How soon would you expect to view a property?

[Janniss543]

Hi, my house is on the market ATM, having no problems with enquiries and people booking viewings but quite a lot are cancelling on the day or not showing with no communication.
I think there is a long wait between these bookings being made and the dates they are given to view by the estate agent and I am wondering if they are viewing other places and offering in the meantime or forgetting they have a viewing/double booking accidentally due to the delay.
How long a wait would you say was reasonable to wait to view, if you were to phone up to view a property?

We've always viewed very quickly, sometimes even same day, but no more than a couple of days.

Normally within a week, unless there was a particular reason. When my house was on the market I was sometimes asked if people could view the same day.

Definitely within a week. We have changed agents before when they didn't have enough people to show houses, and have also always offered to do viewing ourselves out of hours etc.

We were offered viewings the next day or weekend if we couldn’t do evenings. The only time we waited was if the agent was doing the viewings and in one case I think we waited 3 weeks because the owner wouldn’t do viewings then the agent couldn’t make it and when they could it wasn’t convenient for the owner. We gave up on that one in the end. Sounded like too much of a nightmare

Definitely within a week, but more commonly a day or two after calling would be normal

Thank you guys. They are booking them 2 weeks in advance and I think it is far too long. Other houses I like are going online and selling within days but I can't even view any as I'm not proceedable.
I have said I will do the viewings and asked the agents to move everybody booked in over the next 2 weeks to a sooner time and I will accommodate somehow. They came back and 3 out of the 5 have cancelled altogether and the other 2 are not answering. It's a shit show. Not sure whether to change agent or what. I'm afraid the house will stagnate and people with think there's something wrong with it as it's not gone. So stressful!

When we were selling, most people were the following evening, or the weekend.

when DH (before he became DH) bought a house, we saw it in the estate agent window, went in, and had to walk fast to make the viewing time offered - 30 mins away!

I’d be happy for any viewings at all.

I’d expect to see the house within a couple of days (evening appointment). Or the following weekend. So well within a week.

If they said I had to wait a fortnight I’d laugh and look elsewhere. Assuming the seller isn’t serious or motivated. If your agent is the cause of this delay I’d ditch them.

It's the agents, they book around when they are available.
If you are happy to do viewings stress that evening and weekends are good as most people will be working!
We cancelled a few because the agents were too busy to arrange viewings for us.

Two weeks is way too long! I was viewing same day or day after. Your EAs sound awful if they suggested two weeks…

Within a couple of days. The next weekend at the latest.

I wouldn’t wait 2 weeks. You need to speak to the agents and get them booked within 2 days

We saw 12 houses last week. All scheduled within that week. I have been telling the agents our availability and then they work with that but we have availability every day for the most part. Some go in same day others a few days later. I assume they are working around their own schedule.

I have also had an EA booking me in for viewings on houses I then realise I never even enquired about. I have had to find the listings on their on websites and then go back and cancel because they are not even remotely suitable. I didn't realise at the time as I have enquired about so many and feel bad about letting the vendor down, but the EA has simply tried their luck putting us in in the first place.

When we were selling we’d let people view whenever, even the same day. You have to be as accommodating as you can. When we were buying; we’d usually book for within a week, often less.

As soon as possible, often 1-2 days especially as we were locally.

As a seller we tried to be as available as possible, with us working we offered weekends and evenings or DH worked from home. We preferred not to have the estate agent alone with buyers, we had this at a rental property and it was a disaster.

Whenever we’ve sold we’ve said they can view whenever - same day , next day etc

We work full time and have children and dogs hence the estate agent taking the viewings initially. I can always send everybody out on a walk and do evenings too.
Now to keep the place looking like we don't live there permanently 😑

Well I have a viewing for a place ro move to at least with a rival estate agent. They did try and poke as to how things were going with our agent. I feel like they have seen this thread 😱

Why are they booking people in for 2 weeks' time ?

It would put me right off.
NOrmally I'd expect to view within a couple of days, but, sometimes because work made it tricky for me, then within a week at the absolute longest.

When we were looking it was generally very quick, maybe the same day or next day. Except one day the agent didn’t show up at the property and never gave an explanation.
When we sold our house I think most people came on the day. We showed them around ourselves without the agent there. They usually came in the evenings so we were all there but I preferred it like that.

When I was looking last time, I already had an offer on my previous house. I made an offer on my current house within ten days of starting to look (having viewed upwards of 20 houses, and been outbid on 2 I'd offered on). Admittedly the housing market was more buoyant at the time.

One particular chain of estate agents were marketing a number of properties locally, and booking viewings two weeks ahead for all of them. I suspect it lost vendors a lot of potential buyers.