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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Open house viewings?

20 replies

Amberlight003 · 20/02/2018 19:23

Our house is for sale and we’ve paid the estate agent to do all viewings, they suggested an open day viewing. We have 20 people booked on for the viewing on Saturday, a 2 hour slot and the agent said people normally go for a walk whilst they show the buyers around. My partner isn’t phased at all by leaving the house for 2 hours with a total stranger and having 20 people looking about the place, but I am! How can she be everywhere at once with people? I don’t want anyone looking through drawers etc, I may be acting totally paranoid???

OP posts:

JediStoleMyBike · 20/02/2018 19:35

I think while they book a 2 hour slot they tend to have prospective viewers arrive in alloted time slots, don't they? I may be way off the mark.

Original poster

Amberlight003 · 20/02/2018 19:40

No that’s right. We have 9 turning up at 12:00, 5 at 12:30 and 6 at 1:30 so far. As it’s with Purplebricks I can see all of this on our online account.

OP posts:

50sQueen · 20/02/2018 19:43

I went to an open viewing once and couldn't wait to leave. Not because of the state of the house but because of how there was several people there at the same time all eyeing each other up.

As there will be several people there at the same time they won't have opportunity to snoop.

Madonnasmum · 20/02/2018 19:47

I'd make sure all my paperwork etc was safely locked away!

AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 20/02/2018 19:47

I wouldn't be happy with that either. We didn’t even go out to let the EA to do viewings when we sold our house. Although that’s quite normal in our area to be honest, if you’re looking at a house that’s empty, the EA will do viewings but if the owners still live there, they will do viewings.

Flockoftreegulls · 20/02/2018 19:49

We sold our house in one day by having an open house. The estate agent said its good for the viewers to see that there is a lot of interest. We got fifteen grand over the asking price. We thought no one would pay the asking price as we thought the agent was being over optimistic.

mommybear1 · 20/02/2018 19:53

We did this and got three asking price offers without putting the house on the market and having photos all over the internet. We took all valuables out but we also had it in the contract with the EA that they must accompany all viewers around they there booked specific slots so if you are worried re "nosey" potential buyers the this approach.

soundsystem · 20/02/2018 19:53

Open house viewings are really normal where we are. On a positive note, you only have to do one massive tidy! We've sold two houses this way, both times having multiple above asking-price offers on the Monday.

Never occurred to me that people would rifle through drawers, to be honest. There isn't really time, and there are other people about!

BluebellTheDonkey · 20/02/2018 20:00

It would suit me perfectly. We are in the early stages of considering putting our house on the market and tbh just the thought of having to leave the house 'viewing ready' every morning fills me with horror. I am already up at 6am and out of the house by 8am then home between 4-8pm depending on which day. How on earth is anyone who works supposed to be ready for viewings?
I think its a great idea to get lots of potential buyers through the door in one go and will definitely be asking for this.

Icklepickle101 · 20/02/2018 20:03

I work at an EA, we move through the rooms randomly and most of the time there is more than one buyer in the room at the time and I hand in heart have never had anyone try anything dodgy.

Opening built in wardrobes or cupboard doors is fairly standard though

specialsubject · 20/02/2018 20:15

Won't hurt to remove valuables though.

RoryAndLogan · 20/02/2018 20:29

I'm probably paranoid but I would never ever let people in my house without me being there.

cloudyweewee · 20/02/2018 20:34

When my mom sold her house a couple of years ago the EA suggested an open house. Both my sister and I (and mom who is mid 80s) stayed in the house. It generated a lot of interest and several people who viewed the house were outbidding each other so my mom did very well out of it.

Wetfeetwetsocks · 20/02/2018 21:54

You might have some viewers who nose about if you have built in furniture but I would be so excited with that number of viewers in one go instead of worrying! I think we had that number in a couple of months!

Viviennemary · 20/02/2018 21:58

I don't think I'd like this at all. Those open viewings just attract a lot of people just wanting to have a look round and have no intention of buying a house. A lot of strangers wandering around unsupervised. Not good really.

AntiHop · 20/02/2018 22:38

I'm in the process of buying a house at the moment. The ones that are being sold by a purple bricks agent have done this open house approach. As a buyer I have to say it's not a useful way to view a house. The last purple bricks viewing we did was an open house. It was so busy that it was quite hard to view the house properly as there were so many people viewing the house. And the agent was so busy with so many people that it was difficult to speak to him. I notice the property is still on the market a couple of months after that open house. I've also found with purple bricks that when they've got an open house booked, they don't seem to want to do viewings at any other time. There was another house we were interested in and even though we told the agent we couldn't do the open house time, we were not offered another date.

I can understand doing group viewings, especially when there are tenants there as it minimises impact on them. But when the open house is too busy, inflexible with timings and don't allow another time for viewing and asking questions, then you might lose out on interested buyers.

emmyrose2000 · 21/02/2018 09:27

Open houses are perfectly normal where I live. They go for about 15-30 minutes and nobody needs to make an appointment. If appointments are needed it may as well be an 'by appointment only' set up at whatever time suits the agent, buyer and seller.

As a buyer I prefer Open Houses as it takes the pressure off being the only one there during a scheduled appointment. TBH, I very, very, rarely bother going to view a house that requires an appointment, as opposed to the ease of turning up for an OH (usually on a Saturday).

If you're worried about strangers being there while you're out, then ask a friend or relative to stay in the house during the OP. I do this, and it can also be an interesting way to get extra feedback that the agent might not pass on, or be aware of.

NancyJoan · 21/02/2018 09:32

I’ve been to two Open Houses, both were timed appointment slots during the day, so we were the only people viewing at the time.

Trying to pack loads of viewing into a short window is a cost cutting measure that I guess you expect if you use an agent like Purple Bricks, who in our area, at least, are enirey useless.

Ginorchoc · 21/02/2018 09:54

This is interesting as I’m looking to put my house on the market as an open house. Never done one or been to one but my house will be the only one on the market across the road from the second best primary school in our county and lead into the Grammar schools so I was hoping it’ll go in one day. I’d have to be out though I think and trust the EA :@

Original poster

Amberlight003 · 21/02/2018 12:50

Thanks everyone, numbers are increasing now! I think I might talk it through with agent and see what she says too. I’d like to stay but I’d have to hide in a cupboard at this rate.

Lots of mixed views on purple bricks from others...the main thing I seem to be hearing is that people heard nothing from their agent once house was on the market. With purple bricks, they are an online estate agency so you manage your viewings, offers, advert online. I get an email every time I get a new viewing, I’ve had 2 offers already that came in over the weekend and I was able to respond to them. It’s way more efficient in my eyes than wondering what interest you have in your house etc and having to call the EA office every other day. I’ve text our EA a couple of times with questions at night and he’s responded straight away. Their solicitors so far are very on the ball and we’ve done all the prep work we can with them ready for the sale. So far I’m impressed.

OP posts:

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