Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Estate Agent won't let us view house

50 replies

ComeTheFuck0nBridget · 10/02/2021 18:15

A property I'm interested in has come up for sale, but when I rang the estate agents to request a viewing (at 9am the day after it went up for sale), the EA told us they weren't booking any more viewings on the property as they'd had a lot of interest. Is this common practice? It really took me by surprise. I know there is Covid to consider but I would have thought it would be in the sellers best interest to let all interested parties view the property.

We're not desperate to move, but this house is ideal and they don't come up very often. It's well within budget so we are in a good position to negotiate on the price and would potentially go a bit over the asking price. There'd be no chain either.

I felt like the EA was quite rude to me on the phone as well and I'm wondering if it's because my accent gives me away that I'm not from the area that I'm looking to buy in? Or am I overthinking it?

I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to just give up, but no one is living there for me to just knock on the door.

I suppose I'm just wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation or could give me any advice please?

OP posts:

CarryOnPlainHunting · 10/02/2021 19:54

I would put a note through the door of the house your are interested in.

Original poster

ComeTheFuck0nBridget · 10/02/2021 19:54

@Grenlei

I experienced this with an estate agent some years ago. Slightly different situation, house had been up for sale for a while. I had no property to sell to fund the purchase. Estate agents refused point blank to arrange a viewing. First it was they had someone they thought was going to make an offer

then the vendors were considering going to auction. I was very interested; my opening offer would have been slightly more than they eventually sold it for at auction when it finally got there 6 months later.

I find some estate agents work in very odd ways.

That must have been annoying for you. And surely the seller wouldn't have known they would be like that. I've never had a positive experience with an EA to be honest, I'm quite wary of them in general.

OP posts:

Terminallysleepdeprived · 10/02/2021 19:56

I would pop a nite through the door with your phone number on it and ask the vendor to give you a call if they are happy to discuss and show the house.

bakingdemon · 10/02/2021 20:05

Def put a note through - say it's your dream house but the agent won't show you, you can proceed fast and easily, this is your starting offer, could you do a private sale, here's your number, let's chat

Dopeyduck · 10/02/2021 20:29

This is common in my area at the moment. We’ve just brought/sold and the house we brought went to best and final after the viewing day and went for a few K over asking price.
The owner said no more than one day of viewings as she knew it would sell for a good price and she didn’t want the inconvenience of doing another day / viewings.

Luckily we’d been interested in something previously and the EA called us before it went on rightmove. They knew we’d sold and would be a closed chain etc. Was all a bit ‘boys club’.

I think at the moment you really need agents calling you or you risk this situation.

notangelinajolie · 10/02/2021 21:18

It happens. You've said it yourself, that houses like it don't come up very often. We were able to sell ours very quickly for exactly this reason. Our estate agent stopped making appointments for viewings when they reached 25, they said there really wasn't much point in showing anyone else round as they were certain it would sell. They blocked out a full day of viewings for the following Sunday, I think we had 16 that day and the rest came on the Monday and Tuesday. It went to best bids by the end of the week - I think we had 12 offers.

Look out for this. If they have had a lot of interest like we did it may well go to best offers. Perhaps you could put a bid in then? But if you aren't in a position to proceed it would be unlikely they would consider your offer.

notangelinajolie · 10/02/2021 21:24

Sorry, ignore the last sentence of my previous post.
Post a note through the door and pester the agent again. If your dream house is at stake then you must do it.

fastwigglylines · 10/02/2021 21:27

Post a note through the door explaining you're in a position to buy immediately and would like a chance to submit an offer but need to see the house first.

InescapableDeath · 10/02/2021 21:32

Some agents are snobs as well. We had a particular budget in mind but explained to EA we would go over it for the right house. Some I just couldn’t get to see with one agent. I swear they wrote us off due to where we live and because our ideal spending point was a bit less than what we could push to.

netstaller · 10/02/2021 21:39

Yes pop a note through the door so the owners can decide not agents!

Annamaywong25 · 10/02/2021 21:49

@netstaller

Yes pop a note through the door so the owners can decide not agents!

Most people who want to sell use agents to avoid dealing with prospective purchasers directly. Otherwise people would just make their own "for sale" boards/adverts and crack on. It's very likely the agent is acting on the sellers wishes not to be inundated with viewings, even more important that too many people are not traipsing around the house potentially bringing in a virus at the moment, don't you think?

Annamaywong25 · 10/02/2021 21:54

@fastwigglylines

Post a note through the door explaining you're in a position to buy immediately and would like a chance to submit an offer but need to see the house first.

At the moment there is a shortage of property on the market, all of the people booked in to view already will be in a position to buy immediately, the EA will have made sure of this, so this is unlikely to change the situation for the OP.

user1471538283 · 10/02/2021 22:25

I had this with a property. I kept ringing for a viewing and I was eventually told that the manager was handling it personally. Which I took to mean him or a mate wanted it.

It is very strange though.

CellophaneFlower · 10/02/2021 22:31

@Annamaywong25 A lot of agents are rubbish and I'd actually prefer not to use them but you're unable to advertise on Rightmove without them. OP has nothing to lose by putting a note through and the vendor can ignore. No harm done.

The OP is in a great position with no chain. Not all the viewers booked in will be the same.

utterfailureasamum · 11/02/2021 07:34

You need to be on the mailing list so you get the text and email alerts.

Righmove/board going up is kind of the last thing to happen so if its a competitive market it could be too slow if you are reacting off this.

I don't think estate agents care about accents they just want to make money.

I'd call once a day politely asking how things are progressing.

Dotinthecity · 11/02/2021 07:46

This happened to my daughter a coup!e of years sgo. She wrote the sellers a note and popped it through the door. 24 hours later, the EA phones her and offered her a viewing. She bought the house and the sale went smoothly. Definitely put a note through the door. 😉

Londongent · 11/02/2021 08:43

That's a good point about it being a 'private sale' as the agent won't let you view it then they would not be able to claim the commission on it.
Definitely pop a note through the door explaining you can proceed immediately, and that you love their house and are very likely to make an offer. You have nothing to lose (except maybe being blacklisted by the EA if they get wind of this)

AnxiousWeirdo · 11/02/2021 09:01

Yeah that's pretty normal now. Also when I was looking to rent (from several estate agents) non of them were letting any one see houses in person until they paid a deposit on it.

Annamaywong25 · 11/02/2021 09:02

[quote CellophaneFlower]@Annamaywong25 A lot of agents are rubbish and I'd actually prefer not to use them but you're unable to advertise on Rightmove without them. OP has nothing to lose by putting a note through and the vendor can ignore. No harm done.

The OP is in a great position with no chain. Not all the viewers booked in will be the same.[/quote]
I agree, no harm done, however desirable houses get inundated with viewing requests atm though, the house can only go to one buyer, it's inevitable there will be many disappointed people who would have liked to offer/buy the property. If the buying position is good, viewings are booked on a first come, first served basis. The best way is to check Rightmove at least a couple of times a day and quickly call as soon as the ad goes on. Good properties will likely get multiple offers from buyers in the same buying position, then it's the vendor that comes to the final decision, not the agent. The agent can only give their advice/opinion. Often if the vendors have conducted the viewings they will chose the offer from the people they took a liking to

Regularsizedrudy · 11/02/2021 09:25

“ That's a good point about it being a 'private sale' as the agent won't let you view it then they would not be able to claim the commission on it.”

Haha you wish!! Estate agents are wise to this, it’s written into the contract that any sale made while with them they will get paid for. Otherwise everyone would do this. Also op only knows the house is on the market because of the estate agents, they have made contact with the estate agent and they will have a record of this. If the house was sold to op the estate agent would be ALL OVER this.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 11/02/2021 10:25

I’d be wary. Could be a case of offers in anyway, so the vendor not wanting any more viewings, but....
I’m not tarring all EAs with the same brush, but I’ve known personally of a case where a property has been earmarked for a mate or relative so that the EA actively discouraged any other interest.

I’ve also known of someone openly boasting of a ‘brown envelope’ arrangement with more than one EA, so that he’d acquire properties relatively cheaply, to do up and sell on.

Londongent · 11/02/2021 11:31

@Regularsizedrudy

“ That's a good point about it being a 'private sale' as the agent won't let you view it then they would not be able to claim the commission on it.”

Yes, sorry you are right. Unless there is a breach of contract for not allowing a proceedable buyer to view the house. Estate agent fees are so expensive, they really are not worth the money they cost, the most important thing is being on Rightmove

mklanch · 11/02/2021 14:48

omg the same thing happened to me....with this property!!!
i was fuming
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/77558436#/

we had called and left messages over 4 days...with no reply. then when my husband got through we asked if they could please provide pictures or a video of the land (As there were no pictures). again no call back after a few days so husband rang them back again! and we were told that they had received alot of interest so the owners don't want to send us the pictures....we were shocked!! it hadnt sold at that point. i couldn't believe it.

this has happened now with a few properties....estate agents not returning calls or email. they are useless!

Dinky2004 · 11/02/2021 14:54

The house I'm living in now I bought 18 years ago, couldn't get a viewing so popped a letter through the door.
Like you we weren't in a chain, had a phone call the next day from sellers and obviously it worked out well.
Nothing to lose by letting them know you are interested

hoorayforharoldlloyd · 11/02/2021 16:17

Am finding estate agents weird - we're moving from London to north east (we hope!) and I feel like this is block although we can move at any time, have a mortgage in principle, first time buyers.

Flip

1 2