When can I start viewing?

[heffalumpshavewrinkles]

Just started considering moving and had a quick look on RM to check what sort of thing was available. Big mistake!! We have found an incredible house that would tick every box :( Can we view it before even having ours on the market? Considering a call to EA, but will it be a straight no?

You can but there's not an awful lot of point other than to get a feel for what's out there.

You may end up falling in love with a house and if you are reliant on your own sale to fund the new house and therefor not proceedable until your own is SSTC, you will be very disappointed when it sells to someone else.

Also when you tel the EA you aren't on the market yet they will badger you to have them round to value it and then push you to go on with them, especially if you have seen something you like through them they will tell you how beneficial it would be to all involved if it was all done in house.

You can view but they likely won't accept an offer unless you are in a position to proceed.

You can but you might not get it as you're not even on the market yet

Losing a house you love is devastating. I wouldn't view until I was nearing exchange.
Keep an eye on the RM site to give you valuable information. We viewed our current house after it came back on the market due to the chain breaking. We were in a position to snap it up. If I'd seen it the first time, I'd have been really upset that I wasn't in a position to buy.

I would say it's a waste of your time and the poor vendors to be honest.

Get on the market then get looking.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking too. This house appears perfect, but has been on the market since September, so there must be something not quite right! I almost feel we'd be viewing to be able to rule it out (done lots of googling last night too). We hadn't planned to move quite this soon so I'm really unprepared for everything now! Got an agent coming round to value ours tomorrow, but I think if we don't go for this house we won't be selling just yet. Why does everything get so complicated?! I'm going to phone the agent, and just ask if the vendors would be happy for us as rubbish quality buyers to have a look. But will understand/expect a no.

I did this... I viewed a place I loved, made an offer and they agreed to take it off the market for two weeks while I put mind on the market and sold it... luckily we just made it in the two weeks!

If you really love it I'd go and view it. If it has been around from Sept they may well be willing to wait for you to find a buyer. When we put our house on the market it sold in 9 days so you may be in a position to move really quickly once you get going. Plus I wouldn't discount it because of the time it has been on the market, it could be that they were in a chain and it all fell through, putting them months behind - which is what happened to us. Our house looked like it has been for sale since Oct but actually we had three people bidding on it after 9 days. When the sale fell through 12 weeks later we were back to square one and the advert on rightmove looked like the house had been available for months.

I did wonder that maggy

Not sure if it still does but Zoopla used to give proper history of original listing date, original listing price and any subsequent reductions. The estates agents hated it as it gave so much useful info!

Oh and Kirsty (of Phil and Kirsty fame) would say go and view it! Looking at stuff on RM tells you nothing: you have to go and see them.

I have just done this and it all worked out fine, but only just.
DP needed a push to sell ours and by viewing one that we loved gave him the push he needed. We got ours on the market within a week and sold very quickly and just managed to get an official offer in (the same day somebody else did too). They honoured ours because we were first, and offered slightly more in the first place. But it has been stressful and we could have lost it.
Tread with caution!

Have you done a drive by? sometimes when you see your fantasy in the flesh you realise it isn't as perfect as you think. I remember a converted windmill becoming an obsession until I drove down the road and realised it was set amongst some un lovely 30's semis.