Would this put you off? Re: buying a house

[Anon2136]

I’ve had my eye on this house for a while now but not sure if I’m BU or if normal. Please help! It is literally my dream house and in our budget.

phoned up estate agent 2/3 months ago but got interrogated with questions like what job does husband do, what job do you do. Can you afford it etc. Etc. I left it and went to viewings with another agency that were lovely and still am with. The initial agency just put me off viewing it and made me feel uncomfortable.

I then noticed yesterday the house was reduced! I phoned up again and this time they didn’t interrogate me and booked a viewing. Couldn’t sleep as I’m stressed right now so checked phone and there’s an email from estate agent saying “owners are asking you to be 100% sure you are happy with the living room dimension and garden as they don’t want to waste their time showing you around if it’s not a comfortable living arrangement”.

It’s made me really angry. I already told estate agent we are looking for a small garden as we don’t have time to maintain and the garden is actually bigger than we have right now!

Is this normal or a sign of more problems to come if we go ahead? We’ve walked past this house many times and I love the area and can see us being very happy there.

What kind of problems can difficult owners cause? The house we living in we had no issues. Went to view it in a Saturday and put offer in following week. it was so easy and hassle free.

As has been said, people often don't read the details or look prolly at the floor plan & making the house/kids/dog ready for a viewing takes time & effort, so they just checking you've noted the things they have had negative feedback about.

Don't take it personally, the house might be ideal for you & that's what you're buying.

Most EA agents are bloody annoying, it's an equal opportunities thing though, they're annoying whether you're buying OR selling

AND I bet they say the same about buyers & sellers!!

I can read plans easily and can use streetview and google earth but all the information in the world can’t replace a visit especially with older or more quirky houses. You also have to view a few houses to get a true feel for the local market. It’s a pain for everyone but it’s important when you are making such a huge decision.

I’ve walked into houses which have looked promising on paper but known the second I’ve walked it that there is no point looking around.

Video walkthroughs are helpful but shite estate agent ‘lifestyle’ photos.

My DM is currently trying to sell her house. She has a dormer bungalow which has been converted so there are upstairs bedrooms/study/ensuite. The problem is that there is still a bedroom downstairs so it's not a layout that will work for everyone. It's very clear from the floor plan.

Three people have given mum the feedback that they don't like the fact that one of the two biggest bedrooms is downstairs. FFS! I totally understand that the layout won't work for everyone but it's very clear from the floor plan. My mum is disabled so it's a real faff to get her out of the house each time. And of course we don't mind for genuine buyers, but when there's a problem which could have been identified from the floor plan it's very frustrating.

Sounds like the sellers are a pita to be honest. Just confirm and view. Surely they don't expect you to commit to buy without even viewing!

I agree with what other posters are saying. I sold a starter home a little while ago with a master bedroom and a box room. The majority of feedback from failed viewings was that they needed two double rooms. It was very frustrating!

The EA is acting on feedback. The house we have just sold is elevated with beautiful views of a country estate. That means it is up steps, which were clearly visible in the lead photo. It is close to an Ofsted outstanding primary and in (according to the agents) the most saleable road in town. Yet, I cannot tell you the number of viewers who loved the house but didn't offer on it because it was up steps.

We got totally fed up with it, and instructed the agent to ask if the steps were an issue before allowing a viewing.

I expect your seller has had similar feedback.

My DM is currently trying to sell her house. She has a dormer bungalow which has been converted so there are upstairs bedrooms/study/ensuite.....Three people have given mum the feedback that they don't like the fact that one of the two biggest bedrooms is downstairs.

Maybe the clue is in the word 'bungalow'. Honestly, some people are absolutely ridiculous. I wonder if they also randomly click on 'Buy now' on Amazon for any old thing - and then when the rocking horse that they bought arrives, they sigh, wring their hands and say (Alan Bennett-style) "Ooh, no, I actually wanted a toaster!"

I'm just waiting to hear of somebody choosing to go and view a house in Dunstable and then complaining because they really wanted to be nearer to Stirling.

I suppose, to be fair, there's a balance to be struck between the EA positively highlighting the house's good features and potential and also not unrealistically getting people's hopes up by putting too much spin on it.

When they give measurements to 'the widest part of the room', that could be a teeny little alcove when the main part of the room is three feet narrower. Also, is there an official definition of a 'double room'? You might be able to jam a double bed in, but if that takes the entire floorspace of the room, so that, to use the room, you have to open a door outwards and just fling yourself in - and then you cannot physically not land on the bed - it's not what most people would be looking for as a double.

estate agent is a muppet. Surely they have floor plans with measurements, and photos on their site? so if you want a viewing you've already seen what it looks like and how big it is and done some basic decision making before choosing to make an appt.

Not like you want to waste your own time let alone theirs.

We pestered Estate Agents for ages to look at a house, and had all sorts of weird questions back about did we mind the drive was on a slope, that their wasn't an ensuite in the atttic etc.

It was exactly what we were looking for - and confirmed on viewing. But - divorce sale, one vendor was doing everything he could to stop it being sold. Including being really obstructive in allowing a surveyor access to look at an obvious roof problem. Not giving times for access, or not being there when access was arranged.

We didn't buy and bought something arguably less perfect but a damn sight easier to buy.

But in your case it's probably just the EA making sure after a few viewings that haven't gone well.

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll

My DM is currently trying to sell her house. She has a dormer bungalow which has been converted so there are upstairs bedrooms/study/ensuite.....Three people have given mum the feedback that they don't like the fact that one of the two biggest bedrooms is downstairs.

Maybe the clue is in the word 'bungalow'. Honestly, some people are absolutely ridiculous. I wonder if they also randomly click on 'Buy now' on Amazon for any old thing - and then when the rocking horse that they bought arrives, they sigh, wring their hands and say (Alan Bennett-style) "Ooh, no, I actually wanted a toaster!"

I'm just waiting to hear of somebody choosing to go and view a house in Dunstable and then complaining because they really wanted to be nearer to Stirling.

😅😅😅

To be fair, the new estate agent has listed it as a house even though it's a dormer bungalow. And I honestly don't know what is the right option because those people looking for a bungalow with loads of downstairs space will now be missing it..... It's huge downstairs (extended) but with the added benefit of upstairs. But the upstairs part isn't as big as you'd get with a house. So god only knows what's the best way to list it haha!

A month in and we've had no offers but we've found the perfect house to buy. No negative feedback really other than the layout. One person didn't like the area (the nearby road has a big hill) which is fair enough. In a hot housing market she's not getting any offers due to the layout. I have zero patience so the waiting is killing me 😅

I agree it sounds like they are screening out time-wasters, but I am a bit perplexed that they are implying the room is 'small' if it contains three sofas and a piano.

And the wording is irritating. No one can know they are 100% happy with a room or a garden or indeed anything else until they actually visit the property. The garden may be the right size but not 'right' for another reason - overlooked by a block of flats or whatever.

So while it wouldn't put me off viewing, I would take it as a possible warning that the transaction may not be the easiest.

Just go and view the house!!

I agree it's better that the EA's are upfront - a novelty in itself - but if they can get three sofas in there, "space" seems an odd thing to mention (unless they've got them in a stack? )

I'd go anyway since it's only a hour or so out of your life, but do be prepared for ... errr ... oddness

I dont understand the thing about viewers who are time wasters. Yes of course there are those who are just being nosey, and those not in a position to purchase but equally there will be genuine potwntial purchasers who just don't like the house? The details can only go so far, and many agents are creative with the photography!

We sold a few years ago and had a fairly large 4 bed with a biggish garden.

Our excellent EA said that we shouldnt do an Open House because of all the time wasters.

Timewasters, people bringing the kids for a day out as they are normally done on a Saturday, asking to use the bathroom, poking around in cupboards without anyone supervising them and of course the nosy neighbours and bringing mud and dirt in.

If we ever sell our current house I will show it off, make it look the best it can but will ask the EA to ensure that people are properly vetted. Some literally have nothing better to do.

Open House definitely worked for a relative but it was an unmodernised house in a desirable part of the UK but I think for most people you need to have properly vetted purchasers.

Ok OP I hope you listen to this as it’s relevant (we only bought last year) and our vendors sound VERY similar to yours!
Last year we sold our first house and upsized… our sale went very smoothly our purchase was hard hard work. The vendors literally were as awkward as possible and made every single point as tricky as it could be, it dragged on for months and most people would have given up, in fact nobody ever got past the offers stage before us (house is beautiful!) but I am determined it is the perfect house for us so I wasn’t giving up and just dealt with all the crap they gave out and plowed on!
My point is no matter if they are a nightmare you can still buy your dream home just be determined, yes it will be more hassle and give you headaches but if the house is worth it go for it!
To make matters worse for us our vendors used Purple Bricks which meant we had to deal directly with them rather than the buffer of an agent to censor him, he was an old boy who liked a bottle of red around teatime as I was finishing work and would ring or message me making his ridiculous demands then threaten to pull out a few times a week. We had sold our house and had 2 DS’s under 4 at the time so it was beyond stressful but still worth it it’s our dream home we didn’t think we could afford but got it for SUCH a good price as we were the only people dogged (and crazy!) enough to actually deal with them and buy it!

[quote Anon2136]@redtshirt50 interesting the way you’ve written that. How do you draw the line between just matter of fact and being rude? I really struggle with that generally.[/quote]
Think about it on these terms…you are looking for a home, it’s a hugely personal and significant purchase for you. For the EA it’s just business/another day at work. You’re one of many many people they deal with daily - renters, homeowners, buyers…all wanting the same things, slightly different.

It’s great if you find a wonderful agent who understands all your desires and remembers them. But for some, it’s about closing a deal, making their commission, keeping their seller happy. Take it less personally and good luck.

I have RTFT just the first page and the OP's posts. Ime many people are crap at giving meaningful/honest feedback, sometimes because they don't want to appear rude or annoy the EA (don't know why people are so worried about that, they're just out to make a sale really) so they fall back on something that nothing can be done about, like the garden being too small, etc. It's an easy way to say they're not interested in buying the place.

As an aside, we once viewed a house that was a bit overpriced for the area and it became clear when we viewed that only the wife wanted to sell - her husband had inherited from his parents. He didn't want to sell, but didn't say so, instead there was something that needed doing or fixing in every room: kitchen unit door off, bare wire and no switch for landing light, missing section of skirting board in another room. When I gave our feedback to the EA she thanked us for our honesty as they'd had loads of viewings, but no one had mentioned any of this.

I haven't RTFT

One of the worst parts about selling is the time wasters. The looky-lous who just enjoy looking around other people's houses (although online particulars have cut a lot of that back), the people who can't comprehend floor plans, the people who don't read the listing details, the people who don't check Street View for anything even though they have a long list of exacting requirements, the people who don't actually have the finances to buy your house but fancy looking at it anyway.

The looky-lous are the worst. We had some viewers on our house who we later found out were neighbours of ours - they weren’t interested, they literally just fancied a poke around!

@TatianaBis

When viewers give a reason for not following up, it’s usually a polite excuse rather than the actual reason.

They just didn’t like the property enough to buy it. If they had, the small third bedroom or small garden could have been overlooked.

Yes... This..

We have often given fairly innocuous feedback that could have been easily checked... Mainly as we've felt pressurised to give SOME feedback...one I definitely said that it was one of the bedrooms was too small..
It was...

BUT we would have put an offer in, had the whole place not stunk of animals and really quite badly executed DIY that wasn't evident from the pictures... So would have needed complete redecoration /light refurb that wasn't reflected in price...

I love looking at Street View. Very useful to move it around and see what the area around the house is like.

Having said that the photos are just that photos. I knew as soon as I drove up whether a house was worth looking at and did a number of drive by's before organising a viewing.

My EA told me his worst types of sellers are ones who have 'friends' who suggest a much higher selling price with no real experience of buying and selling or the vendors who only want to put their house on the market to see what happens and insist on putting it on at a stupid price. They keep quoting 'you only need one'.

These days for anyone with a few brain cells it isnt difficult to work out a fair price for all.

I live in a popular part of the country and its amazing how many people boast about the price they are going to get for their old house but still expect a bargain basement for the next one in the same area. You know if house prices rise by 10% and you are up sizing then the ££ will be more... dont you??

Franklin "These days for anyone with a few brain cells it isnt difficult to work out a fair price for all."

I must be missing a fair few brain cells!

I am really struggling to work out what the hell is going on. There is no consistency in pricing and the over priced stuff IS going, possibly because so many of us are desperate to get the heck out of Dodge (london).