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.

We had the opposite issue! When we bought our house, we viewed it twice before putting in the offer in February that year, and then requested one quick visit in June just before exchanging so we could measure up and start ordering white goods, curtains etc. The sellers refused, which we accepted, but on completion day we got the keys a couple of hours late, went in and found that the reason they obviously didn’t want us to come back to view again was because in the 4 months since the original viewings they’d completely trashed the downstairs carpets, and generally not bothered much with any cleaning or anything (the whole house was filthy!).

They obviously knew that if we’d come round and seen that we would have been onto the solicitors delaying the exchange so we could renegotiate the offer due to the additional money it was going to cost us! I was FURIOUS!

I’d actually question what’s wrong with you because that’s the opposite end of the batshit spectrum.

That's pretty much what I did!
I went to show my DP from the outside once but I didn't go back for a second viewing. I wasn't there long the first time as it's not exactly a mansion!

What was "wrong" with me was that I was 32 weeks pregnant and it was a 2 hour drive. Also, as it was a listed property, the fact the house would have a few quirks was a foregone conclusion. But OTOH, if a house has stood for 250 years, it can't be too bad!

This.

totally ridiculous.

we did two half hour-ish visits here. More than enough.

Hehe similar to us although we did have a second view after the offer was all in as my parents wanted to see it. Been here 13 years lol.

That is very very long for a visit even if it were with a builder doing an estimating and measuring up. I don't think they should be allowed any more visits. It is not their property yet. If they want a picture of a particular room to make plans then you can email them one.

I had similar- I completed 2 weeks ago and although I only did 2 extra visits, one to show the dc and another to get my builder to give it the once over, I don't go back after May- the visits were about 20-30 mins with the estate agent.

So between May and August the owner had let the place go badly. I had to pull up the carpets as the urine from her dogs had soaked through to the floor boards, dog shit all over the garden, old food in the fridge, nothing clean. Dog hair even in the fridge and freezer. She had pulled a curtain pole off the wall and damaged the wall- she was supposed to leave it. Some people are absolutely skanky.
When I viewed all was clean and tidy.
Currently solicitors involved because she is clearly in breach of contract.

@MoominFeatures you realise these people are going to try and hold you responsible for any minor issue they find in the house going forward, right? You really need to block their number when you complete!

We nearly went back down the solicitor route too - they’d also left huge holes in the plaster in two of the bedrooms where the children’s furniture had been bolted to the walls. Decided it wasn’t worth the bother in the end. Agree some people are just skanky - when we cleaned properly before moving in and discovered the sealant round the windows wasn’t black - it was just grimey! 🤢

This is actually how most people buy houses! Perhaps the system is crazy, but viewing once is standard, particularly in the market we’ve had in recent years. Checking it out thoroughly is what a survey is for. Def not batshit!

Yep, same with us - we were not even in the house at the same time. DP went once for 20 mins, and I went on a different day for a similar length of time.

It's been fine. We were local and knew people living on the same road, knew the houses were sound (group of similar 1930s properties) and could see it was well cared for.

Viewing once for ten minutes isn’t standard. Two viewings is the standard.

It’s really not @blossomtoes! You’ve done that, perhaps your friends/family have , others are telling you it’s been different for them so perhaps you don’t have to write them off as “batshit’??. As a buyer and a seller multiple times my experience has almost always been one viewing, and certainly in recent years (in which I was outbid on houses five times with 6/10 offers on the table) taking your time on a second really hasn’t been possible.

Anyway, we can agree to differ, on this and also the point that it’s ok to call people doing things differently from you “batshit”. Have a lovely weekend.

This is exactly why you leave all communication to your Estate Agent. Do not swap details with buyers, they’ll just take the piss.

What standard?
I'm not at all sure what I would have needed to visit twice for? To be fair, the flat was empty, and the photos and video tour were exactly true to the condition I viewed it in but unless I was going to be measuring for new furniture or building work (I wasn't) why would I have gone back?

They were there for FOUR HOURS and that's still not beeen enough? WOW. That is totally unreasonable. Tell them where to get off. They can wait til they move in FFS like other - normal - people. You've been more than accommodating enough.

It depends on the market - at one point when we were buying you'd have been laughed out of the estate agents for asking for a second viewing because houses were getting so many offers they were going to best and final with 24-48 hours of going on the market

It’s fine for them to ask. It’s fine for you to say no.

Sorry!! You’d already said yes. That will teach me not to rtft :D

Four hours!!! Oh god no. We moved a couple of years ago but we’re staying local and our buyers paid a couple of visits which was fine although one was with both sets of parents 👀 they turned up ten minutes early and I was just getting back from a walk to try and get baby to sleep so asked for a minute l so I could pop him down but left the door open and she admonished me for leaving my keys in the door… 😂 erm it’s already open as I didn’t want to be rude an shut you all outside

Oh fuck no!

They should buy a new build, we didn’t even get to go inside until exchanged 😂 No measuring up allowed until moved in.

4 hours! 4 hours??