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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think we should be able to view a house even though we aren’t selling?

382 replies

HolidayHun2020 · 06/02/2023 15:39

So a house has come up for sale near us, we’re in a position that it’s not the ideal time for us to buy BUT for the right price and property we could make it work. Our house isn’t on the market but if we wanted to go for something we would put it up straight away. We plan to look at selling and actively trying to move within the next 6-12 months. I want to go and see this house as I saw it a couple of years ago and fell in love with it. It’s come up again, but the estate agent has said that we can’t view it unless we proceed with putting our house up and then if it’s a no from us on the house we are viewing we would then need to get out of the contract to sell our house!

AIBU that this is ridiculous? We just want to see this one house on the off chance it’s the one? If we offer and they say no under the circumstance fair enough. Should we just walk away until we are definitely ready to move.

OP posts:
cardibach · 06/02/2023 15:41

It takes time to get a house ready for a viewing and then to have it happen. You’ve seen the house already. Don’t mess people about. Go for it properly or don’t.

Treeeeeeee · 06/02/2023 15:41

You are ultimately a time waster and I would not have the time to arrange a viewing from someone who couldn't progress. Your house could take months to sell and I would not be willing to wait

maddy68 · 06/02/2023 15:42

It's fair enough. You are not in a position to move right now. And they could get stuck in a chain

fishonabicycle · 06/02/2023 15:42

It's annoying but makes sense. Those people want to sell now, not whenever you get an offer on yours, which could be months away!

LillyBugg · 06/02/2023 15:42

I ended up not letting people view my property who hadn't already sold. I wouldn't even let those who were on the market and unsold. The vendor for my dream house was keen to go and so I needed my house sold asap. Messing around with people who aren't even in the process yet would have been a total waste of time. YABU.

WhatASmashingBlouseYouHaveOn · 06/02/2023 15:44

If you flip the scenario around, would you be willing to let any random strangers look around your house if they didn't have theirs also on the market?

I don't think it's reasonable 😕

Also it's a security risk as it would give strangers a scout around of a potential property to rob etc

neverknowinglyunreasonable · 06/02/2023 15:44

If you just enjoying looking around houses for fun why not join the National Trust?

angstridden2 · 06/02/2023 15:44

This seems to be the way things are at the moment.However if you are basically happy with your present house and location but want to make the next step up to your dream/forever house, how likely are you to put your own house on the market ‘just in case’ the dream house comes up for sale? Can see both sides.

thesnailandthewhale · 06/02/2023 15:45

The people who are selling the house will have to get it ready for a viewing, make sure they are out etc. the estate agent will need to take time to take you for the viewing, time that they are being laid and could be showing one one else a property who is in a proceedable position or doing something for a chain that is already proceeding etc. neither have the time to show people around who then can do nothing about buying the property anyway, yabu.

Killerfail · 06/02/2023 15:46

neverknowinglyunreasonable · 06/02/2023 15:44

If you just enjoying looking around houses for fun why not join the National Trust?

this!

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 06/02/2023 15:49

Yabu. Especially considering you've been in this house before!

clairelouwho · 06/02/2023 15:52

YABU.

Unless your house is for sale you’re just wasting their time.

hazelnutlatte · 06/02/2023 15:53

Its up to the seller- when were on the market we didn't restrict who viewed our house - and we got 4 offers from people who were not proceedable - annoying and a waste of our time! None of them ended up buying our house.
When we were viewing properties there was one we were desperate to buy but the sellers wouldn't let us see it until we has sold our house. By the time we did it was under offer so we didn't get the chance to see it.

littlelandlord7 · 06/02/2023 15:55

It's not unreasonable from the agent OP however I'm hearing of more and more people including us who have viewed what we are looking for then put ours up with the same agent very swiftly. Vendors have given us 8 weeks to try and sell ours which I'm sure is an exception however we are buying something quirky that they are struggling to sell.
You could say you'll give them yours to sell if you like it and understand the house will be left on the market until you find buyers, although, if you've viewed before then perhaps not necessary?

Friends did exactly the same and theirs sold within 2 weeks.

Very different to when we bought Jan last year and it was best and finals / only allowed viewings if proceedable!

FuzzyPuffling · 06/02/2023 15:55

I wouldn't let you view either. House selling is stressful enough without non-proceedable people just coming round for a nosy.

WhereIsThisGoing · 06/02/2023 15:57

I understand both sides. What if you have a very easy to sell property but are looking for something rare that only comes on the market a few times a year as your next property? Selling your own house on the off chance something comes up in the right time frame would be madness and would just mess your own buyers around.

Redraddisho27 · 06/02/2023 15:58

Where i live I've viewed houses when mine wasn't on the market. We were only willing to move for a very exact criteria, so felt it was pointless to put ours on the market until we saw the one (there were only 2 houses we liked over 3 years). It wasn't any problem. However our old house was very saleable so I think the estate agent could see it would sell quick.

Overandunderit · 06/02/2023 15:58

YABU.

We're selling our house and the are so many "tire kickers" visit just to be nosey or see what's out there. It's still a seller's market. Our EA now requires the viewer to have their house up

FuzzyPuffling · 06/02/2023 15:58

I wouldn't accept an offer from a non proceedable person (come back when you've sold) so what would be the point?

CoorieInByTheFire · 06/02/2023 15:59

When I moved nobody was allowed to view unless they had a confirmed complete chain and finances in place.

redspottedmug · 06/02/2023 16:00

You've seen it previously. Presumably the details are available on line. That should be sufficient to decide if you are serious.

Why didn't you buy it two years ago? I doubt much has changed in that time to suddenly make it an attractive proposition.

MrTumblesSpottyHag · 06/02/2023 16:01

I tidied our house with my clingy 2 and 5 year olds under my feet only for the couple viewing to announce that they lived further down the street and just booked an appointment any time a house in the road was put up for sale because they liked to see what each house looked like 😯

ladymacbeth · 06/02/2023 16:03

I hate this. I can't move until the right thing comes onto the market. But I can't look until my house is under offer. Makes no sense

Winniepoo · 06/02/2023 16:03

YABVU, you're just wasting people's time wanting to have a nosey. I've just sold our house and was very clear with the EA that people like yourself who are clearly not in a position to put an offer in and just want to have a peek around someone elses home were a definite no to viewings.

SNWannabe · 06/02/2023 16:05

How would they know if you were in the position to buy a new house or not? You could have had an inheritance and not need to be selling your own house… or have just won the euromillions. I’ve said YANBU… and if certain houses local to me went up for sale or childhood friends houses that I wanted to revisit. Or my old house… I’d view it and pretend to be a millionaire 😂

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