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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

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Original poster

To wonder why estate agents can't be flexible with viewing times.

63 replies

flipchart · 28/04/2014 15:15

We've seen a house we are interested in viewing. I've rung up but the estate agent said they are doing the viewings. That's fine but then it's only between 9.00 and 5.15 Monday to Friday or after 12.30 Saturday.

Well I st my week on days and my weekend in this week. DH works in a different county but would be home for 6.00pm

The house has been on the market since November. Surely there should be an option to view after 5.15pm!

OP posts:

Florin · 28/04/2014 15:43

We have just put our house on the market and said no viewings after 6 (although we will do in the day on Saturday and Sunday). We have a toddler who has to be in bed by 7 and I don't think many potential buyers want to miss seeing his bedroom when they view.

EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 28/04/2014 15:45

But Back - the OP already said the EA did viewings on a Saturday. That's six days out of a week. More than enough for any normal person, you'd think?? It sounds pretty fair to me

Mum2fourmarie · 28/04/2014 15:46

Probably because the estate agent who is doing the viewings more than likely works a 8-6 day. If their employer doesn't give out overtime pay then the extra hour spent doing viewings for people who are busy during the work day will be for free so i can understand why they wont do viewings out of their own work hours.

How long is your lunch break at work? viewings do not take very long. could you not go during lunch? and perhaps ask for an extra half and hour just in case?

good luck.

Original poster

flipchart · 28/04/2014 15:47

fishy I hear what you are saying but I want to find out if its fit for our needs on the inside.
Looking at it from the outside there is a lot of work to be done in the grounds that would take years to get right but it is in an old town thti used to live in and have always wanted to go back to.
After looking through windows and spending time looking outside last night if it was the right house it would be ours for the long term and I would be prepared to spend in it.

I would have thought viewing would have been up to 6.00pm or something and maybe Saturday mornings . I wasn't expecting 24/7 or anything like that but a bit later than 5,15pm!

OP posts:

EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 28/04/2014 15:50

I know Flipchart - what I can't understand about that is why they are not able to give an approximate time. Morning or afternoon, but no, you have to take the whole day.

My o/h gives an actual time and tries his level best to be there within half an hour of his estimated arrival, any longer and he will phone the customer to apologise and say he's on his way, but we still get complaints if he's 10 minutes late (he may have got held up at his previous job, or got stuck in a bit of traffic). Bah - people

DidoTheDodo · 28/04/2014 15:50

Sorry, I'm not sure why you can't view Saturday afternoon?

Original poster

flipchart · 28/04/2014 15:51

I am not expecting one estate agent to do all the hours. I would have thought there would have been more than one and maybe one works a later evening one day a week or something like that.

Fair enough IBU. It's all new to me.

The house is in a different town so a lunch break wouldn't even cover it!

OP posts:

EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 28/04/2014 15:53

If I was selling my house, I wouldn't like to accommodate viewings after 5:30-ish. House is full of people by then, all getting in the way, everyone coming home from work, dinner is cooking, teenage friends are all popping in to make plans for the evening. Most inconvenient.

Original poster

flipchart · 28/04/2014 15:54

dido. I'm sorry you are struggling to understand why I can't go Saturday afternoon but if you read my OP you would see that it is my weekend in work. Later on I said I go on holiday the following week.

I could have gone Saturday morning but that's not an option.

OP posts:

Original poster

flipchart · 28/04/2014 15:54

evans the house has been empty for months. No washing up or anything to be bothered with!

OP posts:

SoulJacker · 28/04/2014 15:57

I suspect how unreasonable this is depends v. much on the housing market in the area you live in. We wouldn't have viewed anywhere that required taking time off work but at the time buyers were in short supply so sellers/estate agents were generally accommodating.

EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 28/04/2014 16:00

Sorry, Flip - I missed that bit. In that case, why can't the estate agent just give you the keys to view it yourself (if the house is empty). They used to do that years ago

DidoTheDodo · 28/04/2014 16:01

Sorry flipchart, that bit with the typos didn't make too much sense to me. FYI, I DID read your OP or I wouldn't have replied!

Really, one of you will have to compromise. Either the Estate Agent manages to arrange a viewing when it will suit you or you will have to move on and look at other properties.

Me, I'd definitely have a day off work (and yes, I have done so)

Gubbins · 28/04/2014 16:02

Can't your husband view on the Saturday? Obviously if it's ok you'll want to see it as well, but at least he can see if it's worth your while arranging a second viewing. If it's been on since November it's very unlikely to fly off the shelf until after you've got back from holiday.

Or can he work through his lunch break and leave work an hour early one day?

mummytime · 28/04/2014 16:11

Well I think that sounds a bit crap - sorry but most local Estate Agents employ Saturday people to do viewings. I have also seen houses in the evening.

To be honest if an agent wasn't a bit helpful then I wouldn't proceed with them, as if they can't put a bit of effort in at this stage then they may hold things up later too.

evertonmint · 28/04/2014 16:12

Well maybe if this week is bad for you workwise and then you're on holiday, you might just need to put house hunting on the back burner for a little while.

Or could your DP view it to see if it's a possible? DH and I used to do single viewings if we both couldn't make it as so many got crossed off the list at that point. Better use of both of our time.

I really have little time for estate agents (believe me, I have had lots of 'fun' with them the last few months) but they are offering approximately 45 hours in which you could view the property which is really rather a lot, and they do all have lives outside work too, and it's not their fault you are unavailable both Monday to Friday AND Saturday.

Original poster

flipchart · 28/04/2014 16:26

evertonmint
I'm just surprised that viewings are limited to office hours.
A lot of people work 9 to 5 ( I don't but I don't get a conventional lunch break either) so a lot of people would be restricted.

I would have thought, like I said , there maybe a later evening appointments available maybe one data week when the agent is available.

Fair enough, i'm new to this game and just seen a house that I really fancied and thought it was worth investigating.

The whole thing round moving seems a pain. Might as well stay where I am!

OP posts:

PorkPieandPickle · 28/04/2014 16:39

I find this quote odd actually! I saw loads of houses when we were looking to buy and never took any time off work.
Not everyone can do that easily. Mostly we were told we could view up to 6:30, specifically to accommodate the '9-5ers'. Most estate agents have people doing 'evening' (5-6:30) viewings, surely?!

evertonmint · 28/04/2014 16:39

It's not about the agent though - it's about the vendors, and vendors don't want viewings when they're relaxing at home in the evenings. Therefore EAs work the hours when properties are available for viewings. And they can't pay staff to work evenings just for the odd occasion when they have an empty property like this and also have a purchaser who can't make one of the other 6 days available. Typically even people working full time only work 5 days a week so offering viewings 6 days a week should work for most buyers.

Can your DH not go on Saturday when you're working just to see whether it's even worth you juggling to get the time off?

EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 28/04/2014 16:41

Evertonmint - the house is empty, possible repossession.

So, Flip, as I suggested earlier, why can't you ask if they can just let you have the keys to view in your own time?

SoulJacker · 28/04/2014 16:44

Contrary to what people are stating here, the occupied houses were always willing to do evening viewings up to 7pm ish as the vendors generally worked too. It was the empty houses where the timings were more restrictive.

Original poster

flipchart · 28/04/2014 16:48

evans.
I've just had an email from them more or less saying when ever I want to view, let them know!

I sent a email before my thread saying more or less what I said here, but not ranty and a different person has contacted me.

They have said how much it is worth viewing and just let them know when I want to go as it is such a great house!

I'm sort of nervous because all this is new to me!

OP posts:

BoomBoomsCousin · 28/04/2014 16:48

YANBU flipchart. I see the point if the house is occupied that owners might be more interested in preserving their home life than selling quickly and that's their choice. But an empty property? I don't understand why all Saturday isn't available, and I would have expected an evening a week too.

We've just sold a house that was empty (we moved a while ago) and if the estate agent were putting those sorts of barriers in the way I would have been furious. But they didn't. They showed until 7 on Thursdays, and all day Saturday. And when someone was seriously interested but their partner wanted to see it, the agent stayed late on a Monday to show them both. We had similar when we were looking, I wasn't working and could check stuff out in the day, but my DH needed to see on the weekend and the estate agents were fine fitting us in all day (with enough notice for the families involved).

evertonmint · 28/04/2014 16:49

I know that Evans. If you read my post I was making the point that because most are not vacant but have occupies who don't want evening viewings, the EAs make their hours judgements based on when they are likely to conduct most viewings. It would be daft of them to pay the salary of an EA to cover evenings just on the offchance an empty property is taken on AND that they also have a buyer who can't do any of the other 6 days they're offering.

Really, 6 days a week for viewings is more than adequate for about 95% of purchasers, surely. The OP appears to be particularly busy this week - perhaps she needs to leave it for a fortnight or get her DP to view on Saturday when she's at work.

EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 28/04/2014 16:50

I realise that Everton - I'd said pretty much the same thing earlier

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