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Notice time for House viewings

27 replies

wonderings2 · 23/03/2024 11:30

House went on the market on Friday. DH has received a call from the EA to ask if they could do a viewing in 3 hours time?

I asked when they valued the property as I work from home and said they would always try and give us 24 hours notice.

House isn't too bad as we got it ready for the photos a few days ago but I'll need to have a tidy round put washing away etc.

Is this just how it works? If it is that's fine, but I don't want to be a push over either?

Thanks

OP posts:
DelphiniumBlue · 23/03/2024 11:32

Depends how much you want to sell your house, really.
If the buyer is, for example, in the area in 3 hours time but not tomorrow or next week, surely it's best to let them view rather than risk losing a potential buyer?

Whatevershallidowithmylife · 23/03/2024 11:32

Would be absolutely fine for me, surely you just want a sale?

Movinghouseatlast · 23/03/2024 11:36

Do you want to sell? If so, you go with it. It's to your advantage to have viewings. It's not about being a 'pushover'.

If you don't want a viewing just say no.

OutOfTheHouse · 23/03/2024 11:36

Yep. You keep the house ready for viewing with short notice.

viques · 23/03/2024 11:37

You might have a buyer on the hook, don’t cut the line and let them swim away because of the need to do a quick tidy up. It’s a good sign, just be a bit careful about keeping things extra tidy for a while, you can slip back into normal life when the house is sold!

Scousefab · 23/03/2024 11:39

Yep always have the house ready some people don’t live in the area and others busy schedule. Just tidy up as much as you can and run with it.

drawnfrommemory · 23/03/2024 11:40

We kept our place pretty much viewing ready when we were selling (it was so nice to live there then, even if it was exhausting!) - quick tidy and putting things like the stunt soap and towels in the bathroom and we were good to go!

I would also expect to have viewings at any time on a Saturday.

slippedonabanana · 23/03/2024 11:40

If you're on the market you should always be ready to show the house in 3 hours, or less. The alternative is to not be accomodating and still be on the market in 6 months.

LenaLamont · 23/03/2024 11:40

Yes, that’s how it works - especially on weekends when more people are available to view properties.

You pretty much need to be ready for viewings with an hour’s notice for a few weeks.

Lampslights · 23/03/2024 11:41

Well I mean you can say no, but you’re hardly doing them a favour considering, you know, you actually want to sell and for them to view.

blackcatsruleok · 23/03/2024 11:45

Goodness I opened this thread thinking it was going to be someone in a rental.

If you’re on the market you need to be ready for short notice viewings.

Cafelattes · 23/03/2024 11:46

It's better for someone to view the house in less than perfect condition than not at all. Don't stress too much - the estate agent has definitely seen much worse, and the viewer probably has too, anyone reasonable will understand you're living in it.

SpringSprungALeak · 23/03/2024 11:52

@wonderings2

i find your question puzzling.

'A push over'. ?!!!

you want to sell your house, your EA wants to sell it for you (& him).

It's hardly surprising, day after listing it, and being a Saturday, the EA has had enquiries & wants to facilitate viewing when it suits potential buyers.

you could & should have anticipated this. You have 3 hours, it shouldn't take you anytime at all, at this stage of the pricess, to be 'viewer ready'

(exceptions if you have elderly/disabled people living there)

just get sorted & go out.

Hope they live it and make a decent offer!!

SpringSprungALeak · 23/03/2024 11:56

blackcatsruleok · 23/03/2024 11:45

Goodness I opened this thread thinking it was going to be someone in a rental.

If you’re on the market you need to be ready for short notice viewings.

@blackcatsruleok

me too, I was getting ready to say they don't have to facilitate viewings etc...

I wasn't expecting a homeowner to be complaining, let alone weird asking if they were being a push over!

Barrenfieldoffucks · 23/03/2024 11:58

It's fine. Many people can only squeeze them in at weekends. If you've only just gone on the market presumably you were spick and span for photos so should still be so?

If genuinely inconvenient say no, otherwise, why wouldn't you? You want to sell?

drawnfrommemory · 23/03/2024 12:01

Actually, from memory last time we sold we gave the agent a list of times we definitely couldn't do each week, and they fitted viewings in round that. It worked quite well actually.

Floralnomad · 23/03/2024 12:03

When we sold our last house it could always be fit for viewings in about 10/15 minutes - I’m not selling at the moment but it would still only take me about 20/30 minutes to make the house presentable enough for a viewing . You need to be viewing ready at all times

blackcatsruleok · 23/03/2024 12:03

Also when we were having viewings, I wrote out a checklist for getting the house ready so we didn’t need to keep remembering what to do. That made things easier!

We kept things as viewing ready as possible, but this had all the little things like putting away any laundry and dishes, sticking some toilet cleaner in, etc.

Lampslights · 23/03/2024 12:03

SpringSprungALeak · 23/03/2024 11:52

@wonderings2

i find your question puzzling.

'A push over'. ?!!!

you want to sell your house, your EA wants to sell it for you (& him).

It's hardly surprising, day after listing it, and being a Saturday, the EA has had enquiries & wants to facilitate viewing when it suits potential buyers.

you could & should have anticipated this. You have 3 hours, it shouldn't take you anytime at all, at this stage of the pricess, to be 'viewer ready'

(exceptions if you have elderly/disabled people living there)

just get sorted & go out.

Hope they live it and make a decent offer!!

Yes I was bemused by the push over thing too. Like they would be privileged to view and she’s doing them a favour. Never seen anyone behave like that who is trying to sell.

wonderings2 · 23/03/2024 12:09

Ah okay, fair enough.

It's just I have never viewed a house the same day I enquired so I wanted to make sure.

Also, we had the house on the market pre-Covid with a terrible EA who didnt bother to turn up to some viewings so I had people on the door with no notice and I had to show them round - so I'm being narky unnecessarily

OP posts:
sbplanet · 23/03/2024 12:13

wonderings2 · 23/03/2024 12:09

Ah okay, fair enough.

It's just I have never viewed a house the same day I enquired so I wanted to make sure.

Also, we had the house on the market pre-Covid with a terrible EA who didnt bother to turn up to some viewings so I had people on the door with no notice and I had to show them round - so I'm being narky unnecessarily

Also the easier you make it for your EA to get people through the door the more likely they'll keep you in mind for 'last minute' viewings.

trousersearch · 23/03/2024 12:13

As other posters have said depends how much you want to sell the house.
When we were selling ours, we had a last minute request for a viewing the day before our wedding day. We said yes, and these people ended up buying the house. When we were then buying a house, we asked one house for a viewing on a Saturday and they said no because they didn't want viewings at weekends. We decided they would be difficult if they didn't even want a viewing so didn't bother

Cherryberryy · 23/03/2024 18:10

When selling i always made sure house was immaculate incase of last minute viewings. Even the time I had a 3 and 4 year old and working full time.
I used to find it annoying as a buyer having to wait days to view a house because the sellers could only do viewings every third Wednesday between 12 and 12.01!

Twiglets1 · 23/03/2024 19:42

That’s how it works if you want to sell quickly

Bluevelvetsofa · 24/03/2024 12:32

Our house, on the south coast, was on the market for three weeks, with not one viewing. Before anyone says it, it’s not the price, which a number of agents valued it at and we didn’t go with the highest. Described as immaculate too. We’d have jumped at anyone proceedable.