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Original poster

House gone before viewings have even started.

43 replies

cosmicglittergirl · 29/05/2015 21:22

Meant to be visiting a house tomorrow morning with an appointment made ten days ago, tomorrow is the first day for viewings. However, on right move the house is showing as sold
STC. Does anyone know why or how this has happened? We haven't been contacted. We're assuming a developer has got in there. Confused

OP posts:
StonedGalah · 29/05/2015 21:27

10 days seems a long time to wait for a viewing. I'd say they had a potential buyer already and were holding off?

Original poster
cosmicglittergirl · 29/05/2015 21:30

I agree, but it seems like it's been cleared out (probate?), so we thought they couldn't get in. I suppose I assumed they'd want people to see it to increase their chances of getting the most money.
Thanks.

OP posts:
Hallyracket · 30/05/2015 00:39

Sometimes "private" viewers go and make an offer. They are neighbours or friends of friends and the sellers often are delighted because they don't have to be involved in the awful estate agent visits stuff.

Out2pasture · 30/05/2015 02:16

could it have been on the market a short time ago, taken off the market and then put back on?

madwomanbackintheattic · 30/05/2015 03:03

We viewed a house the night before it was due to go on the market, with viewings booked for the following day. We put our offer in at 9am at the exact time it went on sale. It was ours by lunchtime.
The estate agent just asked the owners. It was all fine.

I don't think I've ever waited 10 days to view a house, even when I had to fly 9 hours to get there lol.

Koalafications · 30/05/2015 04:10

This happened with a house I was looking at.

Turns out someone had just knocked the door and struck up a deal with the vendor and it was taken off the market.

Cash buyer, asking price.

kickassangel · 30/05/2015 04:17

We sold a house that fast once. The agents were getting details ready, told a couple that it was due to come on the market and it was sold before they ever even put up the board or printed out brochures. There was still wet paint in the house for the viewing.

I've also bought in a market that was moving so fast that a house coming on the market on Monday was gone before we could view it at the weekend.

goldacre · 30/05/2015 08:31

We had returned from a weekend in London and I noticed that a house on our target road had just gone on the market. I rang up first thing Monday morning and the agents had already received 3 offers from the Sat viewings. Well, with that information, it was obvious that the house wasn't going to be available to view for the following weekend so I phoned DH And we viewed it that same lunchtime. We offered the asking price an hour after that but had to wait 2 more days and verify that we had the funds in place (to fight off other asking price offers!). We just felt fortunate that it didn't go to sealed bids.

bberry · 30/05/2015 08:35

Call the agent and ask rather then guess/post on here?

Original poster
cosmicglittergirl · 30/05/2015 08:54

Thanks all. We're new to this and I think we need to be aware of potential pitfalls.
Agent was called, but we only noticed the status of the house had changed last night and they weren't in the office.
I just wondered if this was a 'thing.' Clearly it is.

OP posts:
DirectorOfBetter · 30/05/2015 09:02

In our case, the agent was acting for several people in a chain. Our part of the chain fell through because the house we hadnt exchanged on yet flooded. I think she priced a house that
was just coming onto the market
just within our reach and contacted us first to mend the chain (and therefore get her fees).
There are loads of reasons why this kind of thing happens.

StonedGalah · 30/05/2015 09:03

bberry OP posted at 9.30pm on a Friday night, l doubt the agent would have been taking calls Hmm

Original poster
cosmicglittergirl · 30/05/2015 09:08

Yes stoned (!)
Update: just spoke to agent and they said it's still available and they put that 'to reduce viewings as it's so popular'. We will still go to see it and see how what happens!

OP posts:
HellKitty · 30/05/2015 09:09

I once had a house on the market for 18 months, lots of viewings but no bites. Most viewings were pissed (literally) tourists as it was a touristy spot. Took it off for a break.

Decided to try and sell again the next year, the estate agent came over on the Wednesday for details and pictures. Rang me when he got back saying he had a viewing for that evening. She bought it. No adverts, signs or anything! Was literally on the market for 6 hours Grin

TeddTess · 30/05/2015 09:13

the estate agent is lying! honestly don't trust a word they say. if you decide you want it and are in a position to proceed make an offer fast.

Alonglongway · 30/05/2015 09:16

I saw this happen recently and the explanation was error in the estate agents office. They were embarrassed!

wowfudge · 30/05/2015 09:37

Well that's a load of baloney! I cannot believe any vendor would want to reduce viewings unless they had accepted an offer.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 30/05/2015 09:46

Hmm. Does sound a bit dodgy but never expect that an estate agent will contact you - they won't necessarily. First house we tried to buy, the house was under offer by the time we viewed it. We still really wanted it, so my partner asked to be informed if the sale fell through - it did, he wasn't informed (nor was I). We only found out by accident.

Turned out (in THIS case only) that the estate agent handling it was hoping a friend of his would be buying it but their mortgage offer had fallen through, so he was "hanging fire" on letting it go back on the market to give his friend a chance - but we found out, went through a different agent in the same office and managed to buy it.

deepdarkwood · 30/05/2015 09:49

Your estate agents reasoning sounds very odd - why on earth would someone want to limit viewings?
But I'm another one who sold their house before it went officially on the market -ea mentioned it to someone who had missed out on similar house, they viewed the eve before house was on market (in the dark), came round again at 8:30am & put in full offer by 9am next morning. Market was (obv) mad at the time.

deepdarkwood · 30/05/2015 09:50

And has others have said, if you're new to this - don't assume estate agents will be great at keeping you up to date on things - expect to do the running!

oddfodd · 30/05/2015 09:53

They put up a sold stc sign to reduce interest? What a load of baloney. I'd proceed with caution. Maybe it's been sold privately/with another agent?

Original poster
cosmicglittergirl · 30/05/2015 09:59

We re not convinced. My husband has gone as we have two small DDs. It will be interesting for us to check out the (new to us) area at least, but thanks for your warnings. I knew it wasn't easy looking for a house, but didn't expect such horse shit before we'd even seen something!

OP posts:
Original poster
cosmicglittergirl · 30/05/2015 09:59

Gone alone I mean.

OP posts:
DirectorOfBetter · 30/05/2015 10:37

The thing to remember is that Estate Agents have 1 thing at heart - their own profit. It's a business. They are out to make the maximum profit they can - not for the vendor, but because it increases their fees. That's not necessarily a criticism but it's very easy to forget. They'll do what needs to be done to get their cash.

I've moved loads of times and I wouldn't trust a single word out of their mouths without checking things out for myself. It's too big a purchase to fuck about with.

ChunkyPickle · 30/05/2015 10:45

That doesn't sound right.. I had made and had an offer accepted on a place (contingent on it being taken down for sale) and had to nag the estate agent every day (twice) for a week before it was marked sold!

I've never heard of one trying to hide a house that wasn't sold, and if I was the owners I'd be annoyed surely!