to want to view a house more than once before putting in an offer?

[ohhifruit]

We've viewed a few places and 3 of them have been potentials.

1. Viewed 3 times before deciding it wasn't quite right for us. We were very close to putting in a bid but the work required would have been too much. The EA seemed to think 3 times was excessive but I did not think it was outlandish when spending thousands upon thousands of pounds.

1. We're booked into see a house for the second time this weekend with a builder friend so he can tell us what kind of work he thinks would be possible. When I spoke to the EA he said "a second viewing, do you think you'll be making an offer?" as if viewing a place we could potentially live in for more than 5 minutes was totally unreasonable unless we were 100% sure we'd put in an offer.

1. Viewed a house about 6 months ago and the vendors said our second viewing could only be for 5 minutes. I felt like Anneka Rice. The first viewing hardly took 10 minutes so it's not like the last time we were in there watching Panorama and eating their cheese and motherbanging crackers.

I'm half imaging viewing retirement properties in my 70s by merely opening the letterbox and having a good sniff.

How many times did you view your house before you put in an offer?
How many times is unreasonable? 2, 3, 4, 9, 67?

Our sellers were remarkably decent as one of the other viewers (who had already been round twice) subsequently offered £250k more, but they stuck with us even though they didn't need to!

250k?! Bloody hell Dolcelatte how much was your house worth?! We dropped an offer we has accepted when selling our last place for the sake of £12k, but a) it was only 24hrs later b) I didn't have a good vibe about the first set of buyers and c) the estate agents had not been completely transparent (they assured is they had obtained final offers from everyone who had already viewed but this wasn't the case). And at the end of the day, sod ethics, £12k is hell of a lot of money to me!!

Back on topic: we viewed our current place once, in the dark. We hadn't even set eyes on the back garden until the day we moved in. We intended to view a second time but this is London and we'd have lost it if we waited It was also the only property we viewed. No regrets though!

It is however completely insane the way the market works. I have literally spent more time choosing a pair of shoes than buying a house. YANBU to view more than once.

This is the biggest purchase you are likely to make in your life. Of course you should go to visit several times - different times of day, talk to the neighbours, take along a friend/relative for a second opinion. I am amazed when people buy with less attention than they would pay to a minor purchase. I admit, OTOH that it is different in a fast rising market where time is of the essence. You need to schmooze your EA, I reckon, galling as that may be. Having the EA on side is your best strategy.

Also, if you know the area/road/building very well already then one visit may be enough.

I agree it's really bizarre.

We've just offered and I've only seen it once, took about 10 minutes with the EA. another family member went and saw it then, and we put in the offer based on that. The other person has since seen it again and met the vendor.

We are buying as a family but I'll be the one living there and am a bit worried that I haven't really got any idea what I'm getting into.

It seems so bonkers not to be able to go in for a proper, proper look with a tape measure and to be able to pook under the edge of the carpets, and behind the cooker for an idea how the pipes are arranged and to test the windows etc.

Have had a survey but they aren't detailed enough really. Also I was lucky to meet some of the neighbours when I drove by to measure for a new letter box (which is missing) but they could have been awful, it's very worrying not to have a better idea of a place.

Still. I suppose that's how it is these days.

look, not pook. I'm not so sure that would be reasonable whatever it is

Oh and I took a tape measure once to another property - the agent seemed a bit put out that I took about 15 minutes to measure stuff and ask a few more questions...it needed massive amounts of work, the kitchen was about 4ft x 2ft, whole place in a state..

We would have offered but the lease was only 57 years and they could not get hold of the freeholder to discuss terms. Not our fault.

We viewed ours twice maybe even three times. The current system where we live is a open house on a Saturday, sealed bids by Monday. Lots don't even make it to the open market.

We bought without an EA and sold without one too. The guy who we bought our house from lived across the road and was selling his gp's house in a road round the corner. We looked at it once with my Dad and the seller was late. Dad leant on the brick gatepost which promptly moved. Dad looked at DH and I and said "Lets hope the rest of the house is more solid!!" We then looked again with a friend who was an EA. Dad made an offer £3,500 under the asking price (he was an excellent negotiator) and it was accepted. Dad and my sister bought our house as a buy to let. We completed in June and moved in August as the vendor wanted to finish decorating and putting carpets in first!!

Once before we offered. We went back again to chat to vendor a couple of things before exchange.

It is madness that people would get so snippy about someone wanting to see something that they are going to drop multiple hundred thousands on. I've gone back to see a bottle of nail varnish more times than some of you would allow for a buyer to see your house.

I think it depends entirely, if you are putting the owners out several times and you aren't sure, i.e. are just there to nose several times YABU. We viewed a place twice before deciding we liked it but were already 'sure' iFYSWIM but we had someone viewing our house 7 times, which is bloody excessive especially if you then complain about the owners showing you around the 7th time.

Once, for all three of the places I've bought in the last two years. I'm in SW London and the market is brutal, houses go within hours and lots never make it to advertising websites etc. What do you really need to know other than that you like the house and you know what work needs to be done? You can always send a builder around without you but as a vendor I've always lost patience with people that hem and haw. In London, if you're not committed after a maximum of two visits, I would doubt you'd go through with the purchase.

Bootycall We're certainly not bringing out mummy and daddy along to check any property. We are however planning to bring a builder to our second viewing as the roof is an issue and we would want to move some walls. The idea of this seemed to make the EA implode into his ugly suit.

breathe slowly Different EAs and one 6 months ago was a different town. So we're hardly notorious for viewing houses for entertainment.

The market in the area we want to buy is slow moving and this house has been on since last May.

I do think it is a weird system (the whole system of house buying not just viewing)and spending longer deciding on a bottle or wine, nail polish or shoes is mind bending when you step away from it for a few seconds.

I can totally understand the hassle the vendors suffer with keeping their house tidy and that it is their home.
Maybe there should be a formal arrangement of say, being allowed to view a house for a total of 1 hour across a max of 3 viewings. That way at least you're getting everything checked and everyone you want to see it (people in the trade etc.) in and done and you never have to go back to measure up for curtains, letterboxes, blah blah blah.
This is obviously just wishful thinking.

The thing is that EAs work on turnover - they are not really interested in getting the highest price for a house for the vendor, and nor are they really interested in allowing a buyer several looks at a property, especially not with a builder, as they might change their minds. One day there will be a better system for selling houses.

profplumspeaking roll on that day!

Twice.

Twice. The first time it was dark and I wanted to see it again by day light. But I went from the second viewing to the EAs to sign the form to reserve it and paid the deposit then and there. And it was the only place that I went to view.
But I had been looking through the adverts and websites for a couple of years, and it was the first place that ticked every box for me. I live in an area with very low turnover and places get snapped up quite quickly so I needed to move fast.

the vendors said our second viewing could only be for 5 minutes

Then the only response is, "Okay. We won't bother then."

Obviously they're hiding something and the longer you stay there's more risk of you noticing.

Personally wouldn't be touching it with a barge pole..!

I think twice should be perfectly adequate if you have an empty property and the EA holds the keys, so you can really get an idea of the state of it without worrying about upsetting the vendor or disturbing their stuff.

But those are the ones you're least likely to feel unsure about as you'll have had a proper look when you first saw them.

Where we're going is still occupied so I couldn't start lifting up carpets or moving their furniture around. It is really hard to know what you're getting into when it's still someone else's home.

You have to rely on trust far more - something I learned was a mistake when I bought my first used car.

Houses cost many more times that and yet, we have to just go on what the vendor tells us. It's ridiculous.

I agree Ninja - I'd have walked too.

In fact yesterday we had an appt to view another property - arranged the day before - (we're still looking just in case it falls through) and when we got there, and waited in the cold for half an hour, no one turned up.

It hadn't been properly arranged by the agents, the vendor was messing them about, and they had tried to call an hour or so before the viewing to cancel, but I'd already left by then.

I was so pissed off. We spoke again, the agent then rang me back on the wrong phone (which I didn't have with me - she knew this) and left a message saying that they would get hold of the keys from the vendor, so we could go and disturb the tenants without an appointment.

Needless to say I don't have the time, energy or patience to deal with an incompetent agent or a stupid vendor, so if they call me again I shall make this clear and they can try their luck with a different buyer.

I once bought a flat after a 10 minute scoot around it. I lived on the road already and my friend lived next door so I knew the basics and layout. What I missed in my 10 minute scoot about was teh condition and the day I moved in revealed a series of real disappointments - fitted carpet hacked away in one corner of a room where a fitted wardrobe used to be, and cornice and skirting board also missing there. Sash windows that didn't work. bare plaster in the bathroom. ludicrous heating system and non-functioning radiators. Unsafe boiler.
Now, I'd crawl over the place, flushing loos, turning on showers, getting an electrician and plumber to go in if necessary. If that's too much hassle for an owner or estate agent, they can get f&cked and find some other sucker to give them 0,000,000's

Easter - our survey was quite good in the sense that he mentioned the toilet handle falling off

I'm after getting a new loo anyway at some point but still, it made me laugh.

Never, we bought off plan .
Seriously though, when I sell, I like people to come in love it, make an offer, 2nd viewing is fine. If people dither around at viewings and have that mentality then they always have the potential to pull out.
Have you not watched Location, Location, Location, people look at 80 properties but can't fine the right one, they always pull out when they do find "the one". Some people just can make decisions.

We bought the current place after the vendor spent an hour with us, demonstrated things like the built in coffee machine and built in hoover system. She totally passed on the love. An estate agent could never have done that. I rather feel for her that she had to pay the feckless wastrels who sent us round with the saturday girl who wouldn't even open the garage to show it to us - "is it really important?"

Just to add to my last post I don't mind the first or second viewing taking time, a longer viewing also makes a viewer look serious about the property. I am in and out in 3 minutes if I don't like a property.