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Original poster

Why would a vendor insist on being at viewings?

87 replies

anyname123 · 11/01/2017 12:20

Just that really, seen a house that looks great, with an EA. Called to book a viewing, was told that viewing's are between 5-6pm only as vendor wants to be there, consequently I can't view the house. Good luck to her, she may well sell the house to someone more flexible, but why would you insist on being there? I'm looking to buy a house, not make a bloody friend!

OP posts:

OhMrBadger · 11/01/2017 13:05

Lots of reasons why she'd want to be there as already mentioned above. The 1 hour window is a pain but maybe she's in no hurry to sell and can be choosy? Young kids to put to bed? Etc etc.

When we viewed our current house, the vendors showed us round on both viewings. We didn't know any better as FTB but with the house we are currently in the process of buying, we were shown round by the EA who quite clearly knew nothing about the house and couldn't answer any questions during the viewing. So, in that instance it would have helped to gave the vendor there!

previously1474907171 · 11/01/2017 13:08

The one and only time I gave keys to an estate agent I arrived to find the apple tree had been stripped of apples which I had gone to harvest.

I have subsequently been at home for viewings on all other properties I have sold. It enables viewers to ask about boundaries, appliances etc. without struggling for an answer from an estate agent who doesn't know, or will make something up. Unfortunately it didn't prevent items being damaged by children on 3 occasions when they were off playing while the parents ignored them, or simply watched them do it. I always managed to get to the room they were in just as it was too late to stop it and the agent was too busy talking about stuff that had nothing to do with the house to notice or care. I wasn't expecting them to be opening drawers and pulling things off walls. I know better now.

AgathaF · 11/01/2017 13:13

I would much prefer to be shown a house by an engaged vendor rather than an uninterested or lacking in knowledge estate agent.

Lorelei76 · 11/01/2017 13:13

I can't believe the question!

I was pretty set with my timings, the flat had an offer on day 2!

JassyRadlett · 11/01/2017 13:16

God, how I loathe the vendors hovering over your shoulder in every room while you are trying to have a proper look round. I don't mind those who show you round briefly and then get out of the way and give you space to look more closely, but the hoverers always come across as trying to hide something and distract you from it.

They're also the ones who will be massively offended if they overhear you whispering to your husband
that you'd have to factor in replacing x / reprinting y / having the surveyor look at z which doesn't look in very good nick, or draw his attention to a potential issue that you'll need to discuss.

If I'm contemplating spending hundreds of thousands of pounds I want to be able to look at it properly without someone wittering at me about what colour the room was when they bought it, or trying to push me out of a room within a few seconds.

heron98 · 11/01/2017 13:22

We had this once.

The vendor could only offer time slots during working hours so we couldn't see the house. We just decided it wasn't meant to be.

MilkTwoSugarsThanks · 11/01/2017 13:24

Jassy - presumably in those circumstances you either wouldn't make an offer, or you'd make a reduced offer... both of which could offend the vendor anyway! EAs have to give feedback as well.

Plus, if you're honest with the vendor they'll know if

a. You're likely to put an offer in
b. You're likely to put a reduced offer in or
c. Potential problems that they could fix to help them sell it.

JassyRadlett · 11/01/2017 13:33

Jassy - presumably in those circumstances you either wouldn't make an offer, or you'd make a reduced offer... both of which could offend the vendor anyway! EAs have to give feedback as well.

Not necessarily - you need to get a full picture of the place before you can decide on the level of offer (which depending on the local market may be over or under). I don't know of any houses that have gone for the asking price. And you would summarise for agent feedback if you decided not to proceed on the true reasons you didn't go ahead - which would never be 'the paint in the bathroom'.

All of which is pointless if a vendor won't consider your offer even though it's higher than others and you are in an excellent position to proceed because you suggested you could knock through a wall, or talked about reconfiguring the layout of a room to make it work better (not even fixtures! Just furniture layout).

I just don't get why vendors feel the need to be at the shoulders of a potential buyer throughout the viewing. It gives them no space to look properly, and in my case means I'm likely to look elsewhere because I suspect they're hiding something and haven't been able to look at the house properly.

user1470997562 · 11/01/2017 13:35

I guess that's the time she can have the house tidy, round work, dc.

It generally takes me two hours to ensure kitchens clear, washing put away, dc's bedrooms vaguely presentable, beds made, pants away, bathroom wiped down, quick hoover especially of hallway. That's if the house is reasonably tidy to begin with.

I think people are less likely to look into your cupboards if you're there.

I think if you were a serious buyer, you'd find the time to look round when it suited her. It's a house worth hundreds of thousands of pounds after all.

JassyRadlett · 11/01/2017 13:40

I think if you were a serious buyer, you'd find the time to look round when it suited her. It's a house worth hundreds of thousands of pounds after all.

Yes. Everyone has the sorts of jobs that enable you to take a very specific time off at short notice.

Are you the vendor?

user1470997562 · 11/01/2017 13:54

No. But if I was that interested, I'd make the time.

ExConstance · 11/01/2017 14:14

When we were on honeymoon, many years ago DH left his flat keys with the estate agent for viewings as we were buying a larger place together. On returning home the place stank - someone ( we always blamed the estate agent rather than a prospective purchaser ) had left the evidence of a bad attack of diarrhoea in the toilet. We have always conducted viewings ourselves since then. Also in "Girl on a train" Anna the estate agent uses a clients house for an affair, suspect some of that goes on too.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 11/01/2017 14:21

When we were selling our old house and I couldn't be there for all the viewings I asked the estate agent to make sure the viewers parked on our side of the shared driveway, just because I didn't want to cause trouble to our lovely neighbours.
It turned out that this had been parlayed by the agent into 'the neighbours are terrifying ogres who will make your life hell if you stray by an inch into their side of the driveway', which was ironic as they were actually lovely, laid back people with whom it was a delight to share a driveway. I only found out when someone came for a second viewing and warned me what the agent had been saying.

TheCrowFromBelow · 11/01/2017 16:16

MilkTwoSugars ah now that's just nosy, unless you have a walk-in wardrobe!

We got shown the fridge and the ice maker and told the code for the alarm by the vendor on our second viewing. We had said we wanted to offer on the property but I thought that was a bit TMI!

JassyRadlett · 11/01/2017 16:35

No. But if I was that interested, I'd make the time

How, if your boss says no? Risk getting sacked? No house is worth that.

Original poster

anyname123 · 11/01/2017 16:54

Thanks for all the replies, I am quite suprised at the general feeling, I guess I'm quite unusual in my thinking!
If I'm paying an EA £800+ I expect them to do all the viewings, and I absolutely cringe at the thought of potential buyers critiquing my home in front of me!
As a pp said, also if the vendor is annoying it would make me like the house less, thinking they would be a huge PITA to deal with.
5pm is jut the worst time for childcare / rush hour traffic / seeing the gardent (which is the houses selling point IME) in a good light etc.
I'm a vendor too at this stage and have followed "the rules" of depersonalising and stashing a load of clutter precious possessions in a family members attic so I hadn't thought to be concerned about viewers touching things.
Thanks for all of your thoughts though, I guess I'll revise my opinions of vendors who insist on being there from now on

OP posts:

FrancisCrawford · 11/01/2017 17:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

trollspoopglitter · 11/01/2017 17:04

1- indoor only pets. Need to put them in car/garage while you do viewings, worried EA will open door too long and pet will bolt out.

2- theft. You could be anyone - estate agents are meant to vet but they often don't check your details until you make an offer

3- Don't want strangers having keys and are planning on letting you in and then making themselves scarce.

We had 1, 3 and a baby once when we were selling. I'd secure the garden (it was cat proof) and sit out there during viewings. Seeing me with the baby in the garden is what ended up "selling" the house to our single buyer. She said she could picture herself settling there, having kids and pets like us, etc

dotdotdotmustdash · 11/01/2017 18:15

I'm Scottish and I do feel the rest of the UK seems to make the whole process more stressful than it needs to be! We do our own viewings, offers are binding very quickly so chains aren't involved and it doesn't matter if the vendors are difficult because we don't generally deal with them after the viewing stage. It's so difficult and expensive to get out of the contract that it rarely happens and most sales go through smoothly.

JassyRadlett · 11/01/2017 18:17

Yes, Francis, I know the Scottish system is very different from the English one. When talking about price and offers I was responding to suggestions that because I had pointed out potential problems to my DH at a viewing I should obviously be rejected by the vendor immediately because I was clearly going to make a 'reduced' offer, which where I live doesn't hold on two counts.

Doesn't affect my opinion of hoverers in either place. Hoverers will generally put me off a property. They come across as too invested and likely to be a nightmare to deal with.

Lorelei76 · 11/01/2017 18:20

RE safety, there's a novel called "a pleasure and a calling" that deals with this.

I didn't hover, I made myself scarce but even being in another room is helpful in terms of being sure of all kinds of things.

januarybooze · 11/01/2017 18:27

I've viewed about 5 houses and 3 were EA and 2 were vendor. The vendor ones were very awkward. The one we bought was a EA. I know people say that's it's normal to be there etc - it is but it's also normal for it to feel awkward. I wouldn't like showing my home to someone either.

Allthebestnamesareused · 11/01/2017 18:55

I prefer to shoe the house myself. I can "show" it better by turning on mood lighting etc, making sure loo lid fown etc and answer questions accurately rather than the 20 year old ea not knowing or giving duff knfo. I usually take them round but step out of the room they are looking at. At thr end I ask if they'd like to go around again on their own now they know the layout. Afterwards I usually ask their situation, chain, whether they'd go into rental etc to complete chains.

WhenI bought my current house it was going to be shown by agents as an open day. As I was going on holiday the vendor agreed to show me round the day before. 3 if us hot into a bidding war but because they had met us and we'd chatted about being chain free, working at their pace, where we worked, why we wanted it (close to son's school) etc and having met us they trusted us and went with our bid. If you meet a potential buyer and they are being twattish at the viewing chances are they will be twattish during the process!

Allthebestnamesareused · 11/01/2017 18:55

Bloody typos!!!

Iggii · 11/01/2017 19:03

Agree with dotdotdot it's better in Scotland like most things except the weather

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