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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Can I accept an offer on my house but still allow this weekends viewings

302 replies

mum61 · 26/03/2022 05:55

My house has been on the market for a couple of weeks and I have had an offer from a guy who made a low offer then a second offer just below the guide price.. I said I would accept his offer but wanted to honour 2 viewings for tomorrow after which, if no other offers are forthcoming I would formally accept and take the house of the market.
My agent is pressuring me not to allow the 2 viewings to go ahead and take the house off the market.( I think because of pressure from the guy who made the offer, saying he's very assertive)
Am I being unreasonable?

OP posts:
C8H10N4O2 · 27/03/2022 11:59

Each to their own

Its not a matter of each making a choice, its just how the market is operating at the moment. Whether we like it or not is academic, this is how its working currently in our region.

TBH, asking a potential buyer to wait 48 hr for a firm answers after viewings are complete does not seem unreasonable, even in normal times. Especially when the would be buyer has already prevaricated, revisited and made the OP wait a lot longer.

TheKeatingFive · 27/03/2022 12:05

TBH, asking a potential buyer to wait 48 hr for a firm answers after viewings are complete does not seem unreasonable

But be straight. She should have just told them she'd be back with a decision in that time.

Not this 'accepted, but only sort of' position that the OP seems to have gone for.

Mellowyellow222 · 27/03/2022 12:06

I do not want to fight with a stranger over the internet based on their experience of their child buying a house😂. Which is why I said each to their own.

I would not view a house where the offer has been accepted. What is the point? I have extensive experience of the housing market - as I am sure does your child and I am sure you have had many discussions with them about their experiences.

Let’s agree to differ. I wouldn’t - you would.

Mellowyellow222 · 27/03/2022 12:12

And it is always a matter of making a choice. We all make choices about what buyers we are willing to engage with, what houses we want to bid on and what circumstances we are prepared to tolerate..

So @C8H10N4O2 we have different views. I too was opening in a very competitive market - over 40 viewers on my house and bidding against 5 other people to buy my house. But there was choice - I knew what I would tolerate and what I wouldn’t.

I didn’t want to sell to someone on a long chain, and I turned down bids form people who I knew wouldn’t move quickly. I did sell to a fist time buyer but knew they would likely be inexperienced and difficult - they were.

I didn’t want to buy a house with a long chain or from someone who would take a long time to fond a new place. I lived a house that I knows would take too long to complete so I didn’t bid.

C8H10N4O2 · 27/03/2022 12:51

Let’s agree to differ. I wouldn’t - you would

I'm not trying to argue - I'm simply describing the situation in the market - there is no choice. The standard model is to take all the viewings and offers then decide after viewings are complete.

If they declined to look at places with offers already submitted then they would not view any property at all. However everybody is in the same position. It may not be yours or even my preferred model, but we all have to operate within the market.

Mellowyellow222 · 27/03/2022 13:00

I think we are talking at cross purposes - of course there will be offers in on places but once an offer is accepted I would not view.

But I wish your child every success

Mellowyellow222 · 27/03/2022 13:04

An offer submitted and an offer accepted are very different things.

In my market accepting an ioffer means moving to the conveyancing stage? There would rarely be view after an offer is accepted

girlmom21 · 27/03/2022 14:31

I would not view a house where the offer has been accepted. What is the point?

I do agree with this and I hope the EA was sensible enough to word it more neutrally. If I thought a seller would drop me if someone else gazumped me I'd withdraw my offer because when you're buying a house you're spending a lot of money on solicitors, searches etc that you can lose very quickly if one thing in the chain goes wrong so you need to be able to trust your buyer and seller.

Moancup · 27/03/2022 14:59

It’s funny that the OP talks about “honouring” booked viewings but is happy to repeat that no one is committed until exchange. The latter is legally true but the amount of stock you’re putting on it suggests you also have the potential to BU. Fine to hold off accepting an offer until you’ve checked finances and had a full set of viewings. But be clear that you are waiting to make a decision. This ‘sort of acceptance’ is BS. It sounds like you intend to keep your options open throughout?

Whatsonmymindgrapes · 27/03/2022 15:01

You’re allowed to do whatever you want it’s still your house and it’s not sold until it’s sold. I still allow viewings when it’s under off as quite a few of offers don’t always go through to final purchase.

KELLOGSspeck · 27/03/2022 17:02

@Moancup

It’s funny that the OP talks about “honouring” booked viewings but is happy to repeat that no one is committed until exchange. The latter is legally true but the amount of stock you’re putting on it suggests you also have the potential to BU. Fine to hold off accepting an offer until you’ve checked finances and had a full set of viewings. But be clear that you are waiting to make a decision. This ‘sort of acceptance’ is BS. It sounds like you intend to keep your options open throughout?
It double standards whilst OP claims to have her reasons for doing so... the point remains the exact same!
Original poster
mum61 · 27/03/2022 17:22

@Moancup
Having listened to the replies I have received I have realised I probably should have said : I will think about your offer over the weekend and allowed the 2 viewings I have already agreed to , rather than saying :Thank you for your increased offer i'm inclined to accept as it reasonable I won't be taking any more appt to view (although there were 5 other enquiries) but will be allowing 2 viewings I have agreed to .

OP posts:
masterblaster · 27/03/2022 17:27

Let’s say your house is worth 500k and you are paying 1.5 % to the EA. The EA gets 7.5 k.

Someone offers 10 grand more. The EA gets only 150 quid more. They want to lock in the sale and they don’t care about you getting slightly more.

Leedsfan247 · 27/03/2022 17:57

Absolutely, an offer is just that, meaningless before exchange of contracts.

Depending on how strong any offer is it’s up to you to decide if someone offers more vs someone offers less with nothing to sell.

Either way if a viewing is booked you should go ahead

AnotherEmma · 27/03/2022 17:57

Eh? You had 5 enquiries and only allowed 2 to book viewings?! Madness

Maggiethecat · 27/03/2022 17:58

If we operated in a system where verbal offers/acceptances were binding then you would be foolish to continue with the 2 booked viewings unless you were very clear with everyone that it was in the event that the agreed sale fell through.

However, we are not in that system and you disclosing to the buyer that you were going to show the 2 people would convey to him that the house was still in play.

As pps have said - at that point he could ask you what you’d accept to take the house off the market and start the conveyancing process but otherwise he knows he’s at risk of being out- offered.

I hardly think he’d think twice if although you firmly accepted his offer but before it went to contract he found something else that suited him better.

I think it is in poor form if either party withdraws once the process starts and costs start to be incurred but these things happen for various reasons.

Fortunately in this case we’re talking about a couple of days so unlikely any loss suffered.

mumda · 27/03/2022 18:05

Your estate agent should know if the people coming to view are in a good position and have enough money and are in a position to proceed. Accepting a below asking price offer strikes me as silly when you have people keen to view.

PearlyShamps · 27/03/2022 18:11

The last time we sold/moved we accepted an offer, and told the prospective buyers that it would stay on the market until we'd heard from their solicitors, and had the mortgage survey booked. This was on the advice of our estate agent. Until you have signed contracts, no sale is set in stone and you're not under any obligation (legally or morally) to stop viewings on the property - particularly if these viewings were already booked.

Original poster
mum61 · 27/03/2022 18:12

@AnotherEmma
I had an offer from a potential buyer on Friday am.
The offer had been increased from. a lower offer a few days ago.
I said I was inclined to accept his offer as I felt it was reasonable and thanked him for increasing.
I told him I had 2 viewings booked in the next 48 hrs (appts made 1 week ago and 1 flying in from Spain to view)
I said I would allow those 2 as I had agreed them but would accept new appts
From the replies ive received I think I should have said ,I will consider the offer over the weekend and allowed all viewings ..

OP posts:
AnotherEmma · 27/03/2022 18:15

I have read all your posts, no need to repeat things you've already said.

I agree that you should've allowed all the viewings but I guess it's done now.

Thewindwhispers · 27/03/2022 18:23

Yabu to accept an offer but continue viewings/ thet isn’t how its done.

Yanbu to say “thank you for your offer we will decide what to do on Monday.”

Mellowyellow222 · 27/03/2022 18:55

@C8H10N4O2 I Am curious if you have any personal recent experience of buying and selling?

You have very strong opinions yet seemed not to under stand the difference between a house being under offer and an offer being accepted.

I don’t think knowing someone who is viewing houses is very relevant experience

girlmom21 · 27/03/2022 19:07

@AnotherEmma

Eh? You had 5 enquiries and only allowed 2 to book viewings?! Madness
Presumably they came in after she said she was inclined to accept but honour the weekend viewings
Mandyjack · 27/03/2022 19:36

If its only been on 2wks and his offer is below the guide price I'd honour the 2 viewings. Or go back to the agent and say if he wants to make a higher offer I'll take it off the market

Mandyjack · 27/03/2022 19:47

@Mellowyellow222

And it is always a matter of making a choice. We all make choices about what buyers we are willing to engage with, what houses we want to bid on and what circumstances we are prepared to tolerate..

So @C8H10N4O2 we have different views. I too was opening in a very competitive market - over 40 viewers on my house and bidding against 5 other people to buy my house. But there was choice - I knew what I would tolerate and what I wouldn’t.

I didn’t want to sell to someone on a long chain, and I turned down bids form people who I knew wouldn’t move quickly. I did sell to a fist time buyer but knew they would likely be inexperienced and difficult - they were.

I didn’t want to buy a house with a long chain or from someone who would take a long time to fond a new place. I lived a house that I knows would take too long to complete so I didn’t bid.

The house we currently own we were originally refused as a buyer because we had 3 buyers under us and the sellers didn't want to be in a chain. The house had been on and off the market for 2/3yrs with previous buyers pulling out for a variety of reasons. 1 had taken months to sort a mortgage so the sellers put it back on, 1 had a relationshop breakdown etc. Because our offer (which was the highest) was turned down we started buying a new build. 3/4wks down the line the agent called asking if we still wanted it as the buyer had pulled out. We decided to switch property (despite losing half our deposit) as the house was our 1st choice and significantly cheaper than the 1st one. So my point is that having no chain or choosing a 1st time buyer doesn't guarantee a no hassle sale or purchase. People pull our for a variety of reasons, and what appear to be the nicest of people can end up an absolute pain in the rear end!