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Original poster

Viewing Properties - owner present

32 replies

Furries · 13/06/2023 12:33

I am in the process of helping to get my mum’s property ready to go on the market. Have done a full decluttering, garden tidied, fences painted, summer bedding in pots etc. Now at the stage of being almost ready to get agents round to value, quote fees etc.

My slight concern is around viewings from potential buyers. Have seen people on here saying how they hate it when the owner is present (EA doing the actual viewing, but owner in the property).

Mum has mobility problems, so cannot just leave the house on here own - and I can’t guarantee that I can always be available to go over there and take her out.

Has anyone else sold with this sort of situation? Any hints/tips as to how to make viewings comfortable for prospective buyers, but also not to make things to difficult for my mum?

OP posts:
hexsnidgett · 13/06/2023 12:39

Well, there's one thing not liking it, but if there's not a practical alternative you work around it.
I would just make sure the estate agent explains.
Don't worry too much. Sensible people can see past these things.

WheresSpring · 13/06/2023 12:40

I think in this situation potential buyers just need to know in advance that your Mum will be there but she’ll be ‘reading/listening quietly to the radio in the sitting room’ or whatever. If buyers are serious they won’t mind. I remember a second viewing taking place on my Mum’s house as my step father was dying in the master bedroom (he died 48 hours later) - it was properly properly weird but the estate agent had obv forewarned the viewer… and they didn’t dwell in the room shall we say!….and they still bought the house!!

LillyLeaf · 13/06/2023 12:49

What about an open house day (usually with appointments)? When we sold our flat we left for the day, I had a 4 month old at the time and during winter so it wasn't easy to just leave everytime someone wanted to view it. About 11 couples viewed all in one day. We did need to pop out twice for second viewings the week later.

DontJudgeAnother · 13/06/2023 12:53

This is something I have only ever seen on MN.

In Scotland it's perfectly normal/standard for the owner to do the viewings. We are having an EA do viewings at a property we are selling just now because we live an hour away, otherwise I'd be doing them myself. That's much more normal. We need to pay a separate fee per viewing as it's a separate service provided by the EA, it's not standard.

As others have suggested, if it's worrying you just get the EA to mention the owner will be present as she has mobility issues and can't leave for every viewing. I can't see anyone would mind!

ShiteRider · 13/06/2023 12:56

I think times must have changed over the last twenty years. I’ve only ever had one viewing which wasn’t led by the owners and in that scenario the owner didn’t want to sell anyway and wasn’t remotely interested

Greentree1 · 13/06/2023 12:56

Last time we sold the agent virtually never came with the prospective buyers, we generally showed them the house. Similarly we usually booked viewings and were shown round by the owners, a couple of times the agent just gave us the keys to empty properties. It was quite a while ago though and you saved up the awkward questions to ask the agent afterwards if you were interested.

Mummaluma · 13/06/2023 18:16

There is definitely a divide here- in London nad have never had an owner do a viewing. People being there wouldn't me off.

mnahmnah · 13/06/2023 18:33

I agree that you should have an open day, where you block book all requests. You take your mum out for the day. If there are on offers from that, organises another one in a week or two. We did that with our house and it sold on the first day of viewings. We have only viewed one house where the owner was present and it was awkward.

Cupcakequeen75 · 13/06/2023 18:36

Sold two houses in the past 18-months and we were present both times (WFH).
Viewings were conducted by the EA each time but we stayed put.

Fretfulmum · 13/06/2023 18:53

As PP said, do block bookings and take her out for the day

TennisWithDeborah · 13/06/2023 19:07

An open day is the solution, assuming your mother is up to being out-and-about all day.

IsadoraQuagmire · 13/06/2023 19:30

I'd MUCH rather be shown around by the owner, or at least have them present. Estate agents never know the answers to most of the the questions I want to ask.

Whenisitsummer · 13/06/2023 19:37

As the owner, I have done viewings myself and have never used the ea for this. Potential buyers have questions that the ea won’t know!

Ilikewinter · 13/06/2023 19:55

We did the 1st viewing on an open day with the estate agent - who knew nothing about house, it came with an area of scrub land and she didnt know how to access it, that all of the teees had TPOs on, what the unwritten agreement was with the neighbour about cutting back the hedges, anything about the neighbours etc. We found this out on 2nd viewing with the owners. There was little benefit to the agent showing us round.

Original poster
Furries · 13/06/2023 19:57

Thanks all, much appreciated.

A good idea re having an open day, I hadn’t thought of that, so will definitely consider it when I speak to agents. My only small concern is whether there is enough interest to warrant it, especially given the changes in the market this year, but hopefully we can make it work.

My last move was over a decade ago, really not looking forward to dealing with this one 🤣

OP posts:
mnahmnah · 13/06/2023 20:09

@Furries

Houses round here are getting fully booked days of viewings and under offer soon after - if they are in good condition. Houses that need any work, even cosmetic stuff, are sticking.

Original poster
Furries · 13/06/2023 20:20

@mnahmnah - that’s good to know, thank you.

OP posts:
good96 · 13/06/2023 20:35

In those circumstances it is totally reasonable- the EA could have a conversation with the viewer outside the front of the property perhaps - any questions.
An open day could be good - gets all the viewings done in one day and less stress having to keep preparing for viewings

Blanketenvy · 13/06/2023 20:42

I'm the opposite am much preferring owners to show me around and be able to answer any questions to an estate agent. Maybe it's just the end of the market we are trying to buy in but the estate agents seem disinterested and can never answer even what feels like basic questions.

Twiglets1 · 13/06/2023 22:41

Talk to the agents about an Open Day but there may still be occasions when your mum has to be present. It isn’t ideal but can’t always be avoided. If the weather is nice it may be less awkward if she is sitting in the garden reading a book.

mumda · 13/06/2023 23:18

The old lady was here when we viewed. We tiptoed round the house and I complemented her on the tower of London 3d puzzle shed finished. She scowled at me.
Was told later by the neighbours her son was forcing her to sell up.

Seaitoverthere · 14/06/2023 04:19

My neighbour had 2 offers that came after viewings with her there. I’ve viewed when the owner was there as was elderly and would have offered if we’d liked it. We sold to people who looked around when we were all there including dog as roasting hot day and couldn’t take elderly dog out. I would just ask agent to let viewers know.

Original poster
Furries · 14/06/2023 10:35

If my mum had her way, she’d have sat on a seat in the kitchen to bake cakes beforehand, then sit the viewers down for tea, cake and a nice chat 🤣

OP posts:
DontJudgeAnother · 14/06/2023 10:49

Honestly that sounds good to me!

In our part of the country it's almost always the owners showing, we viewed a house last summer and had drinks in the garden with them 😂 it was lovely. We didn't buy the house in the end but are friendly with the people who did so have had drinks in the garden again this summer!

Ohwowza · 14/06/2023 16:31

I much prefer a viewing with the owner, you get answers to questions that an agent just wouldn't know!