To knock on the door of a house up for sale?

[Cassandra96]

Context: we live in the south and planning on relocating to the midlands. On Saturday we have a lot of viewings lined up, one being on the same road (literally opposite) another house we have fallen in love with. We rang the estate agents and they said they can't show us the property for another week which a) it's such a beautiful house, it will likely go quick and b) it is very hard and expensive to travel up again.

AIBU to knock on the door of the house and ask the seller if they'd show us around? I understand they might not even be there, but I thought it might be worth it a knock. And if I explained the situation I presumed they may show us around. What harm could it do? We could even agree a price there and then and get the ball moving with a sale.

We're only early twenties, going for a house way out of most first time buyer budgets so maybe we would look like burglars

Yeah... I don't think you'd look like burglars. There are quite a few wealthy people in the uk.

Put a note through the door with your mobile number. Then they can decide to ring you back and let you pop in if they want.

put a note through first thing asking for a call back. they might already have a viewing that day so easy to accommodate or be keen to sell. but don't doorstep them

I would put a card through the door and ask them to call you if it's ok to view that day.

Oops posted too late. That's great your friend has done that.

You have the address. Send the letter now! First class. Provide your contact details

Good luck.

Good luck OP!

I very nearly offered in a house I hadn’t seen in person.
When I did see it it was even better than I expected and had to have it

Hope you get the one that’s perfect for you

"Pop a note through the door with your number and an explanation and wait a few hours to see if they respond. If not, you tried, and will just have wait and hope. I wouldnt knock and ask though."
This.

Bit different but we got our current home because we wrote to every house in a neighborhood we liked and asked if they were interested in selling. We received 3 replies of interest. The house we bought the sellers were already preparing to put in the market (unknown to us) so we went straight to a real estate lawyer and cut out the estate agents entirely. We are in the USA. We are in a very competitive market so preventing the house going on the open market stopped us from getting into a bidding war and the seller did not need to give a % to an agent.

@AGrownManMadeWager I was joking about the burglar thing, every one was saying they'd presume we were burglars!

We did this when we purchased our house. The lady who owned the house was very pleased as she said that the agents had been useless. She saved on the estate agent fees and knocked it off the price for us. In these times though, I would put a note through the door!

I'd be annoyed if my estate agents didn't facilitate a viewing from a serious buyer.
If I was the owners of that house and you explained the situation, I'd let you view and then I'd put a rocket up the backside of the estate agent for nearly losing me a sale.
Even if another of their arranged viewers actually put in an offer, it might be a lower offer than if they knew there were other interested parties.

So, did you manage to view it? Or did you find something even better?

Please let us know how it went.

@Cassandra96
How did it go OP? Did you get a viewing?

There are so many pearl-clutching, above-your-station, fear mongering posts on here it's hilarious.

The "I don't answer my door to anyone!" mob have the perfect cover with coronavirus. It's a justification for their insular, suspicious nature. If the coronavirus wasn't happening they would still not answer the door.

British people (and I am one) are so so weird when it comes to their homes. It's like everyone has to adopt a reclusive Lord of the Manor mentality about their doorstep, when they probably live in a three bed semi packed in and surrounded by others with whom they are interdependent regarding things like considerate parking etc.

My point is, the snootiness of the posts about "I would make sure I wouldn't sell to you ever" is just embarrassing. Get over yourselves!

We did exactly that. We bought the house too.
It was in 1985 though.

It’s not abnormal to offer without seeing it in person but in my experience (as an estate agent) the sellers are sometimes wary of accepting offers from people who haven’t seen the house in person due to fear of them changing their mind or renegotiating the offer when they do but if you’re sure and you love it then I’d say it’s at least worth a shot. Good luck.

This happened to me many years ago. I'd been recently widowed, house was on the market and a random very pushy woman rang the bell wanting an urgent viewing. She wasn't able to go through the estate agent (f knows why). I sent her off with a flea in her ear, but it did upset me at the time and reading this post has brought it all back like it was yesterday. Please think twice before knocking.

Note through the door is the best bet, I wouldn't let someone in on the spot who randomly knocked on my door.

However, I am laughing at all the posters 'ensuring you didn't get to buy it' who would deny themselves a buyer just because you knocked on their door one day and had the temerity to say you liked their house, you know, the one that they were actually selling. How ridiculously childish.

The update was that the woman contacted me and was very kind, but said she couldn't fit us in with the other bookings and wasn't in the property in the afternoon. Was worth a shot IMO! She's booked me in for next week instead, I'm just going to have to make the journey twice.

@Rockbird

Exactly this! It's just so cringeworthy. It makes me chuckle because it sums up the adage and viewpoint that the only way the average British person manages to feel wealthy and important is when checking zoopla for their property price. People become so weird and rude, judgy and self-important when talking about property.

@Cassandra96
It is a shame that you can not view it when you are up but at least the owner knows you are genuinely interested and not just some nosy begger with nowt better to do .

I hope it goes well for you and you get to buy it

A friend of mine is a estate agent and she recons she can tell the ' bored on a sunday type ' V the I really want to buy that house within a minuet or two of them getting in the house , she has been a ES for 15 years so knows her stuff !

@Cassandra96

The update was that the woman contacted me and was very kind, but said she couldn't fit us in with the other bookings and wasn't in the property in the afternoon. Was worth a shot IMO! She's booked me in for next week instead, I'm just going to have to make the journey twice.

That's good news. At least she now is going to be certain you are keen. Did you like any of the other houses you saw yesterday, Cassandra96?

I would probably post a note through that door explaining your situation and see if they get in touch whilst you are still in the area. At least that way it isn't putting them on the spot to much and if they're free they might let you have a look.

@Cassandra96 how did you get on with the viewing? Did you like the house as much as you thought you would?