To expect people to do a bit of research before viewing a house?

[iswhois]

Had three people turn up so far and have turned the house down due to a "showstopper" which they could have easily for seen had they done some research on the location or looking at the floor plans.

I know they are entitled to not buy the house for whatever reason they wish but it just feels like a massive waste of everyone's time.

Maybe I'm just bitter and desperate to move haha

@Timekeeper2

It never would have ever, ever ever occurred to me to look at floor plans (besides the point that I am a visual person and am as hopeless at 'reading' floor plans as I am at reading graphs, maps etc). Unless it is a massive, massive house or mansion, I didn't think floor plans was even a 'thing' that you had access to. Last time I was looking at homes, floor plans weren't even a thing mentioned until during the contracts were drawn up. Why would you think any normal layperson would even think about floor plans, let alone even look at them, 0R could even understand/grasp them as a reference?

Have you looked on Rightmove or Zoopla lately? If not I do recommend it. It will be a revelation to you.

The house I bought has something I didn't want (downstairs bathroom). But once I saw it, I decided it was worth the compromise. You can't tell if something is worth the compromise until you see it.

@Timekeeper2

It never would have ever, ever ever occurred to me to look at floor plans (besides the point that I am a visual person and am as hopeless at 'reading' floor plans as I am at reading graphs, maps etc). Unless it is a massive, massive house or mansion, I didn't think floor plans was even a 'thing' that you had access to. Last time I was looking at homes, floor plans weren't even a thing mentioned until during the contracts were drawn up. Why would you think any normal layperson would even think about floor plans, let alone even look at them, 0R could even understand/grasp them as a reference?

@timekeeper2 when I moved house a couple of years ago, floor plans were the first thing I'd look at on right move.

@Timekeeper2

It never would have ever, ever ever occurred to me to look at floor plans (besides the point that I am a visual person and am as hopeless at 'reading' floor plans as I am at reading graphs, maps etc). Unless it is a massive, massive house or mansion, I didn't think floor plans was even a 'thing' that you had access to. Last time I was looking at homes, floor plans weren't even a thing mentioned until during the contracts were drawn up. Why would you think any normal layperson would even think about floor plans, let alone even look at them, 0R could even understand/grasp them as a reference?

Because floor plans are a standard inclusion on house listings now.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a house on Right Move or Zoopla or in the EA offices WITHOUT floor plans .

Even over 15 years ago when my parents where buying a property.

I don’t think it’s a new or unusual thing or anything that’s especially difficult to read and interpret

I had one that said our house was too spacious for them now, this would be their next step once they’ve had children? 😟 They seemed shocked it was a townhouse, despite that showing in the floor plan and photos!

They obviously liked paying stamp duty and solicitors’ fees @GoodMorningSunshine!

And then when they explain to you in painstaking detail why they won't be buying. Yeah look, we're all gutted that the bathroom isn't where you wanted it but I can't exactly rip it off and stick it on the other side.

I completely understand how this might be annoying! It’s such a pain to get houses ready for viewing.

However, I do wonder if for some people they are thinking it’s worth a look because they might have a ‘dealbreaker’ that isn’t a true dealbreaker if they love the rest of the house. For instance, we were sure we only wanted a house with a big kitchen diner but ended up buying one without as we loved everything else about it! Just a thought

We sold a 'quirky' house a few years ago. One of our prospective buyers pulled out of the sale a few weeks in as she said she didn't want to live in a terrace. Presumably she'd noticed that before she put an offer in. I do think, however, that some people know about these 'showstoppers' but view anyway in case they feel having seen it that other features mean that such imperfections can be overlooked. It just takes a bit of time to find the right person.

Lots of people go to view houses as a hobby. No intention of moving or buying, just having a nosey. Pure time-wasters.

It's even worse if you live in a rural/remote/beautiful   area; then you get holiday makers and tourists  indulging their fantasies about going to live in the country. 

 "Where is the corner shop?"

" Where is the cinema?"
"What happens when there's a power cut?"

" I didn't want a big garden ".
"I didn't know how big an acre is".

People don't read things properly, mostly just look at pictures and often have surprisingly bad mathematical skills and get confused with other properties.

I think you also get a lot of window shoppers. They just enjoy looking and have no intention of buying.

I thought 'showstopper' was quite a well-used word!

I sympathize. Most people don't seem to be able to read or make sense of a plan, and others just don't read the details. It's annoying to have a load of strangers trooping through your house in normal times, but during a pandemic? I hope you make them use hand sanitizer before they come in.

@Timekeeper2

It never would have ever, ever ever occurred to me to look at floor plans (besides the point that I am a visual person and am as hopeless at 'reading' floor plans as I am at reading graphs, maps etc). Unless it is a massive, massive house or mansion, I didn't think floor plans was even a 'thing' that you had access to. Last time I was looking at homes, floor plans weren't even a thing mentioned until during the contracts were drawn up. Why would you think any normal layperson would even think about floor plans, let alone even look at them, 0R could even understand/grasp them as a reference?

Was that in 1900?

I don’t recall when houses were last sold without floor plans, possibly the 70s.

If you’re ‘visual’ I don’t see why you’d struggle with a plan - it’s a picture after all.

I'll also add, we looked at a house a stones throw away from a pub, we liked this idea as it was a nice little village, and we did a driveby before viewing. However the pub, on our viewing day, gave a bit more of an eye opener to the type of boozer it was, and it wasn't the family-friendly sort we had hoped, it spilled out onto the street, into the associated parking area for the house we had picked out on first view.

@2bazookas

Lots of people go to view houses as a hobby. No intention of moving or buying, just having a nosey. Pure time-wasters.

It's even worse if you live in a rural/remote/beautiful   area; then you get holiday makers and tourists  indulging their fantasies about going to live in the country. 

 "Where is the corner shop?"

" Where is the cinema?"
"What happens when there's a power cut?"

" I didn't want a big garden ".
"I didn't know how big an acre is".

‘Lots’ I highly doubt. You might get the odd one.

Last time I sold a house someone combined it had a road in front of the driveway. If they wanted off grid the outskirts of a major city was the wrong place to look!!

I sympathise with you, OP. We are (trying to be) in the process of moving at the moment and do loads of research before viewing, especially in these times.

Mind you, I do think viewers invent reasons why they don’t like houses, whereas it maybe just doesn’t feel right for them. We had one woman say she didn’t want to buy our house because we hadn’t got a dishwasher 🤣

I didn’t see viewers as time wasters when I sold my house, I saw them as the potential customers they were. When you put a house on the market you should expect to have viewings that amount to nothing. Same as shops expect people in to browse at what’s they’re selling even if they don’t make a purchase.

It’s also baffling me reading this thread at how many people are taking what’s the estate agent said was feedback as the truth, when more than likely it’s not. Either because the viewer was trying to be polite or the because the EA doesn’t want you to think that it’s their fault you have time wasters. It makes them look like they’re doing their job well by getting people in, when the reality is that they will try and persuade people to view even when they’ve stated that there’s something about the property they don’t like. Buyers go along with it because they have nothing to lose and because when you’re making such a huge purchase, it helps to make sure you’ve had a good look at what else is on offer.

@Nicknacky

We are trying to sell my mother in laws small two bed house. We had a woman view it who need three bedrooms and it’s obvious from the floor plan that it is two bed with no realistic way of expanding which for the cost would be daft. There are plenty of similar three beds on the market near by which are only 10k-20k more.

I get people need to get a feel for the house but why waste everyone’s time?

And it reminds me of a viewing I had in my own house, turns out I knew her from the gym and we got chatting. She wasn’t moving, she just liked to look round houses at the weekends 😡

That happened to me when we were trying to sell our first house. A couple came to see it, and told the agent that they just liked to look at places on the weekends.

It was very rural, and I had a pre-schooler toddler, infant, and two dogs. And my husband was working away at a remote location for several months at a time. Every time we had a showing I had to frantically clean, throw all of us in the car, and drive around for an hour or more until they were done.

I had a lot of bad thoughts about those people.

Does no one else struggle with floor plans when browsing on their phone? I often find the font is too small but if you enlarge it's blurry

I had a single women turn down our four-bed house as the staircase wasn't wide enough It was a regular staircase.

People are fucking mad.

We once viewed a house and decided it wasn't for us because it was 'too perfect'! Too white, too clean, too sterile. We just didn't feel comfortable.
We're going to be fun prospective buyers whenever we do decide to move. One of our requirements will be no floodlights in the vicinity. Tell me how often that appears on particulars! But ... astronomy. There's too much light pollution where we are, and when we move, it'll be to somewhere darker.

@IncludeWomenInTheSequel

I had a single women turn down our four-bed house as the staircase wasn't wide enough It was a regular staircase.

People are fucking mad.

Maybe it had too many bedrooms and she couldn’t afford it.

I’m surprised people take the feedback so literally, I’m not sure I often give the actual reason I’ve turned a house down.

It’s also baffling me reading this thread at how many people are taking what’s the estate agent said was feedback as the truth, when more than likely it’s not. Either because the viewer was trying to be polite or the because the EA doesn’t want you to think that it’s their fault you have time wasters. It makes them look like they’re doing their job well by getting people in, when the reality is that they will try and persuade people to view even when they’ve stated that there’s something about the property they don’t like.

This.