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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:
EffortlessDesmond · 06/02/2023 16:06

A friend viewed a house that had been reduced in price recently, and promptly listed theirs as it was exactly what they were looking for. And then the vendor got an asking price offer from a cash buyer, so they took theirs off the market the same day.

We shall sell our house, but not until we have a solid plan for where we go!

TheNoodlesIncident · 06/02/2023 16:08

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 😯

I love seeing neighbouring houses' interiors too, but that's what Right Move is for!

You need to be ready to go OP, the timescale for conveyancing is already hideously (and unnecessarily) protracted, why make the process worse by making it longer and more uncertain? What's in it for the vendors?

DoorstoManual · 06/02/2023 16:09

You are what we call around these parts a carpet treader.

TheNoodlesIncident · 06/02/2023 16:10

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 😂

You need proof of funds, like a bank statement with ££££££ in it. It's not complicated.

LadyEloise1 · 06/02/2023 16:10

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 😂

I thought this too.
The estate agent has no idea of your financial situation.
You could have enough money to buy and move into the "dream" house and rent out your own.
I've never heard of someone being refused when they have asked to see a house that is up for sale.
I'm in Ireland so perhaps it's different to the UK

KatherineJaneway · 06/02/2023 16:11

YABU. You're not proceedable. Why should they go to the trouble of letting you view when you are not in a position to buy. For all they know, you just want a nosey at the house,

Runnerduck34 · 06/02/2023 16:13

YABU.
It takes a lot of time and effort to clean and tidy before a viewing, rearranging your day etc.
When we had a viewing and during it they mentioned in passing their house wasn't even in the market I'd be secretly seething.
We aren't a tourist attraction!
In the end i made it clear to our estate agent that we would only have viewings from people whose house was already on the market or were in a position to buy without selling a house first.
Otherwise they are wasting our time.

LividNC · 06/02/2023 16:15

I’ve had three viewings this week. The time and effort involved to be home, time away from work or commitments, have my toddler out of the way and minded by someone for a couple of hours to get viewing ready and for the viewing itself is phenomenal.

Two of the viewers like you not in a proceedable position. The first put in an offer and seems aggrieved I didn’t jump at it and cancel the other viewings, when he wasn’t even on the market yet himself.

The system in this country has long been broken but YABU.

Nixynic · 06/02/2023 16:16

It’s been this way for quite a few years in my area. We moved house in 2020 and at the time many agents would only let you view a house if you already had an offer agreed on your own home, not even just up for sale was good enough. As a buyer yes it’s frustrating if your dream house comes up for sale and you don’t have an offer on your house yet. But as a seller I thought it was a much better system - especially when you have to turn the house into a showhome for each viewing, make sure the kids and pets are out of the house etc… only worth doing it if they are a serious potential buyer, no time wasters. If you really think this house could be the one for you, then get yours listed asap and then go view it immediately after. There should be no cost to you if you list your house and then chose not to sell it.

Wiluli · 06/02/2023 16:17

What ?Just tell them you are ready to buy , why do you think you need to tell the truth to the state agent ? Before deciding to sell people need to see the local market imo and I hat if you were a cash buyer or a first time buyer anyway .

Timeforachangeisitnot · 06/02/2023 16:17

I am in Scotland where we have a different system, but having recently been through the process of selling, I will say I got extremely frustrated at the ‘tyre kickers’ who were clearly a long way from putting their homes on the market. We sold quickly, but made it clear that offers conditional on a sale of another property , would not be considered.

I can see both sides, but I think it depends on the local market, and your own property.

FuzzyPuffling · 06/02/2023 16:19

The EA checks you have the funds. And the first thing the solicitor does is the money laundering bit. If you've not got the money (legally) you're not coming in!

user1471538283 · 06/02/2023 16:21

Whenever Ive sold I've stipulated that potential buyers must be proceedable. However, I still had one time waster who was at pains to tell me how her unsold house was much better than mine and I was furious.

When Ive looked for property I've always had to be sold to view.

AlwaysGinPlease · 06/02/2023 16:21

YABVU. You're time wasters. You're not proceed-able and you have no right whatsoever to see anyone's house. Talk about entitled.

BellaJuno · 06/02/2023 16:22

Wiluli · 06/02/2023 16:17

What ?Just tell them you are ready to buy , why do you think you need to tell the truth to the state agent ? Before deciding to sell people need to see the local market imo and I hat if you were a cash buyer or a first time buyer anyway .

This is terrible advice. We had someone lie about their position when offering on our house and it caused so many delays, extra expense and stress that we ended up telling them to get stuffed. With our next move, we didn’t let anyone view our house without proof they were proceedable at that stage (evidence of cleared funds, confirmation from their solicitor of their position etc),this weeded out all the ones who thought they could blag it until
they’d sold or were just looking ‘on the off chance’.

Mythril · 06/02/2023 16:25

YABU. Why would the seller accept any offer from you in the present circumstance?

You've seen the house. You know the area. You have current photos. If you're seriously considering the house, put yours up.

Orangetapemeasure · 06/02/2023 16:26

Are you proceedable? Ie without selling your house? If yes then there is no reason to prevent you viewing. We have recently moved- we were in the fortunate position of being able to buy without selling the house we were living in until after we’d exchanged (and the purchase was entirely independent of the sale). I think it does depend on how much if a lying bastard the sellers EA is. The purchasers of our house were ‘chain free first time buyers’ or do the EA said. Turns out the EA had only seen the funds in a relatives account not the buyers and they were in fact tied to another property. We couldn’t have moved if we were depending on a timely sale.

maria1984m · 06/02/2023 16:27

YABU

when I bought my home 10 years ago the market was totally different and it seemed you could look at leisure I viewed many houses til I found the right one
when I sold my house 6 months ago it’s a sellers market totally different - offers in excess of and only people with a mortgage in principle and ready to go….. we booked 8 viewings the day it went on the market for the coming Monday and had 4 offers on the day

estate agents won’t waste theirs or the sellers time showing people around who are not in a position to buy

should the market change (which I believe it’s starting to already with cost of living crisis) this may change but at the moment they are making hay whilst the sun shines

cyclamenqueen · 06/02/2023 16:28

Having sold subject to contract is no more proceedable than having no offer. No one has made any commitment that can’t be broken.

our estate agent said that a person who really wants your house and is prepared to put theirs on the market to buy it is likely to be a much better bet than a random who has sold sstc and just needs to offer on something .

the only time we have been let down was by someone with their house already under offer, they weren’t really committed and found something else. If someone loves the house they will pull out all the stops regardless .

Lcb123 · 06/02/2023 16:28

YABU. It's a massive effort to clean/tidy and then get out the house during the viewing. I wouldn't accept a viewing or offer from a buyer unless they were chain free or under offer. Having been stung last year by timewasters!

Theylastedwell · 06/02/2023 16:28

In popular areas it’s still just about a seller’s market, so they can probably afford to apply these kind of restrictions. Knowing I’m not in a chain and want to move quickly, my estate agents only allowed viewings from either cash buyers or FTB, all who had to prove they had the funds lined up before they could view

skippymcflippy · 06/02/2023 16:28

YABU and particularly because you have already seen the property. Just a time waster.
If you really are "looking at selling" in the next 6-12 months then you should put the property on the market anyway.

Samanabanana · 06/02/2023 16:29

We sold our house to someone who viewed before their house was on the market. They came, offered over asking and got their house on the market and sold within a week. They were absolute legends and I'm glad we allowed their viewing even though they weren't "prodeedable"

Paturday · 06/02/2023 16:31

Agree OP it’s bullshit, things seems to have changed since the pandemic for some reason - Feb 2020 we went to see a house, put an offer in which was accepted, THEN listed our house because we would only move for the house we were buying.

Had to sell within 2 weeks according to the buyer - estate agent was fine with it because it was 2 sales for them (the one we were buying; and ours). The estate agent was motivated to sell ours within the 2 weeks because then it would be 2 lots of commission for him. And it did sell easily within the 2 weeks.

Pantal1985 · 06/02/2023 16:31

My friend was in this position. They hadn't even thought about selling but a house came up and they really thought it could be for them. They wrote a letter to the houseowner and put it through their door explaining their position and the owner rang and invited them to come round and view it. They loved it, put theirs on the market 2 days later and it sold straight away. Happy days! Although the market has changed a bit now in that houses (at least round here) are not selling very quickly so not sure a seller would take that chance.