When is it sensible to look at other properties?

[BimbaBirba]

Just that really.
Our house should be on Rightmove by Tuesday and I'm wondering if I should wait to have an offer on it before I view other houses. Where we live, the market is quite fast and the sort of house we want to buy will be popular.
TIA

Offered on our new house three weeks before ours went on the market. I can't believe you haven't started looking! You must be very restrained.

I wanted to! When I rang up about a house the estate agent told me I wouldn't be in a position to make an offer so I took the hint!

So was the offer accepted even though you hadn't sold yet?

We didn't start looking until our house was on the market. As a vendor, I wouldn't have accepted an offer from someone who wasn't proceedable. A bird in the hand and all that.

Yep, offered and accepted on 16/01, ours went on market on 08/02 and sold on 11/02. All being well we exchange this week and move week after :)

It probably depends on how fast things move in your area, round here we were told by two agents not to bother putting in an offer until we had one on ours.

Our house went in the market on a Monday, first viewing Wednesday, offer made and deal done in the Friday!

Round here EAs won't take you v seriously until you have accepted an offer on your own house. We however viewed some houses that had been on the market for a while, presuming they may still be on the market once we'd sold- and we were right, however we didn't want to offer on those. It would be dangerous to really want a house and be frustrated in not getting an offer on your own house.

It's not the EA's decision whether to accept or reject an offer.

It's up to the vendor.

You don't know the vendor's circumstances and what they will and won't consider.
EAs just talk nonsense and spout cliches. They'd tell you that someone who hasn't had an offer in a year won't consider offers - it's just EA imbecilic sales gibberish - for heaven's sake never take the word of an EA for anything.

I've never had an offer from someone who wasn't on the market yet but I've 'accepted in principle' an offer from someone who hadn't sold yet - on the undestanding that if I got a proceedable alternative offer, I may choose to go ahead with that.

I've made and had accepted 'in principle' an offer before I was on the market.

If everyone waited until they were all under offer before viewing other properties nothing would ever sell or progress.

Only a fool of a vendor would tell you to bugger off just because you haven't sold yet.
An actual vendor rather than an EA would say - Thanks, I can't accept your offer yet, but I appreciate it, in principle the price is acceptable and I will get back in touch with you should I get an alternative offer. Please contact me as soon as you are under offer too and then we can take it further.

There are many vendors who would rather wait for you to sell and then accept your 'offer' of £20k more than the cash buyer who wants to move in in 4 weeks.

The vendor makes the decision not the EA.

It's as simple as that.

For my sins I work for an Estate Agency, not as an Estate Agent though and I can genuinely say that we have 30% of our vendors state that they do not want anyone viewing unless they are proceed able. Ludicrous situaton.

Never understimate the stupidity of vendors.

But it is the EAs job to inform, educate and assist the vendor to sell not further enable their incompetence all in the name of 'talking up' the market.

If every shop checked to see if customers had the money to buy before they let them in the door - there'd be lots more parking spaces at Bluewater.

I get what you say marina. As a prospective vendor who's not in a hurry to move, I'd be happy to show people round even though they haven't sold subject to contract yet. I'd much rather accept an asking price offer from someone who's not proceedable (subject to some conditions) than a cheeky offer from a cash buyer. Would be different if I had a set deadline to move, I guess
What so you think about advertising an open afternoon? I think it's a great way to get people through the door, but any negatives?

I've never had an open viewing but I think they sound like a great development. I do wonder if they work best for people who are ready, right now, to sell. Perhaps if you've been marketing for a while with no sale, then combine an open view, with a price reduction, ad in the paper, free tea and coffee and leave the agent to it for a couple of hours. I imagine it's a good way to generate immediate interest and offers but perhaps you might have to be ready to move straight away in response to those offers.

If you're not in a hurry yet, it might be best to keep that as your 'ace in the hole' - what do you think?

It's due to go on Rightmove on Tuesday and was thinking of doing an open viewing Sunday 17th for a couple of hours for two reasons:

• one because people like to have a nosey and perhaps they wouldn't ring up about seeing my house for whatever reason but they'd view it (and fall in love with it!) if they can just drop in.
• two because it'd be easier for me to keep the house perfectly tidy and decluttered one afternoon rather than at the drop of a hat on a week day so I'd be hoping to steer early interested parties to the open viewing.

It'd be fine if we had an early good offer from someone who's in a hurry to move. We're not in a hurry to move but we don't mind moving soonish IYSWIM. Can I ask you what do you think about the issue I'm having with the online estate agent not wanting to say that our house is in the catchment of a secondary school? Isnt that unheard of? I've started a thread about it but it's not been very popular! TIA

Sounds like a good plan when you can be flexible.

The catchment issue is very odd. I've used online agents before (Housenetwork) ahere you write your own details for their approval and I mentioned school catchment areas.
It sounds like the agent doesn't understand how the law works in practice and may be unduly worried about misdescribing and prosecution.

It's not 'illegal' or bad practice.

This large chain of estate agents does it:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-24983244.html?premiumA=true

As does this chain in Sidcup:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-22277424.html?premiumA=true

And this one:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-39663605.html?premiumA=true

I don't know what the agent is worried about. It's common practice to mention nearby school catchment areas. Even if agents aren't specific, they'll generally mention good local schools.

As long as the information is factually accurate there can't be any issues with the Property Misdescriptions Act.

I would find local examples and show them to the online agent. If the agent still refused to include the information (and was unable to justify their actions) then I would ask them for a refund on the basis that they aren't able to offer an equivalent service to any other agent and that this wasn't pointed out to you before you agreed to the service. If they were still awkward I would advice them that you were going to consult the local Trading Standards (Consumer Advice) or the National Association of Estate Agents.

Having looked at a few agents' details, it seems it's fairly standard to mention local schools even if it's in an indirect fashion such as, 'ideally located for...' or 'within easy reach of...'

Perhaps that's a compromise position you could reach with the agent?

So they've sent me the description, floorplan and pictures tonight and they have included the catchment area. Hurrah! On the other hand I'm a bit " Hmmm" at the quality of their work! I can see why they're cheap! It took me two hours to rewrite the description, select the photos, change the bullet points,etc because what they sent really wasn't all that good. I'm regretting going for an online one now, I'm not sure it's going to look very professional.

That's good news.

I'm sure you'll get viewers even if the quality of the photos or narrative isn't 100%

You only have to look at the rubbish 'real' 'professional' agents put online (and sell) to see that, at the end of the day - it's all about location and price.

Good luck!