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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To want to view a house without putting mine on the market

75 replies

Cornishbelle · 04/02/2022 12:48

Contacted estate agents yesterday to make viewing appointment for a house that has just come on the market. Was told would be called back but nothing. Rang again today and mentioned we would be interested in a price for ours so they are coming to value early next week then will arrange a viewing of other house. Is there an expectation that your house is on the market before you even go and look these days? We're not desperate to move but would for the right house, but it seems you have to be all in or nothing , what if you sell yours but can't find anything you want to move to?

OP posts:

floraldaisy · 04/02/2022 13:14

It depends on your finances. We are viewing houses without putting ours on the market, but we don't need the equity from our existing property to buy as we have a deposit from other savings. It's easier for us this way as we can avoid a chain, and we'll be able to market our property once we've moved out.

RedPanda17 · 04/02/2022 13:14

What about if you're buying to let?

Allthehotchocolate · 04/02/2022 13:15

I agree with PP, put yours on the market. Do viewings and explain you haven't found anywhere yet and if you accept an offer it's on that basis. They'll wait until you find something and if they don't and withdraw their offer in the future - you are no worse off - someone else will come along. It doesn't need to be a big deal

TheApexOfMyLife · 04/02/2022 13:15

The problem with needing an offer on your house is that it is quite possible there will be nothing that will suits you when you come to look for something for yourself…

Surely both should come together instead?

watchtheglitterdustswirl · 04/02/2022 13:17

I suppose that then sellers have to accept that they can accept an offer but that it might take some time for the buyers house to sell?

When we bought our house seven, nearly eight years ago ours wasn't up for sale because we were selling our starter home privately to a family member for them to let out. No estate agents involved at all we just had a solicitor draw up the documents and do the legal bits, we signed and the money was transferred between ourselves. It never even went on the market! We knew we had a buyer obviously but we had no proof of this what so ever and we were never asked for it either!

Currently thinking of selling up and moving again and it seems much has changed!

rubbishatballet · 04/02/2022 13:18

We bought this house five years ago after having randomly seen the house advertised and not previously having thought of moving. We were able to view and put in a provisional offer before our own house was on the market, and in the end advertised and found a buyer for ours within a week - it was ages after that before our vendors found anywhere to buy.

We would only be likely to move again on the same basis (ie for a specific house), so as per a PP I guess we will also be staying put for the foreseeable!

collieresponder88 · 04/02/2022 13:18

Estate agents won't waste their time on people who havnt got theirs up for sale they call them time wasters or day trippers

knittingaddict · 04/02/2022 13:20

@Redlorryyellowduck

I think its changed in recent years. I always did it the way you say, find the next house then sell mine. Now estate agents want proof that yours is under offer first. I'm like you, not desperate to move, but would for the perfect house. Guess I'm staying put 🤷

I think its been like that for a very long time. My experience of buying and selling goes back over 30 years and it's always been like that. We have always put our house on the market first and then viewed properties. These days you need to be under offer too and that is understandable. Cuts out the flaky and time wasters.

AnEpisodeOfEastenders · 04/02/2022 13:20

In this current market you either need to be a cash buyer or have your house on the market and be in a position where you've sold for agents to entertain a viewing. If you have a good property in a good area then it's very much a sellers market. I wouldn't want anyone viewing my property unless they're in a position to actually buy it.

ShallWeTalkAboutBruno · 04/02/2022 13:20

@TheApexOfMyLife

The problem with needing an offer on your house is that it is quite possible there will be nothing that will suits you when you come to look for something for yourself…

Surely both should come together instead?

But how do you make them ‘come together’?

ANameChangeAgain · 04/02/2022 13:25

The EA won't often even take you seriously unless your home is SSC, I know I wasn't. They know that otherwise the chain would be too long time wise. Our old ndn offered a deposit when they purchased the house next to ours as they were in your position, and managed to obtain a bridging loan.

SleepingStandingUp · 04/02/2022 13:33

If you're looking to buy a second home then make that clear. Otherwise how are you in a position to put in anything like a reasonable offer? And how do they filter out the nosey people who are bored on a Saturday afternoon

TheHoptimist · 04/02/2022 13:36

We recently viewed flats and bought a flat in London

Not 1 estate agent asked us about how we intended to buy the flat if we had a linked sale etc. All were happy to arrange viewings

Wideawakeandconfused · 04/02/2022 13:39

We were in the same position; we had our property valued and then went out looking knowing ours would sell. We weren’t prepared to put the house on the market without having a place we liked. We told the estate agents this and we had no issues viewing (this was four week again). We found something, agreed on the price on the basis we could proceed, our houses went on the market and sold within 1 day/ -and 4 days. Went back and had offer formally agreed and hope to move in March.

Womencanlift · 04/02/2022 13:44

How do first time buyers get appointments to view then?

Yes they can evidence they have an AIP from the bank but so could the OP - she could phone up today get one but still not have a buyer for her own house

AmazingBouncingFerret · 04/02/2022 13:45

It’s how we did it in 2019.
Wasn’t even planning to move until we happened upon a house up for sale.
Went and viewed, told the estate agents we want it and offered on it and instructed them to get ours sold too!

DreamerSeven · 04/02/2022 13:47

@Womencanlift

How do first time buyers get appointments to view then?

Yes they can evidence they have an AIP from the bank but so could the OP - she could phone up today get one but still not have a buyer for her own house

First time buyers aren’t reliant on someone else buying the property they currently live in so are much more attractive than the OP would be, hence they’d be able to book a viewing.

RandomLondoner · 04/02/2022 13:49

Even 20 or 30 years ago there was some expectation that if you were a serious buyer, you would have listed your house first.

Listing you house doesn't compel you to sell, you can still take as long as you like to find the one you want.

It would be most efficient for all people who are destined to be in the same chain to do the same steps at the same time, rather than in a chain reaction.

ShallWeTalkAboutBruno · 04/02/2022 13:50

@Womencanlift

How do first time buyers get appointments to view then?

Yes they can evidence they have an AIP from the bank but so could the OP - she could phone up today get one but still not have a buyer for her own house

They tell them that they’re a first time buyer, which means they’re not dependent on selling a house. Which makes them more attractive to a seller.

cobblers123 · 04/02/2022 13:53

I sold my last house nearly seven years ago and when it went on the market, the EA would only let those in a position to proceed and those that required a mortgage had to prove they had a mortgage offer already in place before they would make a viewing appointment.

Once mine was under offer, I then went out and looked at properties. I bought the first one I saw as it was a particular style I wanted and fortunately for me, the previous sale had fallen through a few days previously, so I was able to make an offer there and then which was accepted.

MsAgnesDiPesto · 04/02/2022 13:54

@TheApexOfMyLife

The problem with needing an offer on your house is that it is quite possible there will be nothing that will suits you when you come to look for something for yourself…

Surely both should come together instead?

This is how I feel - I wasn’t prepared to have to compromise on buying our next home or be pressured into something not right if we had sold ours before we found the one we really wanted. Luckily the last time we did this was over 8 years ago, and we were able to offer on this house and have the offer accepted, before we put ours on the market. It did all happen very close together, though - viewed this house on a Saturday (first day of viewing), offered the same day and had the offer accepted, ours was valued on the Monday, viewed by four people and had two offers at the asking price, one from a cash buyer, by the Friday. So it was pretty much in tandem, but I felt confident that it would all be fine because we had an offer on the house we wanted before we put ours on the market. I realise things are very different now, with the heat in the market, though.

Whammyyammy · 04/02/2022 13:58

When I've sold in the past I have stipulated no viewings from people that are not proceedable, including must have house on market and funding in place.
Cuts out the nosey or time wasters.

Letsallscreamatthesistene · 04/02/2022 13:58

@Cornishbelle

It does all make sense I can understand why people don't want to entertain time wasters. Thing is we would be seriously interested for the right property. The house we want to view is no chain and looking at photos is an elderly person who's either passed away or gone into care. Believe it would be the estate agent showing us around.

As a buyer I'd be so upset to set my heart on something then have to find somewhere else as the seller couldn't find anywhere.

I guessed it's the market we'll just have to see how it goes thanks everyone for the input

But the thing is, as a seller I dont want tk be waiting around for someone to put their house on the market, get an offer etc et. Then quite often the decision comes that they dont want to sell at all, and the entire chain collapses. Id much rather sell to someone who is further along in the process and has shown commitment to selling.

So its all very well that you'd move for the right house, but that doesnt interest me as a seller.

SeenYourArse · 04/02/2022 14:01

I wouldn’t even let you view unless you’d already had an offer accepted on yours! It isn’t fair to window shop you can look at tons of pics and usually walk through videos now online too plus have a look from outside driving past. You only need to view if you’ve done all that and are seriously considering the home.

OkOkWhatsNext · 04/02/2022 14:09

I find this difficult too. We want to move to a bigger house in the same area, so have very specific requirements. We aren’t prepared to move anywhere else, and will stay put until the right house comes up. There are barely any such houses on the market so could be years before something right comes up. Isn’t it wrong for me to put my house on the market now, accept an offer on it maybe but knowing that we might not have the house we want for a very long time? Aren’t we totally messing with our buyers? And I also know that when we do put our house on the market, it will sell immediately, so really what would be the benefit of us selling it now? I understand wanting to filter out time wasters, but if we were looking around a house, it’d be because we seriously thought it would meet our needs, and that we’d be able to sell our current house very quickly if so. Estate agents should treat people in that position differently.

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