Property-viewing Etiquette?

[casaberry]

We're FTB, possibly arranging a first viewing in the next week or two.

I've reviewed some viewing checklists but wanted to ask how thorough we should be. Is it completely acceptable and expected that we'll want to turn on taps, open cupboards, check windows, flip switches, etc?

Also, fine asking clear questions about things like roof condition, etc?

Of course, we would ask if they mind us taking a look in , and not just barge in like we already own the place and go hardcore interrogation. But if anyone has wisdom to share on good approaches (beside general good manners), I'd be grateful.

Also, should we expect the owners to be there or only the EA? Or does it vary? Anything specific to keep in mind in those scenarios?

TIA. Sorry if I sound ridiculously nervous about the process. Such a big step and big change from renting!

Always found it odd that people spend more time buying a washing machine or a printer than they do a house....anyway checking taps and sockets is not bonkers...my friends bought a house that was fully renovated...sockets not wired up...just screwed to walls etc and bath and shower had no plumbing connected so flooded the floor and ceiling below collapsed after first use !!

@earsup

Always found it odd that people spend more time buying a washing machine or a printer than they do a house....anyway checking taps and sockets is not bonkers...my friends bought a house that was fully renovated...sockets not wired up...just screwed to walls etc and bath and shower had no plumbing connected so flooded the floor and ceiling below collapsed after first use !!

This is exactly why you test everything works. People put radiators on walls (not plumbed in) sockets, lights. Worth a few minutes of awkwardness to avoid an expensive mistake.

Remember if the agent is accompanying you they will likely want to watch you as you look round if the house is furnished so IMO it is poor etiquette to split up in the house )or let your children wander off) as it’s terribly awkward for the agent to have to ask you to stay together please!

Wear a mask , sanitise hands on arrival and don’t touch anything

You are absolutely right to be asking these questions! But for a first viewing I would just get a general feel for the place. Second viewing I would do all that you suggest, and more - I'd check light switches, check water pressures turn the shower on, ask to go on the loft, look in cupboards etc. Of course, under current circumstances you might have to wear gloves to do these things or have it all santitised afterwards... (Although as a schoolteacher who spends my entire day touching things that hundreds of children have touched and being in a tiny windowless room rammed with children who do NOT understand how to put a mask on over their nose, I'm a bit 🙄 about the fact that an estate agent yesterday almost had a fit because I brushed past the bannister as I went up the stairs, yet apparently schools are totally 'safe' and teachers shouldn't have the vaccine any earlier than people working from home. Sorry - should really be for another thread but a comment from someone earlier in the thread 'riled me up' a little there!). You are buying a very expensive purchase and you have every right to check that it is not being mis-sold to you. I would never buy a property without giving it a very thorough looking over so don't feel you can't - just ensure you take the required precautions when doing so, and only do it if you are genuinely interested in buying.

@earsup and @womaninatightspot I couldn't agree more!!

It's tricky, round here you're looking if you can even view the house before someone else has put an offer in. Second viewings aren't possible unless you've made the highest offer as all the houses go on the first day of viewings. We have been told by some of the EAs not to touch anything and most the doors are open when we visit places. The thing is if we follow these rules there's just a higher chance of people making quick offers then dropping out once they've managed to actually inspect the condition of the property (which is happening quite a lot here too). This doesn't benefit the vendors ultimately. We have been opening some cupboards but as little as possible, I didn't even think to check water pressures. It helps that a lot of the pens we've seen have not been occupied, we are obviously a lot less hands on if someone lives there. EAs never follow us around a house and they never know the answers to any of the questions we've asked at a viewing. They let us in, stand in the hall and say have a look around. Totally useless! We've seen one via Strike where the owner does the viewing themself, it was by far the best viewing experience and the only reason we didn't put an offer in is after a hard think we changed our minds about the location. This was the only viewing where we didn't need to touch anything as the vendor opened cupboards for us, showed us the water pressure themself etc and could answer all our questions and point things out to us, tell us the ages of things etc. I might look for more houses via Strike and Purple Bricks for this reason, it was much easier than the pressure to make a fast offer on a house when you have no idea what is lurking in cupboards, whether the electrics even work and the EA can tell you absolutely nothing about the property!

We recently sold and provided hand sanitiser and as most of the storage in our house was built in we were unfazed if they wanted to open cupboards... we just waited outside and told them to look wherever they wanted.

When we viewed houses generally we asked if we could look behind any doors that were ‘fixed in’ as they are often places of damp/woodworm etc and the houses we were looking at were old. We lifted masks to check for the smell of damp too.

It may be the largest and most risky purchase you ever make.... for me that means I need to use my 30 minutes wisely!

I have never touched anything in anybody's house, not in the past - and certainly not now! Ask any question you like. We may be weird though, never done a second viewing either. In this market there isn't time!

@Shadowboy 30 minutes is excellent! The ones we viewed at the weekend we were allocated 15 min slots per house (with next viewers waiting outside) and one we were even given just 10 minutes. Told not to touch anything, no opportunity for second viewings, then told to have best offers in by Monday! 🙈 We hope to stay in our next home for absolute minimum the next decade, so we are now thinking we will just wait until the chaos is a bit less mad. We are renting before buying and will wait out out... I hope that happens soon though!

@Justkeepswimming321 I do t think it’s as manic a market where we bought and sold - it took a month to sell our house.

The houses we were looking at were period properties and really do need a good look at as some sellers like to hide many many issues. The property we purchased was on for 6 weeks before it sold- but it’s very specialist as it has land so not an average house.