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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

Mum2fourmarie · 28/04/2014 16:57

FLIPCHART

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!
............

as far as i'm aware the estate agents office will work around 8-6 give or take an hour or two. My estate agents close at 5 you have no chance of so much as speaking to either the estate agents or your own property manager after 5. it sucks but just the way it is.

i think you are probably going to have to take a day as annual leave. unles there is someone else willing to cover your saturday shift in return of you covering one of theirs?

my husband and i had this problem too.

DeWee · 28/04/2014 17:26

When we were selling we said No Sundays (we wanted one day to ourselves) and not after 7pm weekdays as we had 3 little ones. Estate agent said that was as flexible as most people, and we didn't have anyone who wanted to view and didn't due to the timings.

Original poster

flipchart · 28/04/2014 17:27

That's fair enough dee but this isn't the case here.

OP posts:

TunipTheUnconquerable · 28/04/2014 18:12

I've definitely known agents to do evening viewings in the past. As I understand it they sometimes use flexible part time staff as viewings assistants, who don't mind working evenings.

I think the estate agent is probably a bit crap. Fair enough for an individual not to be available to work evenings but if the agency is doing its job they should be able to arrange something.

mysteryfairy · 28/04/2014 18:34

Sounds more like a probate sale than a repossession as I think if it was a repossession they would have taken a low offer by now.

Some of the issue might be availability of the staff they do have eg on Saturday morning. We just moved and our estate agents seem to be fully booked for accompanied viewings a couple of weeks in advance as the market was so fast.

shebird · 28/04/2014 19:22

Have they asked if you are in a position to buy with regards to mortgage etc. Sometimes if they think you are a potential time waster they will not go out of their way to accommodate you. Sounds insulting but there are plenty who view houses as a hobby. Ask to speak to the manager and explain you really like this and are serious etc. and see if there is any way they could do a letter viewing.

shebird · 28/04/2014 19:23

pops later viewing

Groovee · 28/04/2014 19:26

If its been reposessed it may not have any electricity. We tried to view a house and when the agent turned up, there was none and it was a nightmare to go round, so we made an appointment for a day time viewing despite it being difficult.

Mushypeasandchipstogo · 28/04/2014 19:30

Just wondered where you are OP? In Ireland you can only seem to view with the EA present, only at a time specified by them and most shut for two weeks at Xmas and a Easter !

bochead · 28/04/2014 20:13

There's a town near me where all the estate agents close on Saturdays! Bonkers, utterly bonkers especially as it's common for homes to take 8 months - 1 year + to sell. The boom hasn't reached all corners of the British isles just yet lol! If I were a vendor living there I'd go with one of the national internet only agencies & do viewings myself (as agents rates are no cheaper than elsewhere despite the blanket no weekend rules)

CalamitouslyWrong · 28/04/2014 20:21

When we were house hunting, most of the EAs offered weekend viewings. Several of them do Sunday viewings; they had people employed to let people in specifically on Sundays.

I honestly don't think you can expect to all your house if you aren't willing to accommodate viewings. You certainly can't complain that it's taking ages to sell when you are being weird and restrictive about viewing times.

MaryWestmacott · 28/04/2014 20:38

thing is OP, the estate agent isn't just offering office hours, they are also offering weekend viewings too. Is it a small agent? If so, it's unlikely they have a lot of staff to cover different shift patterns, and if there was a lot of demand in your area for viewings on a week day evening, they would probably shut one morning and do a late night instead, I guess you are unusual in their customer base that you can't do week days or saturdays.

I'd send your DH on Saturday and see what he thinks.

Original poster

flipchart · 28/04/2014 20:48

A few posters have missed my later posts.

I sent an email before I posted my moan and I had an email back very shortly later offering me nery my time any day saying how great the house was nd it's worth seeing.

It was sent from a different person to the one I spoke to who more or ele implied like it or lump it!

Posters could be right about it being a probate house. I don't know. All I know is that it looks structurally sound on a casual inspection, it's been empty for months and if we took it on it would be a long term project!

I didn't expect a very late viewing. I was hoping ( and now able) to go at 5.45pm!

OP posts:

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