How many viewings is too many viewings?

[Whichdoorhelp]

Before you commit to making an offer.
Is it acceptable to see a house for a third time?

My husband thinks it’s fine and I’m feeling really awkward about it being our third go! It’s been 2months since seeing it for 2nd time.

Three viewings is a lot. You either love it or you don't. Why do you need to go again?

I agree 3 viewings is a lot before making an offer. Nevertheless, the sellers will probably agree & since it has been so long since the 2nd viewing, it does make sense. I would apologise to the EA though and assure them that you are not time wasters but seriously interested in the house. If you are now in a position to proceed but weren’t before, that should be explained to the EA.

Exactly this. If you didn't love it enough to offer the first or second time you viewed it what do you think will have changed? I'd also be suspicious of a house sitting on the market for that long as houses sell first week on the market round here.

Much depends on context. If they’ve had no other offers and yours is likely to be an acceptable offer and it’s been two months then I would say there are just a few things you want to check.
Why didn’t you offer two months ago?
When I last sold it was 2020 and nobody had the luxury of dithering. We had an open day with 20 viewers and got 19 offers the next day.
Previously in a slower and more uncertain market we had a young couple who came four times. Twice together, once just the man and then he came back with his parents! (They offered that day but estate agents told another interested couple there was an offer and these others suddenly offered asking price).
In this market a buyer is valuable. Are you actually sure what you’re doing though and just checking a few last things before making an offer, or is it another opportunity to dither?

Your area is unusual if houses sell in the first week. Surely you realise that?

On one hand it always seems barmy to me that you make probably the biggest purchase of your life after spending….max two hours in it? I spend longer choosing a car!
But, that is how it’s done. First viewing to see if you like it, second viewing to see if you still like it, and look in more detail, will it work for you, what really needs doing, what will fit where, what are they hiding etc. Then offer. Or not.
So, it depends why you want a third viewing and if you are actually planning on making an offer?
And I do wish that purchasers had a bit more thought for sellers. I posted on a different thread about the revolting people who left a giant unflushed shit in my en-suite on a second viewing. And the chap who made 3 seperate offers but actually, didn’t have the money. Since then we’ve had the people who “definitely want it” but not for a year and a variety of other oddballs, all of whom demand viewings at the drop of a hat. We are now SSTC but I’m not holding my breath.
So I would say if you have valid reasons for requesting a third viewing, do it. But be considerate of the sellers.

Of course it’s fine. They want you to spend hundreds of thousands on something they are trying to get shot of.
Buy in haste, repent at leisure.

With rightmove it really isn’t needed to visit multiple times, assuming the advert is complete. Any decent advert will have multiple photos, the light and likely a virtual tour. You’ve then visited twice, you should have ample information to make a decision.

As a seller, I would only entertain you visiting a third time two months after your second visit if I was desperate. So I was separating and my ex was being more of a pain in the arse than you are and you are the lesser of two evils so I can stop dealing with the ex. A third viewing would just about be OK if it had been remotely close to the second viewing but it’s not. It’s obvious you’ve looked at the house, not fallen in love with it. You’ve either then waited to see what else is on the market and found nothing or you’ve offered on something and it’s fallen through. I wouldn’t trust that you wouldn’t pull out of the sale further down the line when you find something you actually love.

6 house sales over the decades. 5 made offers after the first or second viewings. The couple who kept coming back messed us around no end!

3 viewings is too many without making an offer. Someone else on here lost out on a house they loved because someone else made an offer while they were faffing about having 3 viewings.

Although I just saw it’s been 2 months which changes things a little. Why didn’t you make an offer 2 months ago? What’s changed?

My house is on the market and I wouldn't mind 3 viewings- though I'd be surprised not to get an offer afterwards.

I find these opinions absolutely bonkers. It’s not the case where we live. 3 viewings is perfectly acceptable.

im about to list our house and buy another. I would be more than happy if someone had 3 viewings, IMO it shows serious intent. And I intend to view a property 3 times, in fact the one we have had our eye on we have viewed twice already without ours even being on the market!

both the estate agent and vendor where aware of our position when we requested a second viewing so it’s up to them whether they low it or not.

You last saw it 2 months ago?

How long has it been on the market?

Why didn't you offer 2 months ago after the 1st or 2nd viewing?

I have never needed more than 1 viewing to know if we would offer or not. Further viewing for planning stuff (things like window measurements, building quotes etc...) come AFTER offer is accepted.

I suppose if it's not sold in several months, the sellers may be desperate enough now to be fine with it? But in their shoes, I'd assume you were lukewarm at best.

Most houses here are selling so fast you wouldn't have time to view 3 times... the ones that are sitting for months are over priced or terrible condition/location.

How have you come to the conclusion its normal? even second viewing (which do happen) aren't wildly normal (about 1 in 10).

3 viewings over several months and no offers will make OP look like a time waster and fake playing house crasher. Unless OP viewed 2 months ago but was unproceedable so marketed and has now sold and proceedable theres no reason to allow another viewing (and why the 2nd two months ago in that scenario?).

It costs money and takes time away from the EA for showing empty properties again and again and annoys sellers of live in properties having to tidy and prep for the same person again and again whose messing around ummming and ahhhring and not offering.

@housethatbuiltme but that’s why it is so area dependant - people can only give their own opinions and answers will be different depending on location. I’ve come to that conclusion via my own experience, very closely watching the property market for years and also being very good friends with the local estate agent. That’s what’s happening in my area, yours sounds different but that doesn’t make me wrong.

it’s a slow market here. Prices increased exponentially during / after Covid and aren’t coming back down, so things sit on the market a long time. The property I have viewed twice has been on for a year and hasn’t had any other interest in nearly 10 months. We are looking for something specific and wanted to be sure it met our criteria before we went to the hassle of listing ours. Yes we could lose the house if someone else gets there first, but we weren’t in a position to go on the market previously. If the vendors or estate agents didn’t want us to view without being proceedable, they could have declined.

When was selling my last house, I allowed some non proceedable people to view, if it was convenient. If not, I declined.

Well, you're obviously entitled to find them bonkers, but in an averagely fast market, there's highly unlikely to be a chance to view a house three times, because it will have gone to someone quicker off the mark.

In many (most) areas of the country, the market is pretty slow right now. That means the buyer is king and has the prerogative to organise multiple viewings should they like. Given it's 2 months since the previous viewing, that seems to apply here. My view is that for a 3rd viewing, you should be pretty clear what you want to get out of it. What is it you want to ascertain that you didn't spot in the 2nd viewing and can't find on the listing?

DH and I would always want to see a house at least twice before making an offer. The second or third time would be lengthy as we don't bother with a survey (unless a specialist one is needed - DS bought in an ex coal- mining area, for instance) as DH has been in the building trade. Then, if we make an offer, we won't be trying to knock the sellers down later.

I've never viewed three times and have always sold within the first week to a first viewer. After exchanging contracts people have viewed a second time to measure up but never a third. Last time I moved was 2014 tho so I guess things have changed.

Absolutely! That is a risk one takes. But that’s a different angle compared to what’s happening with the OP. The house hasn’t been snapped up and is still sitting there. So if the vendor agrees, what’s the problem?

also I don’t think it’s that fast a market across the majority of the country. Certain areas, but not most.

So what if it’s not ‘normal’. You want another look, take another look.

I'd say do what you need to do. If you aren't ready to offer now, but need another look to decide, fair enough. I've never needed that but not everyone is the same.

Where I live 3 viewings is absolutely fine. I think it's crazy to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on something you've only seen twice - unless you're under ridiculous time pressure because most houses are sold quickly. So it probably all depends on the market.