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

[mum61]

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?

I agree with final offers close of play Monday.
We viewed a house Friday. Viewings booked for the weekend. I didn't want to be a starting horse so I said I will speak to them Monday. I know it will go to best and final. Watch the flaky buyer pulling out. We are £9000 on three abortive purchases. Two withdraw, one gazump.

I would pull out if I was the person who has the offer accepted and I’ve never pulled out before. The reason is I couldn’t trust the seller if they acted this dishonestly. You shouldn’t have accepted their offer if you were proceeding with viewings. If you had chosen to wait until after the weekend that wouldn’t be an issue but it shows your greed.

[quote mum61]@mellowyellow222
I had a previous offer fall through when the buyer just changed their mind later on ,im fearful this may happen again and EA is still doing due diligence on the guy who made the offer.
I said I would accept but allow the 2 pre agreed viewings as I didn't want to piss off any potential interested parties in case this offer goes the way of my previous experience.
I have told everyone the truth and will remove the house from the market after these 2 viewings.
I accept if the guy wants to withdraw because of 2 other viewings and 24 hrs...[/quote]
The OP says in this post that she would accept but allow the viewings this weekend and remove from the market after those.

A lot of posters are suggesting OP goes to best and final offers by Monday, but the house has been on the market for several weeks and there seems to be only 1 offer.

I appreciate that the 2 viewing tomorrow could make offers, but if it's already been on the market a while they're unlikely to be offering over the asking price.

This guy with the lower offer will probably be the one who dicks you around till kingdom come.

I think you can’t have it both ways.

The best thing to do would be to NOT accept the offer yet. Tell the buyer that you have more viewings booked and after they have viewed and perhaps offered you will decide on his offer.

The trouble is you already accepted.

The question becomes, if after the weekend, other people express interest,e Feb though you’ve accepted his offer, will you consider others. Are you a reliable seller?

As the buyer, I would be wary of dealing with someone who after accepting an offer wanted to show other people it. The only motive can be to get a higher offer…which means as buyer you lose the property.

If you want a price war - say so. That means no offer is yet accepted. But don’t accept and then continue letting people look.

And be clear in your own mind that once you accept an offer, you should proceed. Tell the buyer that you will require proof of funds, solicitor details etc to the EA on Monday and that you expect them to proceed swiftly. If they can do this, then if you accept their offer, you should honour it snd take the house off the market. You have to be decent at the point you accept the offer.

Your mistake has been accepting before you’ve been ready. That was unfair.

Your mistake has been accepting before you’ve been ready. That was unfair.

There is nothing unfair about it. She has been completely honest and has said she won't formally accept his offer until after the viewings.

I think this guy will come back with more and more demands. I hope you get other offers. He sounds far too pushy.

"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)"

Tell your agent to wind his neck in. Your agent works for you, not WiFiGuy -who frankly sounds like trouble.

Okay, if you haven’t actually accepted the offer, you’re free to show others it. It sounded like you’d accepted the offer. Making noises about being willing to accept it is odd. Clearly, if you get a higher offer, you won’t be accepting it.

Yes, EAs are often keen for a sale….they want turnover and if it means a fraction less earned, they will accept that. A bird in the hand ….and all that.

Yes, the EA works for you. Sometimes it’s right if them to advise quite strongly and point out when a good offer has been made that’s worth accepting. When it’s early days, they need to give it a chance though.

Buyers and sellers trusting each other is very important. So communication over this is key. You don’t want the buyer to be pushed off and withdraw because they think you’re flaky…so impress upon the EA that when you do accept formally, it will be removed and you will expect the sale to proceed to completion. It never hurts to spell out that you are reliable and committed. You can also ask for confirmation of the same from the other end.

There are no guarantees before exchange with house buying. But clear and good communication does help.

I'd definitely go ahead with the viewings. We made an offer on a house but the venders said they would honour 3 more viewings they had and then decide. It's perfectly reasonable.

If he is being "assertive" already, which is code for "fucking scary and bullying the EA"

Possibly, yes, though equally it can mean "friend of the EA, and I know he'll back me up so this silly little woman is toast"

I had the same, except the valuer chap has already let slip that the EA's pal would be interested. He even gave the name - the boss must have been furious with him - so it was hardly a surprise when Mr Watson was introduced as "highly recommended"
They couldn't even lie convincingly, and insisted the pal was actually a "Mr Smith"

It might also mean he's quite serious about wanting to buy the OPs house but not keen on being pissed around whilst she fishes for a better offer.

I dont think the OP is in any way being unreasonable but neither do I think asking for a house to be taken off the market if an offer is accepted is unusual.

Seeing as he's a CF giving shitty low offers I don't know why you're entertaining the guy at all.

We ignored petty low offers, had an open viewing and accepted the highest offer, which was 20k over asking.

This is how it's done.

@EdithRea

Seeing as he's a CF giving shitty low offers I don't know why you're entertaining the guy at all.

We ignored petty low offers, had an open viewing and accepted the highest offer, which was 20k over asking.

This is how it's done.

It might be because the OP has no other offers after several weeks on the market.

Accepting a higher offer is great, but not all houses have open days and bidding wars. OP seems happy with the offer, even though it's below asking price, as she has said she will accept it if no other offers are made.

@EdithRea

Seeing as he's a CF giving shitty low offers I don't know why you're entertaining the guy at all.

We ignored petty low offers, had an open viewing and accepted the highest offer, which was 20k over asking.

This is how it's done.

she said her house is quirky and difficult to put a price on.

If it's suitable for the buyer but he wants to change some of the 'quirks' so is offering what he can afford while still being able to make the changes.

A house is only worth what somebody is willing to pay and if she has only had one offer in weeks there's only so much she can do and so long she can wait.

@Longbin

I would pull out if I was the person who has the offer accepted and I’ve never pulled out before. The reason is I couldn’t trust the seller if they acted this dishonestly. You shouldn’t have accepted their offer if you were proceeding with viewings. If you had chosen to wait until after the weekend that wouldn’t be an issue but it shows your greed.

Read the OPs post and then explain what's dishonest about the situation?

Tbh, you sound like you'd be a flakey buyer and a risk to any seller that would be better avoided. There's no contract until exchange, and the number of threads we've had recently where buyers have delayed or pulled out after survey only shows the need to sellers to keep the process focused and on-track.

@viviennemary.
I can ,nothing says you have to cease viewings after excepting an offer.
I told the offerer the truth.
I was inclined to accept their offer, meaning the price was acceptable to me but had pre arranged 2 viewings(1 person flying in from another country) and felt I should honour those viewings .
I did this because a previous offer fell through and I lost my dream house because it.So didn't want to piss off any potential buyers incase the same thing happens again.
The guy who made the offer could be out viewing other properties and making offers on them today. Its a harsh reality that either party is under no obligation until exchange of contracts

nothing says you have to cease viewings after excepting an offer.

It's not illegal, but how would you feel if someone carried on showing others around a property you'd had an offer accepted on?

I did this because a previous offer fell through and I lost my dream house because it.So didn't want to piss off any potential buyers incase the same thing happens again.

I'm sorry you had a previous offer fall through, but what happened to the other people who viewed at the time? I'd guess they've moved on, found other properties and are no longer interested. Allowing others to view is fine, but there's no guarantee they will make an offer or be around if the sale falls through again.

The guy who made the offer could be out viewing other properties and making offers on them today.

He could, and in a busy market it's a sensible idea. Especially if you've kept him waiting for a few weeks while you wait for the other 2 viewings.

@Whinge
It's not illegal, but how would you feel if someone carried on showing others around a property you'd had an offer accepted on?

I'd feel I had to get my skates on, not waste any time engaging a solicitor and a surveyor.

I have done this when selling a property. I made it clear that the property would continue to be marketed until exchange, but that I would not be accepting higher offers, it was purely in case their purchase fell through. They understood, and everything went through smoothly and quickly. The only people that were upset were the estate agent, because I didn't allow them to put a Sold sign up.

You haven't really accepted the offer though, if you're still open to higher offers.

If I were the potential buyer here, I'd be withdrawing my offer

I'm currently buying and the game seems to be offering way over GP if it gets to a bidding war with a view to get a surveyor to find faults and drop the price down. I can't be bothered with any of that faffing about and I'd be very grateful to have a vendor like you who's candid and forthright with what you're looking for and what you're doing with the house! I don't think you're being unreasonable- it sounds like you've basically said you've more viewings this weekend and you want to see what comes from them, and if there's nothing higher then you'll accept. Totally fair enough.

@TheKeatingFive

If I were the potential buyer here, I'd be withdrawing my offer

Why? The OP has clearly told this potential buyer she is minded to accept their offer, but wants to see what happens with the viewings at the weekend first.

If the buyer can’t wait a couple of days for a definite yes or no, they clearly aren’t very serious.

Why? The OP has clearly told this potential buyer she is minded to accept their offer, but wants to see what happens with the viewings at the weekend first.

This accepting/not accepting that the OP is trying to do wouldn't sit right with me. So I'd bow out. 🤷‍♀️