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

[HolidayHun2020]

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.

So with our friends part of the deal was that it all had to be through the same EA so before they accepted an offer on their place they made sure the house they were buying was still available which it was. Once again just because you’ve never done it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen and it’s unreasonable that it might for us (if we are lucky)

Are you still talking?

I can and will post whenever I want without your permission OP. You don't get to control this. Understand?

This all sounds like shit, buying and selling, glad I'm a cash buyer, really bad if you have to sell your house before viewing others to buy

9

I can totally see your point of view OP!

I live in an area with around 200 properties. Of those, there are around 15-20 I would be interested in. I don't want to live anywhere else. I want to stay where I am, just in a bigger house/with more garden.

Whenever one comes up the EAs won't let us view because ours is not on the market yet.

But if I put mine on the market first and accept an offer, it could be months or even years before one of the properties I'm interested in comes up for sale!!

It's all very chicken and egg.

And you had the cheek to call me weird and creepy 😂 I’ll keep quiet, don’t want to end up under your patio!

So you don’t want to inconvenience yourself, but you’re quite happy to inconvenience the vendor ? I’m shocked by how little people know about how the property market works.

YES! You get it! It’s really hard, it’s only because we loved it (from afar, didn’t view) two years ago and it’s come up and in our current budget!!

Stick a note through the letter box

Tell them you love the house, would like to view and would put yours on the market the following day if you decided it was a go. Tell them the EA wouldn't agree to a viewing unless they can value your house etc - but you don't want that as you're only selling in order to proceed with theirs if suitable. Leave your number and they can call you if they want.

Cash buyers also have to have an offer on their own homes before they view. Unless you have the funds in the bank to buy outright, cash buyer means that when your property is sold you will have the funds to buy outright without a mortgage. So it’s no different.

Maybe it will change if the house prices crash a bit

Cash buyer means you have the money in the bank. If you have to sell your house you’re not a cash buyer, you’re mortgage free. There’s a difference.

Your post is inappropriate. I don't think I have ever seen such an immature, ridiculous post like this one on mumsnet. We are allowed to not agree with you.

We are proper cash buyers with funds to buy outright, if you have to sell your house you are not a cash buyer

The reason the EA won’t agree to a viewing is usually because the vendor has told them they won’t view for people who haven’t sold or at least had an offer on their own property. And there is no advantage to the vendor doing it this way as the EA would still be entitled to selling fees - how else would the potential buyer have known the house was on the market ?

@Rosscameasdoody Since you’re a property expert. Genuine question. I put my house on the market, it sells. I can’t find anywhere - then what happens? I wouldn’t be able to afford and rent…Should in theory someone not buy my property until I’ve found somewhere so I’m not ‘inconveniencing’ the chain?

We were referred to as cash buyers by the EA throughout the recent sale proceedings because we owned the house outright, could prove the funding source and didn’t have to apply for financing.

Estate agents do refer to people that have to sell a house as cash buyers sometimes, it's a right pain as they are then still in a chain as they have to sell the house to buy, so they buy the house with cash but not ready to go so a bit misleading. It should really be just those with funds in the bank not reliant on house sale.

Not a property expert, posting from experience, and I’ve been in this position. If you sell and can’t find anywhere you want to live straight away, then you move out and rent until you do - that’s if you’re serious about selling. I don’t understand why you think it’s so complicated. When you put your house on the market, you look in EA’s and shortlist properties you are interested in. Some may let you view without having sold or having a valid offer, some may not. Most won’t let you view unless you are at least on the market. But you would at least have a list of properties you are interested in. Once you have an offer, you start viewing. And you keep in mind that once you accept an offer from a buyer that the EA has introduced and who is able to proceed, you are still liable to pay the EA fees whatever you decide to do.

Yep, wouldn’t disagree with any of that.

We moved in june 2021

we viewed this one house and then put ours on the market once we decided we wanted it, we sold in two weeks

so it worked for us and the sellers were happy for us to look as the house had gone on and off the market once or twice…think it was twice 🤔

we did ask to look round another house but they didn’t want us to look, partly covid related in their case so i did understand

its worth asking but theres nothing to be done if they say no

It’s not that I think it’s complicated, it’s more that some people have such strong opinions on this scenario which I feel isn’t black and white. I feel like you outline the process like it’s so cut and dry and it doesn’t seem that way to me, from people sharing experiences on here to friends etc. Obviously there’s a course that this process typically follows but there seems to be many different scenarios that can occur!

One more question 😂 how do we feel about second viewings? I’m assuming these are a no no now.

Good to know that it does happen! If they say no, they say no. Obviously not ‘the one’. I feel like I’m losing my original train of thought which was is it unreasonable for us to put our house on the market to view this house.

Oh and we would only put our house on the market for a very specific type of house, this one is definitely quirky and has character which our house didnt (as much as i loved it)