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Original poster

Offer from someone who hasn't viewed property

32 replies

pretendingtocare · 07/06/2021 09:58

Has anyone had an offer from someone who hasn't even viewed the property before?

They say they know the area well and it's exactly what they looking for but I just laughed. I should add I've already accepted offer but only last week.

Is this how mad things have become?

OP posts:
mklanch · 07/06/2021 10:04

i have to admit we know exactly what we are looking for and keep losing out. we have got to the stage where we have said if we find the property that has the land and looks liveable we will offer without seeing it. our search area is 2-3 hours from where we currently live. we would obviously try and view after our offer has been put in.

LakeShoreD · 07/06/2021 10:06

It depends really… have you had any information from the agent about the buyer? If it’s the type of property that might appeal to a buy to let landlord e.g. starter home or flat then then that could be an explanation. Although we did buy our house without seeing it. We were moving from abroad so couldn’t view, knew the area very well, didn’t want the faff of renting as I was heavily pregnant and the agent did a very thorough FaceTime viewing for us. I’ll admit we’re a bit insane like that though!

swampytiggaa · 07/06/2021 10:09

We would have bought ours without a viewing tbh we had missed out on 2 exactly like it in the street so knew exactly what the houses were like.

As it was I viewed it and did the negotiations husband viewed it after exchange 😊

Original poster
pretendingtocare · 07/06/2021 10:14

Bog standard 3 bed detached. There is a video tour on rightmove like a lot these days.

I mean it's moot at the moment as I've accepted offer (which was better than this one). But not sure how I would feel as a seller, I mean if they view quickly after and don't like it fair enough I guess nothing much lost but in that case just wait until viewing to make offer? I don't know.

OP posts:
ApolloandDaphne · 07/06/2021 10:16

My DD and DP have just moved into a house that they didn't view before offering on. They knew the exact street it was on and it was exactly the type of house they were after but it was in a different city to where they were living and it was lock down so they couldn't travel. Their offer was accepted and then they saw the house some weeks later and loved it as they knew they would.

LittleOverWhelmed · 07/06/2021 10:19

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

SprayedWithDettol · 07/06/2021 10:21

Well I suppose in some respects it’s a bit like buying a new build off plan.

BreakingtheIce · 07/06/2021 10:21

I have done this in sheer desperation. Knew the area well and had viewed a house two doors down a couple of weeks before. I think it was extremely stupid but I couldn’t get up to view and knew it would sell very quickly. A relative viewed it for us.

Jasmine11 · 07/06/2021 10:26

If there is a video tour, and they know the street and have viewed similar properties before I don't think it's all that outlandish!

crankyhousewife · 07/06/2021 10:30

We've accepted an offer from an investor who has only seen the outside of the house. Said he's seen identical properties and as he's not planning on living in it is happy to proceed on that basis. We agreed to the sale because it means that our tenants can stay.

ClashCityRocker · 07/06/2021 10:32

Yes, my fil sold his house to someone who didn't view it until after they made their offer. This was a few years ago too.

In this case it was because they really wanted to live on that particular street for family reasons, knew the area and the layout of the houses.

kissmelittleass · 07/06/2021 10:35

My cousin has only recently done the same thing put an offer on a property he hasn't even viewed!!
The deal in fact should be through any day and himself, his wife and two teenagers will be moving into said house.
He is in London and is making the move up north, he has two severely autistic teenagers and this is his reason he went online to view and made a decision to offer from online viewing,.

bilbodog · 07/06/2021 10:38

I wouldn't - there are a lot of things that wouldn't show up in photos and if i was a seller i wouldn't accept an offer from someone who hadn't seen the property. Similar properties on the same street can be so different in the way they have been looked after with one needing thousands spent on it vs much better condition.

Walkingthedog46 · 07/06/2021 10:41

A relative of mine bought a house sight unseen, because it was at the complete end of the country so didn’t view.

augustusglupe · 07/06/2021 10:44

We've reached crunch time and if something comes up in the right budget and area, especially certain villages we want then we'll pay asking or over to secure a property.
Again, we're looking 2 hours from where we currently are.
I'd like to view but if not I don't care anymore. We've paid more than we wanted to renting and I just want my own home again.
So no, I wouldn't find it odd OP desperate times and all that!!

Mabelene · 07/06/2021 11:01

I’ve bought several properties from overseas without seeing them

Original poster
pretendingtocare · 07/06/2021 11:28

Okay sounds like it's not that unusual then especially at the moment.

OP posts:
BikeRunSki · 07/06/2021 11:31

Maybe they don’t plan to live in it.
Flip it or rent it.

Livingintheclouds · 07/06/2021 17:10

Yes a friend had an asking price offer from someone who hadn't viewed. He came with his wife and she said he was mad the bedrooms were no way big enough. Luckily they soon sold to someone who did view it.
On the street I'm buying they are all the same victorian house, modified in many different ways. I could tell from pix though if they'd done it the way I'd have, so it wouldn't have been too difficult to buy without viewing. But I do think houses have a 'vibe' though, and would always view it before spending too much money on conveyancing

resskiestonight · 07/06/2021 19:33

Don’t accept it , insist on viewing. I ignored my brother’s advice who is an estate agent 2 months ago and accepted blind viewing, pulled out 2 weeks later and mucked all our plans out. They need to eye ball the property. My bro says he has never had a blind acceptance that has worked out.

HmmmmmmInteresting · 07/06/2021 20:58

I had two offers from people who hadn't viewed when I had a SOLD sign up! I think people are just desperate in this market.

arthurdaly · 07/06/2021 22:31

I put an offer on our house without viewing. It was in an area we wanted to be in and it was the perfect house. It was also three hours away....vendors declined as we hadn't viewed so drove down the next day and offered there and then.
Been here three weeks and no regrets but not sure I'd do it again

HappyTimeTunnelDinosaur · 07/06/2021 22:37

This is how we bought our house-we did a drive by, looked at photos and watched the video tour and just knew it was what we wanted! I love it, but do think we must be mad!

Saz12 · 07/06/2021 23:09

We had an offer on a very unusual niche house we were selling. Didn’t accept it as didn’t believe they’d actually buy it.

Curious2021 · 07/06/2021 23:16

More common than you’d think OP especially in this market.

If it’s a ‘bog standard’ type chances are they’ve already viewed one or more similar in your area and lost out.

There’s an estate we’d like to buy on. We’ve already viewed two houses on it. One we lost and one we didn’t like. If another came up the same floor plan as the first one with an ok home report and enough pictures to let me get a good idea of the state of it I’d offer for it in a heartbeat without seeing it.

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