Anyone else had viewings today?

[Chanel05]

I had 4 viewings today.

First time buyer, couple that have sold to a first time buyer, a first time buyer and a couple that aren't yet back on the market but they had sold and their sale had fallen through.

Anyone else had viewings today? How did they go?

Great news @Mover2024 !!! It’s progress and shows that offers are def possible! Will you still keep your place on the market? Hoping they get to sell their place v soon

Congrats @Mover2024, hope they sell soon!

Our update is that we've decided to switch estate agents. Getting photos and measurements done on Monday to hopefully go live mid-week. I know to take anything estate agents say with a pinch of salt, but the guy genuinely seemed baffled that we hadn't had any viewers. He's said the current price is what he'd recommend and agrees the photos need to be a lot better. Looking positive!

Thanks @BarbaricPeach @Petulanticocean ! Well our EA has advised we do but I'm hopeful they just sell quickly!

I’ve had this when I switched - same response from the guy, I also went with an old EA I had before who got an offer I accepted but then the buyer guy wanted to reduce by 80k before he put his signature on.. because the house was flooding and the house was a legal nightmare.. wouldn’t show the survey to anyone including his lawyer but wanted me to take his word for it..

Amusingly enough, I’m getting viewings from the new EA guy, with the previous one telling me to do the ‘offers in the region of’ to get people in the door as they’ve had zero interest apart from one person.. but she’s sold 15 properties last month (can’t name any but she has you know..!) told her err no been there done that and .. no how the other one has got people viewing - she instantly backed down.. then she goes she’s had interest at this level but that she doesn’t know how below the asking price is go.. so I told her why is she getting offers on the house with no viewings and saying no at a price where I’d previously accepted an offer lower from ‘trust me reduce 80k’ now..
after much stuttering and saying great she hung up..

I find it very interesting having two and it’s clearly showing capabilities..

Can I join? Our house has been on since early Feb. We’ve had about 12 viewings and everyone has been very complimentary but no offers. Some strange feedback too like ‘we’re making a sideways move for the location and layout we need but we don’t want to pay more than our current house sells for’ (for a bigger house, better layout, bigger garden etc etc). One viewing took 40 mins and they said all the right things, according to the agent, but again no offer.
I'm all for people looking when they’re not quite proceedable yet but we seem to have had quite a few that just want a nosey or are looking right at the top of their budget so have a very long list of must haves (which is understandable).
We’re not desperate to move so considering taking it off the market for now as I’m over all the tidying :) but perhaps the better weather and all the greenery around us waking up, things might improve? Good luck everyone!

Last time we sold we had 5 dogs. The tidying up and the escaping from the house prior to viewings was horrendous!

It is so wearing and I truly do think people house view as a hobby. As someone looking although feedback isn’t specific I’d take that as good, normally that’s because there’s nothing wrong they just don’t see themselves in it. I’ve seen a few where I’ve known exactly what bugs me but others that just don’t click. The latter you don’t want them making up feedback to then feel bad about. It’s more important to me to have EAs that pick up the phone, keep you updated etc.. some of the EAs I’ve had you couldn’t get any of them to blooming answer.. imagine wanting to buy..

Honestly I’d keep it on, it makes a huge difference viewing a house now - my two massive camellias are in full bloom at front and it makes the house brighter and suddenly this massive double reception room, seems twice the size..

Thank you. I am assuming with 12 viewings and no bad feedback that there isn’t anything specific they don’t like but it’s just not for them. It’s not exactly the best time to buy or sell. Our garden is starting to come to life as are all the huge old trees behind that make such a difference to the outlook in summer. Will see how we go for the next couple of weeks but with two small children and two dogs the prep for viewings is definitely making me lose the urge to move! 🤣

Congratulations to Mover2024.

We have just had a second viewing from the couple who have made us an offer. Fingers crossed for that.

We wanted to view a property that came on the market on Thursday and when we phoned up, the estate agent said they only could do mon mid afternoon or next Saturday. In my eyes the estate agent should have kept at least a few weekend slots available as obviously there would be interest to a new to the market property. Plus it's much easier for the buyer to keep the house tidy and viewing clean if you've just tidied for the photos. So perhaps some smaller estate agents don't have the flexibility or staffing to get people the viewings they want.

Oh wow, we have two and that’s bad enough!

Don’t envy you trying to keep it clean - I have a toddler and that’s bad enough..

It really does make such a difference with things in bloom. Saw a house with a beautiful large garden in dead of winter and thought that must be gorgeous in summer (unfortunately house just didn’t work).

This.. I’ve removed those that don’t pick up the phone.. as I know me.. there’s only so much chasing you want to do to view a house.. and all I kept thinking is I’m asking this lot to sell my house..??

I truly do think some houses don’t sell because of lack of EA ability, viewed a house today that I was considering (still not sold mine so in no rush but liked the look of it). I swear I heard nothing positive about the house from the EA.. I actually was talking up the house .. he’s there throwing obstacles in the way, turns out I didn’t like the house itself but imagine … he’s meant to sell it to me..??

Yeah, we viewed one today and the lovely woman agreed with every negative we said.

So I said, definitely smells like a smokers house. She agreed and pulled a sympathetic face, when actually she should have said , nothing a quick coat of paint wouldn't fix

Actually, after showing our house to viewers about five times I reckon I would make a good estate agent 😂

A coat of paint absoloutly will not fix nicotine... usually the whole place needs gutting right back to brick and re-plastering, its also a carcinogen.

EA before even booking us in to see the house told us 'it has penetrating damp from mortar failure'. Owner fully painted it white which 'hides' that and we wouldn't have even looked for it. They also told is the negatives with the chain hold up and pointed out settlement cracks etc... We offered and bought the house.

One of the things I really liked as a buyer was the estate agent was clear and honest, I felt the told us all known faults accurately and did not pull the wool over our eyes.

An estate agent pulling such crap as it just needs a lick of paint when talking about a smokers house would have me run a mile, they would be a nightmare to work with as a buyer.

Estate agent are co-ordinators, they are non bias... they aren't there to lie on behalf of the seller they are there to help guide a sale easily which means being truthful (so it doesn't get drawn out or pulled or the price getting dropped later after survery's etc...).

Was supposed to have our 5th viewing today but they didn’t turn up, our first no show. Really annoying! We’ve viewed a couple of houses, one we really like, but obviously can’t offer yet. Starting to get really bored with the whole process now, it’s coming up to 2 months.

I’d agree that EA shouldn’t lie but he was definitely telling me all the negatives - ie this house has beautiful woodland etc - so instead of talking that bit up he was being negative about it, but then obviously lying about cracks in the walls behind a broken wardrobe.

To me an EA irresponsible for helping buyers visualise living in it, i.e that’s true there’s a crack but imagine it finished etc. Telling me the whole house is the wrong format to how he’d envisage it without any prompting from me.. erm.. I didn’t tell him I want to knock the whole house down and rebuild.. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I was just sad for the seller as it’s been on the market for a while so I sympathised with them and wondered if they realised how negative the so-called person is.

It really is nuances, they don’t have to bs you to create a wonderful visual of you being in the house and what you can do with it. Being on the other side as well, I just found it annoying for the seller, there was so much to love about this house objectively and he didn’t do anything to sell that bit.

re: showing your own house is an odd one for me, I think if they actually show it, opening all the secret parts to the potential buyer - it’s great as you can portray how much you love the house and get them to see themselves in its quite powerful!

But I hate viewing houses when the owner is there but not taking you round - it feels like you’re being watched and don’t get to look properly.

As a buyer, the spring weather and seeing flowers in a garden are not going to make me want to buy anyone's property any more than over the winter. Buyers aren't that stupid. It all comes down to interest rates, asking price and whether the house is "worth it". If you are not getting offers, even after viewings, it's because buyers know their monthly mortgage payments they need to make and they are judging whether the property is worth that huge amount. I'm sorry to give this reality check, but a lot of houses aren't worth it. Not all, but most.

But I hate viewing houses when the owner is there but not taking you round - it feels like you’re being watched and don’t get to look properly.

@AshRJ this happened to me recently. the vendor was in the house (we didn't even know as the ea was showing us around). She started to sell "the sunlight comes through the kitchen" even talking over the EA. In all honesty, this particular vendor appeared desperate and we learned that their last buyer pulled out after massive damp was found.

We did meet another vendor for a viewing and he was pretty great showing us around, gave us space, answered questions.

It really depends I guess.

My preference is to not have the vendor there. EA are often pretty useless too though.

I hate having the vendor there personally as it nearly always feels awkward.

Interested to see your point of view @worriedftb; what would make a property worth it to you, what are you looking for and what have you been seeing during your search - I assume you are actively looking now or have been recently? What didn't you see that you hoped you would?

Great questions @GoingDownLikeBHS - thanks for giving the opportunity for me to answer. I hope it helps buyers and sellers alike.

About me: I am currently renting with my partner, FTB, working professional, in a good position to buy, just waiting for the right property.

Firstly, if it was the 1-2% interest era now, with today's higher house prices, I would be more inclined to go for more a few properties, but instead I am actually dismissing them because the 4-5% interest rates has more than doubled the monthly mortgage. It's not that I can't afford them, it's just that I think paying £3-4k on a small 3 bed property (one bedroom usually being a lot smaller/box) isn't really worth it to me. A lot of houses just look ordinary to me. Nothing wow or makes my heat flutter. A lot of home decor look the same too, same extensions, same lofts, same colours, same layouts. I compare this to my rent which is £1300 just outside London (split between me and my partner) - the flat is nice, good safe area, our friends are nearby, we have no responsibilities for the property apart from taking care of it while we live here. LL is fine for us too. I'm just in a better position to wait for the right property that I feel is worth it to me to pay that £3+k mortgage on, personally.

What didn'tyou see that you hoped you would?
What I'm not seeing is many properties in good condition. A lot of properties I come across are in a poor state or just need too much work that I really don't want to do. I also don't mind doing cosmetic work but I am too busy in my job to do a project. Renos are also through the roof in prices and let's be honest, builders and trades people arent from the best industry. They are known to rip you off and do a bad job, it's not all, I know, but I personally don't have the time or patience for it.

This is not just my budget. My budget is healthy for London. it is a problem across all budgets. I have even met people looking for £2million properties having the same problem (£2m is not my budget though!). This is a problem across the board - poor condition properties, and/or just houses that make you sigh.

The problem is most properties are over-priced due to unrealistic sellers who think it's 2021-22. A lot of them are Boomers too and have not taken care of their properties. I am not putting my hard-earned money into this kind of property because I am fortunate enough to wait. I am also not bothered about property crashes or equity etc etc because I am looking for my forever home and hope to live in it... forever. But I will not over pay on a house - the house price and the mortgage payments. I work too hard to give all my money to the bank in interest.

I hope that helps with the experiences and mindset of buyers today. the market has changed but so has the culture. There are many more Millenials in the market who will not pay for something they don't like or believe is not worth it.

It's interesting how different areas are different. Mortgage rates have gone up slightly since I last looked in January, and there's no sign round here that houses are dropping in price significantly (and nationally they increased in January overall). What is apparent around here is that rents are rising and the amount of rentals available is shrinking. We've looked in case we want to go into rented to help a sale and there's just nothing around in a rental market we previously rented in with no issues.

Add in that rent is completely spent money with no equity being built, and I'd be surprised if FTBs round here were waiting to buy (rather than simply not being able to afford to, which is a different story and totally reasonable).

'But I will not over pay on a house - the house price and the mortgage payments. I work too hard to give all my money to the bank in interest'

Very wise @worriedftb. You would be crazy to overpay in the circumstances you describe, in an easily affordable rental with a decent landlord, a very healthy budget and a partner.

There are a lot of properties being offered at unrealistic prices, often in poor condition too. Many are just sitting on the market and being reduced, but slowly and often by not enough to tempt prospective buyers.

I suspect, however, like @BarbaricPeach, that most FTB simply cannot afford to pay the current asking prices at current rates. I wouldn't agree that FTB would be building up equity at present though as most of their initial payments would go on interest and prices are likely to fall rather than rise.

Can I join in? House been on the market just over a week. Had 10 viewings so far. More interest than I thought would happen straight away. One 2nd viewing yesterday (Saturday) so hoping for some positive news from EA on Monday.
Feedback from one viewer was 'nice house but the kitchen is too small and don't like the toilet being separate from the bathroom'. All the details and floor plan are available online so why view if you can see the layout and size of rooms?
I've got to do two viewings myself tomorrow as EA is unavailable and dreading it. Wish me luck!