To thinks it's bloody stupid that estate agents are only letting cash buyers, or people under offer view properties?

[fishonabicycle]

Surely this will just slow the market until it almost sizes up? Or is not happening everywhere?

It's ridiculous. No wonder everything takes forever here. Bridge loans should be more common here like other countries have.

We saw loads of places before we even put our flat on the market!

I'm moving from one part of the country to another (quite far away). Our house went on the market this week but quite a few sellers wouldn't let us view at the other end as we weren't under offer. We viewed the ones that would let us look around and have found a house that we love. Obviously won't offer until we are under offer but the area that we live in now is very popular.

We will be cash buyers so in a position to move quickly. I do understand that sellers don't want time wasters but on the other hand, they are losing potential buyers. (And offers don't necessarily lead to a sale).

It depends entirely on the situation.
When we were looking to downsize, we had such a specific list of ‘needs’, we didn’t dare put our house on the market, although we had made contact with an agent, and had photos taken etc. We knew that our house would sell really quickly, and that it might then take ages to find our new home. The agent for the new property asked whether we had ours on the market, but understood the scenario. We sold our house on the first day!

Canonlydoblue - and this is a prime example of why buying and selling houses is so fraught as you have already lied to the estate agents telling them you are cash buyers when you clearly are not!!! So at some stage you are going to have to admit to not being a cash buyer and the estate agent will be blamed for lying to their clients who have Quite reasonably asked for viewings to be restricted to those who are in a position to proceed.

Lets hope someone views and offers to buy your house when you get round to putting it on the market and then has to admit to not being proceed-able so you lose the house you have fallen in love with.

Our EA asked us if we were willing to have viewings from people who weren't proceedable and we said of course not - why would we willingly waste time like that? The EA agreed that it was the sensible choice but said some people just want to have lots of viewers even if most of them are time wasters.

I can see what people are saying about how it's difficult if you'll only move for certain houses, but as a seller that really isn't a very attractive kind of buyer - they're likely to have little motivation to move quickly and they also seem like they'll be high risk to pull out at the slightest hiccup since they don't actually need to move they just fancy it.

It’s very short sighted. We were preparing to go on the market (had had valuations) a house came up we liked, we viewed it and offered the same day, got the agent selling to put our on the market and we sold 5 days later. So the agent will get commission for two sales instead of one when we complete next month

We actually did get an offer which we briefly accepted from someone who said they were proceedable but turned out to have not yet sold their own house. We turned down the offer and went back on the market.

I can see what people are saying about how it's difficult if you'll only move for certain houses, but as a seller that really isn't a very attractive kind of buyer - they're likely to have little motivation to move quickly and they also seem like they'll be high risk to pull out at the slightest hiccup since they don't actually need to move they just fancy it.

I'd have thought it would be the opposite. If they're only willing to move for a particular house then they're not likely to pull out because it's that specific house that they want, not just a house in a particular area.

@isabellerossignol

I can see what people are saying about how it's difficult if you'll only move for certain houses, but as a seller that really isn't a very attractive kind of buyer - they're likely to have little motivation to move quickly and they also seem like they'll be high risk to pull out at the slightest hiccup since they don't actually need to move they just fancy it.

I'd have thought it would be the opposite. If they're only willing to move for a particular house then they're not likely to pull out because it's that specific house that they want, not just a house in a particular area.

They're likely to pull out if the house turns out to be not their dream house in any way, e.g. if the survey requires work. More importantly, they don't actually know what they'll get for their house yet so they may well be forced to pull out or reduce their offer.

isabellerossignol

It was suggested to us that we continue with the sale move into rented. This would have meant shelling out rent money until we settled for something we didn't want. As it was the prices shot up so I'm really glad we didn't. We ended up extending.

At least when we found the house we wanted first, we had a realistic idea of the state of the market, what else was on available, prices and what to put the house on for which helps sell it quickly. Usually sold in a week or two.

Having another house to move to is a pretty good incentive to push things along with your own house sale.

If someone is not proceedable, why go to the trouble of a viewing when they can't put in a proper offer.

Also encourages lookiloos

Just tell them that you are looking to buy a second home and aren’t planning on selling yours. They’re not going to ask for bank statements, are they?

There's nothing worse than trying to keep a house in viewing condition, especially with small kids, and having a constant trail of time-wasters coming for a wee nose round your house. Even when there's not a global pandemic on.

I'm moving hundreds of miles away from where I am now. I can only look at potential houses to buy on certain weeks (fitting in around work and childcare). I know that my house will sell quickly (2 others on my street are under offer and haven't been on the market for very long).

Not being able to show me your house when I am in the area having travelled a long way is frustrating for me and losing a potential buyer for you.

I have no intention of viewing any house that doesn't look acceptable. Do people really go around viewing houses for sale just for the fun of it?

If they don't let first time buyers who need a mortgage buy anything the market will stagnate in no time.

@zonkin

I'm moving hundreds of miles away from where I am now. I can only look at potential houses to buy on certain weeks (fitting in around work and childcare). I know that my house will sell quickly (2 others on my street are under offer and haven't been on the market for very long).

Not being able to show me your house when I am in the area having travelled a long way is frustrating for me and losing a potential buyer for you.

I have no intention of viewing any house that doesn't look acceptable. Do people really go around viewing houses for sale just for the fun of it?

If you know your house will sell quickly then why don't you put it on the market, get an offer and then do your viewings? Why haven't you already done that?

As a seller, your belief that your house will sell quickly doesn't mean much to me.

Similar to others, we're only interested in moving if the right house comes up. I don't want to put my house on the market if there's nothing we want to buy... not sure how we'll ever move!!?

@jay55

If they don't let first time buyers who need a mortgage buy anything the market will stagnate in no time.

I don't think anyone's talking about not letting them view - they, like a cash buyer or someone who has accepted an offer on their own house - are proceedable as long as they have a mortgage in principle.

Do you think your perfect house will sit and wait for your majesty until you finally decide to list and get a serious offer in?
It's a heartbreaking and time wasting illogical madness.
People who want to wait for a perfect house rent, stay with family/friends or even in a caravan or whatever until their perfect home pops up...which can be months and months until they finally realise they cant get everything they want on their budget.

YABU for suggesting this is somehow the estate agent’s decision. Only a vendor can say ‘cash/first time buyers only’ or insist a potential buyer is under offer. That’s like blaming the estate agent if the vendor won’t accept less than the asking price.

Personally, I’ve never restricted viewers when selling a house, but their position would always inform my response to any offer. £10k below asking but can move in under a month is one thing. £10k under asking but yet to list their property is another.

How on earth will you:

1. Stop your perfect home from being sold while you sell yours

And

1. Ensure yours will sell in time before the dream home is snapped up?!

Sounds unrealistic..but please educate me if you know of a way!

We rang to arrange a viewing maybe two weeks ago and were told our house needs to be on the market, this is what the government have stipulated. Not sure if true

Cash buyers and house under offer only is not something that was mentioned, probably the seller has requested that

@canonlydoblue

We are in this position, need to put house on market but have already started viewing properties. I just told them we were cash buyers.

wait until your own house comes on the market and how much you will enjoy time wasters...

What are you planning on doing if you actually like a house? How will you prove you are in a position to proceed if .. you are not?

@Burnthurst187

We rang to arrange a viewing maybe two weeks ago and were told our house needs to be on the market, this is what the government have stipulated. Not sure if true

Cash buyers and house under offer only is not something that was mentioned, probably the seller has requested that

I’ve never heard of it before. House on the market always used to be the requirement.