with her and she did end up increasing her offer many weeks later and we did eventually sell to her. People don’t request second viewings for no reason and this man could end up being the person who buys your house as unlikely as that might seem right now.

I wouldn't buy a house on first visit. I normally go away, work out my finances and what I think would need to be done on one or a number of houses and go back to see all of them if possible. And I may ask for another visit if it's between two or three houses. That's the deal when you're selling a house.

I wish I lived in your area. It sounds wonderful. Here, you must be proceedable and able to make a decision very quickly.

Some posters clearly don't know the market.

I wonder where the OP lives?

IME here in the south, buyers are viewing on one day. Often 15 of them.

The offers come in sometimes on the spot to the agent while in the property.

The demand for housing is so great now here, that if you dither and delay (and expect to see 2-3 other houses) you miss the boat.

Most viewings are at weekend so you'd have to wait a week or more to see another house.

IME a friend lost out on a house as the offer was £50K above the asking price and went in within hours of viewing.

Obviously it's not like this all over the UK but in the SE you don't have the luxury of pondering for a week or more UNLESS the house has stuck around for weeks and clearly has some faults.

Here, 2nd viewings are often the next day.

As for taking children along. Barmy.
Buying a house is such a huge decision that has nothing to do with showing it to a child.

We moved when DCs were 11 and 9 and didn't dream of viewing with them in tow.

Could always say there's a conflict of interest.

@LondonJax If you are in London, you ought to know the market and realise there is no way you can work out your finances after viewing a place! You'd be pipped at the post.

You should do this long beforehand and have your mortgage offer ready to proceed.

@Myhousemy I wonder why your house is still on the market after several weeks? And no offers?

The only houses near me that hang around for weeks are over-priced, owners won't take offers, or the houses have something wrong like location, noise, no parking, stuff that can't be changed , as can decor and kitchen/bathrooms.

Just say no, he doesn’t sound a serious buyer, what is his position OP? Could you that be a reason if you are pushed for a reason.

I had something happen like this, a young couple viewed my house and made an offer which I said I'd think about as I had a lot of other viewers. I came home from work to see a woman on my property staring through the kitchen windows. She said 'my daughters made you an offer which I really hope you will accept' of course It will be dependant on you leaving the kitchen furniture & dresser' I didn't think much of it at the time but later phoned the estate agent to tell the couple to keep their mother away. 2 days later a viewing was arranged for a Ms Partridge. I got the house tidy and drove up the road until the viewing was complete. I went back 10 minutes after the allotted time slot had finished to find the same woman talking to the estate. Suffice to say I was not happy, she'd duped the agent after being told to stay away. I promptly declined the offer and fortunately was offered a lot more. Its your house and your decision, your not obliged to anyone, the agent acts for you!

That’s what I was thinking. Do people these days really put an offer in after a single viewing?