We've exchanged and complete in 2 weeks - buyers want YET ANOTHER viewing

[MoominFeatures]

We've exchanged contracts on the sale of our house - completion is in two weeks (we're in England).

Pre-exchange we accommodated multiple viewings - of course. We felt it was just part of the process and seemed fair enough.

We exchanged at the end of July. Since then, the buy has asked for (and we've accommodated) two more viewings, one really last minute while they knew we were on holiday and away (but we figured it out so they could come) and the second time one afternoon on a day they knew was a working day for us but was the only day/time that worked for them. We accommodated. They were here for four hours (the house is a pretty regular 4-bed detached house in a village - not some pile somewhere with a million rooms and corridors).

They're coming again today - for the third time. They've even asked me to push out a work call I have in case they need longer than 90 minutes here (I told them about that to try to get a sense of how long they'll be here for).

AIBU for feeling really quite put out??! The house is utter chaos - boxes everywhere, dust all over because we're actively packing. It doesn't look good at all and it's really stressing me out. I have been up until god knows what our the past two nights and up with the sparrows the following mornings trying to make things look a bit neater (not sure it's made a difference) but the more i do the angrier I get about it all. To top it off, the buyer sent us an email last night essentially saying "see you tomorrow" but jibed that "I guess you're more relaxed than we are". Well that's set me right off. I'm absolutely raging - they have no idea of all the shit going on in our lives at the moment (the house move is only one element and probably the least stressful one).

Please someone tell me I'm not being over-sensitive and they're truly CFs. Being tired and cranky isn't helping me no doubt, but we wouldn't dream of heading to our sellers' house now, when we'd been twice post-exchange already and when completion is in two weeks, so this is really pissing me off. I really need to not lose my shit at them when they rock up later this morning. Eeeeek.

Bloody Nora, though. Your orede

Oops, hit send too soon. Your predecessors sound...challenging!

Yep. I think she accidentally left stuff and went back to get it before we moved in. I know she came back because mail was shifted from floor to kitchen. She also refused to forward her mail to her new address (because she moved in same neighbourhood), and kept saying, just text me when you get it please. Fuck that, I threw it all in the bin.

People like this!! Genuinely wouldn’t accommodate anymore, what on earth is there left to see? They have the floor plan for measurements, different if they desperately needed to let a workman in to come and price a job (once and no further instances) that’s honestly ridiculous, you’ve done enough. Is this their first ever house purchase? Not normal

I'm sorry, I really don't understand - why on earth would you even consider responding to requests from them after the sale has gone through?! Unless you live in a tiny community and will have to see then evey week down the pub and thus want to maintain friendliness, just why?! Once you sell the house that's it, done, dusted, your involvement with it is at an end.

I can understand them being keen to get work lined up especially if they've a deadline you don't know about like a baby on the way for example. I don't think it's unreasonable to ask to visit to get measurements etc but I think you do that once and make sure you get everything you need IF the current owners are happy for you to do so. Just say it no longer suits due to work and with the stress of packing up and leaving things orderly for them you won't be able to accommodate further viewings. They're just going on what you're leaving open to them.

A few years ago I ended up blocking the number of our buyer once we had exchanged. There were just too many unreasonable requests. I sent a message saying all communication needed to go via solicitor or estate agent and it was the best thing I could have done, the stress levels were substantially reduced!

Just say no!

Yeah see, I'm a people pleaser too but even I wouldn't accommodate this. I'd tell them that you cannot push the work call back and at this late a stage, yet another viewing is neither convenient, nor appropriate. If they need measurements they should have got them when they did their 4 hour viewing and/or it should be in the floor plan they would have been given in the house assessment (can't remember the official name) that would have been done already. Xx

Block their number and complain to the estate agent/solicitor and say you will not co-operate with further viewings. They’re being ridiculous. To ask you to move work calls is outrageous.

Sorry but after reading your comments, I'm afraid you are a total doormat.

After exchange you can't pull out (you said in one of your comments you had) so they're unlikely to do so without losing a lot of money.

The EA should have dealt with this, it's what you are paying them for so you've also done their job for free.

CFs will get away with what they can. If you're not assertive they'll walk all over whoever lets them.

Bizarre that they want to keep viewings after exchange given that the cost to pull out would be huge to them now. You can definitely just say house is a state from the move prep and say you’ll see it in a couple of weeks.

The buyer of my late mother's house wanted keys before completion. Some people have zero sense and are full of entitlement.

I'd say no and make up some story (ill probably best as they won't push that) and eek it out until completion. It is cheeky as fudge. Just remind yourself 2 weeks and at least one thing will be sorted in your life. When I'm stressed, I like to create a time line of when I can check things off my 'to do' list and that makes me feel better. 😊

How can "No" be misunderstood.
Inform then that it is their final viewing before you vacate.

I’d rather like to let them turn up and knock on the door, then text them to say you can’t answer it because you’re stuck on the loo with the most God awful diarrhoea

When I bought my house this summer I only went to two viewings. Once for maybe 15 - 20 minutes with the agent, them 5 mins (or less) another day with the seller - both pre-offer.

No visits after that, even though the full process lasted 3 months.

I did find some issues after I got it, but just on with it.

They sound very unreasonable.

Gosh, the timeline idea is a good one. I might try that one. Thank you!

We viewed our house twice before we got the keys- once when we first saw it and second just before we exchanged. 15 minutes each time. House is also 4 bedrooms with annex and large gardens.

Once we exchanged it was too late for anything, so we did not view again.

Tell the new owners you are now busy. They can view when they get the keys!

Three visits after completion with a request in for a fourth. That’s in addition to multiple viewings beforehand. Once you’ve exchanged, you’ve signed on the dotted line so to speak, so you should have well considered and decided by this stage. One viewing to measure up is reasonable. Multiple viewings that take hours at a time are suggestive of a problem. Possibly the buyers have seen another property and are weighing things up or thinking of pulling out for another reason. More likely they are looking for a way to reduce the price at the last minute and the ‘viewings’ are fault finding missions to achieve that. Either way, exchange is a done deal and pulling out afterwards rightly attracts stiff penalties.

realistically people go 1-3 times before they actually move in and tbh I am surprised that something costing £££ is decided over say 30 mins. Our last house was expensive, buyer didnt say much and left after 15 mins. It was the dead of winter though. They then asked for another viewing and they clearly just wanted to walk around themselves so I stuck myself in the living room and said any questions just ask. It was a Sunday viewing and the agent couldnt get anyone to accompany but due to my role I am good with people and their little ways. They offered, we accepted and once they asked to come to mesure up but actually they came with their Mum and Dad which to be honest was fine. We hadnt yet exchanged and I didnt want anything to go wrong.

People asking for keys in advance, using the garage to store their stuff before exchange is nonsense but I can quite see how SOME people think its sensible. If they are buying something then why wouldnt they be allowed to jump the gun a bit. They dont see that if it doesnt go through you have their clobber and what if it was damaged, or they claim things went missing?

Some people just have no common sense or are just CF's and have the view if you dont ask you dont get....

And a couple of months later they sent a van courier to come and pick up the range cooker - the one that was listed in our contract as part of the fixtures and fittings included in the sale. He was sent away with very clear instructions that he wasn’t collecting anything!

Hilarious. I would have had so much fun with that.

id tell them no now OP, i mean this kindly - grow a backbone and say no

I had 2 viewings with my original house

one before offer, one on exchange so i could measure up and check it wasnt trashed.

thats all thats needed IMO

OP hasn’t said which EA they’re using. The online ones like purple bricks charge extra for handling viewings and communication between buyers and sellers, so it’s possible this is why they are doing so directly.

I viewed the house we bought 10 years ago now for 10 minutes, put the offer on within 2 hours, and didn't see it again until the day I got the keys. Wtf is wrong with these people?

Perhaps measuring for carpets and curtains everywhere.