Estate agents refusing viewings before offer accepted?

[cavell]

We finally have an offer on our house (I think). It's only been eight weeks, but feels like about eight years... Cash buyer, so potentially we are in a very good position.

Anyway, earlier today, I asked to view a house I have had my eye on. The estate agent wouldn't let me make an appointment because she thought they were "about to accept" an offer. Now, if I were the vendor of that particular house, I imagine I would be hacked off that viewers were being turned away before an offer had finally been accepted. Should I insist on being allowed to view the house? It is the only one currently on the market which is both within budget and in our desired location.

I think it's bad practise. Until an offer has been formally accepted I assume people would be allowed to view.

It could be that the agent wants to sell to someone who is also selling through them....

We should know for sure by the end of today whether our own house is sold. We would almost certainly be prepared to offer full asking price for the one we like and we are fortunate enough not to need a mortgage ourselves. It is the only house we are interested in at the moment and the only reason I didn't view earlier was because we weren't in a position to proceed.

So can I insist?

Looking at if from other other side, if I found our my own EA was refusing to book viewings for our house because it is "almost" under offer, I would be really annoyed. They could potentially be turning away someone in a better position and/or someone who would be prepared to make a higher offer than the one which is on the table.
I guess I am just venting really but the bottom line is... if our sale goes through I have absolutely no idea where we are going to go to....

Two perspectives: we didn't view our current house until they already had an asking price offer. They had yet to accept - we viewed and offered over the asking price. Our house wasn't even on the market, but we were able to buy, so I that case the agent would have been very wrong not to let us view.

Now selling previous house - we have accepted an offer and have agreed to no viewings for 2 weeks to let the purchasers get their finance in order. We will then sign an exclusivity agreement - fixing price and exchange dates and will then take it off the market. If they don't sign up within two weeks then we will start viewings again.

cavell I feel your pain. My house is currently on the market but we haven't found a house to move to. Where I am the market moves really quickly. No point looking until you have sold as places go so quickly and no point selling until you have found as there is so little on the market!

Thanks for the responses.

As I understand it, the offer hasn't actually been accepted yet; they are still negotiating it and hope to have it tied up in the next day or so. As far as I am aware, the EA hasn't let the vendor know that there is another potential (and very interested) viewer. Still, at least I know which EA not to use next time we have to sell.

why not drop a note through the door, the vendor may have no idea what EA is saying.

You could always put a note through their door saying that you would really like to view their house, but that the agent has said 'no', and leave your contact details.

I would put a note through the door. Just state your position.

Thanks everyone. I'll try the note idea. Why didn't I think of that?

Sure this potential buyer isn't an associate of the EA? Why would they refuse viewings to someone who might potentially make a higher offer and therefore give them more commission?

What mamaslats says. Strange behaviour on part of EA. Usually they are keen to get into a bidding war.

Vendor may have asked agent not to do any more viewings. If they think that they are about to accept they may just want a break from tidying and best behaviour. ( I did that myself!)

If they accept within the next day or so which they are expecting to - good for them. If they don't I am sure they'll get straight back on to the agent and he'll be in touch. Nothing to lose by the note idea though.

This happened to us once. I live in a smallish town and as it turns out the ea was helping a friend buy the house in question.

We were actually allowed to view but it was very odd circumstances where we were told to offer now or never at the end of the viewing.

Had we have know this prior we could have crunched some numbers before the viewing. We were not prepared to make an offer there and then so were forced to walk away...

I do regret not putting a note through the door, if only it was to let the owner know what the ea was up to.