How much notice would you expect for house viewing?

[LizAngharad]

Our house has been on the market a little while now and generally we’ve had a couple Of days notice before someone comes round for a viewing. However, last week I had 2 viewings with only 24 hours before each, and then another with 1.5 hours! They don’t ask me when is a good time or give me a few options, just tell me when they want to come. They two 24 hour notices were a pain but I could deal with it. The one with 1.5 hours notice was someone insisting they needed a second viewing one day after the last in order to consider making an offer and My OH said ok, I wasn’t consulted. The thing is I work from home, I can’t easily go to my office Without requesting a couple of days in advance at the moment, and in any case I inevitably spend a couple of hours cleaning/tidying prior to a viewing (have a toddler so feel like I’m constantly cleaning and tidying even if I did it one day before)! Plus the time having to leave my house during the viewing. I can’t keep taking time out of my day to do this. Do you think I would be unreasonable to request certain days/times that are ok for viewings AND 48 hours notice going forwards, or will it look like we’re just not serious about selling our house?

To be honest I would be grateful for the viewings! We are desperate to sell our house and would love that amount of activity! It’s a pain keeping it tidy but if it results in a sale then it’s worth it in the long run.

Your estate agent should be speaking to you before booking in appointments but i guess these days they assume you're home. As the previous PP said i think just appreciate that you are getting views.

Just give the estate agent blocks of days and times when you are available and tell them to stick to it.

Viewings are such a faff but the more the better. I know it is very inconvenient but I would suck it up until you get an offer you accept.

I had over 70 viewings of my last house. Some were with a few minutes notice. It wasn't an issue. I just wanted the house sold. I finally sold to buyers who gave about 15 minutes notice.

How serious are you about selling your house? You need to be prepared for people to request viewings at short notice but you can always say no if it really doesn't suit. Always expecting a few days notice is not going to work though.

I had an hours notice last week, but if you want to sell, you have to have viewings, inconvenient as they are.

I was told 24 hours notice when we had ours recently on the market. But that could be down to covid rules for estate agents.
If the house is vacant I know they can do as many viewings they want but if the house is occupied it's 24 hours notice.

I sat in my car on work calls while people looked. It depends how much you want to sell. I have two preschoolers so understand the frustration but this is nothing compared to the frustrations of actually getting to moving day.

@2beautifulbabs

I was told 24 hours notice when we had ours recently on the market. But that could be down to covid rules for estate agents. If the house is vacant I know they can do as many viewings they want but if the house is occupied it's 24 hours notice.

I think that your EA making up rules. We had back to back viewings organised earlier that day.

If you really want to sell your house, I'd accept short term disruption to achieve that end. I've sold lots of times and wouldn't ever have expected 48 hours notice. Just sit in the car when you have a viewing and be grateful that people are keen to see your property - it's a means to an end.

Thanks everyone. I do want to sell and am very grateful for viewings! I can take my laptop to my car during the actual viewings Although not ideal as my job generally requires a large computer monitor, not just tiny laptop screen. I just wondered how normal this is to get them At such short notice - we’ve viewed a few ourselves and are always only given options for several days ahead.

It depends how fast you want to sell. I sold my house in 5 weeks. I didn't turn a viewing down. I had a couple of hours notice on some.

I used to get less than 6 hours notice.
No viewings were turned down and the house sold in 2 weeks.

I mean had an offer in 2 weeks

Just give the estate agent times that are acceptable. I'm in the process of buying and one of the reasons we are buying the house we are and not a similar one on the same street (despite this one costing more) is that the other owners cancelled 3 viewings including one we arrived at the property to see - they then refused all viewings after 4pm and at weekends. The house we bought we really flexible and for the second viewing at very short notice we told them no need to tidy and they took the kids in the garden

As a former estate agent there was nothing more annoying then having vendors put in place highly perdcribed viewing schedules. Folk who had no issues allowing short notice viewings unsurprisingly sold their houses faster then Mr and Mrs I need a weeks notice and don't do weekend viewings.

I think you need to be ready for viewings at any time, especially in the first few weeks. When we sold last month we made sure the house was left clean and tidy each morning and the estate agent knew they could show around at any time. A last minute viewing on a Monday morning sold the house after 6 days.