Page 2 | Love a house that’s for sale but not yet sold ours

Pinklady81 · 2025-05-03T10:40:56+00:00

Hello as above our house is currently on the market and have viewings this weekend again but we have now seen a house we are very serious about . We are going back for a second viewing any tips know we are not in a situation to proceed but it’s our dream house .

CarpetKnees · 03/05/2025 23:23

I think viewing a house once is fair enough.

Like many others, we put our last house on the market on the strength of wanting the house we saw.

However it is wrong to ask for a second viewing if you aren't proceedable. I am surprised you are being allowed to do that.

Dillydollydingdong · 03/05/2025 23:25

There's NO POINT looking at houses until you've got a buyer for yours. You'll just fall in love with something that you aren't in a position to buy.

Doris86 · 03/05/2025 23:26

Tryingtokeepgoing · 03/05/2025 22:52

I’ve never seen the need to have more potential buyers; far better IME to focus on buyers who are in a position to proceed, but that’s only my experience. And as I’ve never had a problem selling I don’t see how life would have been improved by letting people who weren’t in a position to make an offer look round. Others may take a different view, and I expect it’s area and house type specific as well. But letting people view who can’t make an offer has to waste everyone’s time.

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If you’ve never struggled to sell then maybe that’s a different situation. However anyone who’s found it a bit more difficult to sell would be mad to turn away people who were interested.

’But letting people view who can’t make an offer has to waste everyone’s time’

Thats a very sweeping statement, and one that has proved completely inaccurate with many people’s experiences on this thread.

MrsSkylerWhite · 03/05/2025 23:30

Doris86 · 03/05/2025 16:02

What nonsense. Many people don’t put their house up for sale until they know there is actually a house they want to buy. Motivated people can then get their house on the market and sold fairly quickly. Or maybe when they’ve found the house they want , they realise then can afford to cut their asking price to get a quick sale.By banning any viewers who aren’t SSTC you risk losing out on a potential sale.

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We’ve just accepted an offer from a family who viewed our house a few months before they sold.

We’re so pleased, they love it 😃

Doris86 · 03/05/2025 23:30

Dillydollydingdong · 03/05/2025 23:25

There's NO POINT looking at houses until you've got a buyer for yours. You'll just fall in love with something that you aren't in a position to buy.

There’s NO POINT putting your house up for sale, if you don’t yet know if there is actually a house you want to move to.

If you find a house you love, it’s possible to get yours on the market and sold very quickly.

Original poster

Pinklady81 · 04/05/2025 00:18

CarpetKnees · 03/05/2025 23:23

I think viewing a house once is fair enough.

Like many others, we put our last house on the market on the strength of wanting the house we saw.

However it is wrong to ask for a second viewing if you aren't proceedable. I am surprised you are being allowed to do that.

Well I did and they let me

OP posts:

Original poster

Pinklady81 · 04/05/2025 00:19

CarpetKnees · 03/05/2025 23:23

I think viewing a house once is fair enough.

Like many others, we put our last house on the market on the strength of wanting the house we saw.

However it is wrong to ask for a second viewing if you aren't proceedable. I am surprised you are being allowed to do that.

Well they did it’s not wrong at all they knew our situation

OP posts:

meala · 04/05/2025 00:19

I bought before selling. Offered with stipulation that it would need to be a longer entry date and that was accepted. Then priced my house very competitively and it sold within 2 weeks.

RufustheFactuaIReindeer · 04/05/2025 07:48

Pinklady81 · 04/05/2025 00:19

Well they did it’s not wrong at all they knew our situation

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We were the same, we told them how very interested we were and that we had a house that would sell quickly and the following week they let us bring the children round for a look

it was very kind of them

they had reduced the price at least once and had two offers that had fallen through, they were moving to wales and had seen a house they wanted

Mayhemabounds · 04/05/2025 07:50

CarpetKnees · 03/05/2025 23:23

I think viewing a house once is fair enough.

Like many others, we put our last house on the market on the strength of wanting the house we saw.

However it is wrong to ask for a second viewing if you aren't proceedable. I am surprised you are being allowed to do that.

I have done so many times.

Mayhemabounds · 04/05/2025 07:51

I think I a lot depends on whether your own house is likely to sell quickly. If it’s a house which will sit on the market a long time then it’s not fair to view without having sold. We know we will sell quickly.

NewHouseNewMe · 04/05/2025 07:55

This is often the way at the top of the market. Houses of a high calibre take years to come up so no-one sells in advance.

We were in the same position and went for a second viewing. They accepted our offer subject to being able to proceed with solicitors in 2 weeks and paused viewings.
We rushed to get our house on the market and it sold in about 2 days after 10 viewings. So we were able to proceed in a week.

My experience is to take a hard look at the situation. Will your house sell quickly - is it well kept and in an area where houses are snapped up, or can you afford to sell it at a discount? In either scenario, then go for it with the new house. Sometimes these things are meant to be and it’s a buyer’s market.

If not - it’s an estate where there are many the same or the price you need is “toppy”, then accept you need to sell first.

Mischance · 04/05/2025 08:05

I have bought and sold many houses over the years and it was only when doing so during covid that the viewers must be proceedable rule applied.
It is a difficult rule to apply as sales fall thro all the time. How to define proceedable? Exchange date set?

NewHouseNewMe · 04/05/2025 08:44

Proceedable usually means solicitors engaged and details swapped, with outline terms agreed.

Doris86 · 04/05/2025 08:59

Pinklady81 · 03/05/2025 22:08

My god I only asked about this and people saying I’m out of order if they didn’t want me to view they k ew my position! The chain has to start somewhere !

Don’t worry. A minority of people seem to get a bee in their bonnet about not viewing until proceedable. This mentality probably comes from covid where this was the rule set by some estate agents. However now that normality has returned, it’s perfectly
normal and reasonable to view houses and see if it’s what you want before marketing yours.

housethatbuiltme · 04/05/2025 10:36

Doris86 · 03/05/2025 23:26

If you’ve never struggled to sell then maybe that’s a different situation. However anyone who’s found it a bit more difficult to sell would be mad to turn away people who were interested.

’But letting people view who can’t make an offer has to waste everyone’s time’

Thats a very sweeping statement, and one that has proved completely inaccurate with many people’s experiences on this thread.

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Everything sells at the right price... if you 'struggle' to sell then your are expecting too much. Many sellers chase the market down blaming everyone else when they simply overpriced themselves (which has knock on effects, the long the house sits the less interest it gets).

A house across from us sold, it's practically unsalvageable... going to cost 3x its value to basically rebuild (and it has to be fixed/rebuilt as it forms the support structure of adjoining buildings). Ultimate nightmare house but an idiot person still bought it because they saw the enticing 50% discount price.

Derelict buildings, flood houses, contamination zones, change of purpose properties (even old ruins of barns, churches, castles etc...) and so on all sell manage to fine so a 3 bed suburban house isn't unsellable they just have unmotivated sellers (which is fine, you don't HAVE to sell its your investment to hold onto forever if you choose but you cannot complain its others fault that its not worth more, its only worth what the buyers are willing to pay).

WowIlikereallyhateyou · 04/05/2025 11:11

Doris86 · 04/05/2025 08:59

Don’t worry. A minority of people seem to get a bee in their bonnet about not viewing until proceedable. This mentality probably comes from covid where this was the rule set by some estate agents. However now that normality has returned, it’s perfectly
normal and reasonable to view houses and see if it’s what you want before marketing yours.

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Nothing to do with covid at all. I have never wanted people who were not in a position to buy traipsing around my house at any point well before or after covid. I do think it more pertinent at a certain price point though. Large properties can take a lot of time and effort to prepare for viewers.

MimiGC · 04/05/2025 11:13

Bridging loan. That’s what I did, though it was 20 odd years ago.

Mischance · 04/05/2025 14:00

Estate agents have over the years been happy to organise viewings by people who have not yet got their house on the market, or mortgage agreed. In my experience the stricter attitude over this dates from covid.
Sellers have always had the option to refuse viewers who are not proceedable if they wish, but for of course risk missing a sale.

Tupster · 05/05/2025 00:46

I wasn't even on the market when I viewed the house I now live in. Put mine on the market at a "quick sale" price and first to view mine bought it and it all came together in the end.

I was lucky in that I was selling in an area with a more active market than where I bought, but I think in this situation you usually do have to take a bit of a hit on your sale price - or hope no-one else is going to want what you're buying. Make sure the estate agent you are selling with know that you have something you want and that you are "motivated" and they may push your property to people who might offer a bit low. Depends on your financial position of course - if you need a certain sale price on yours to afford the next one, things get a bit trickier.

justmeandmyselfandi · 05/05/2025 06:23

I don't understand why can't you just buy this house with a mortgage, why do you have to sell your house first?? Or can't it be contingent on the sale of yours? Surely lots of people view houses before they sell their own so they can see what is out there

SapporoBaby · 05/05/2025 06:30

We were in the same position last year. Sadly we simply had to wait. Thankfully we got an offer the day our dream house also got an offer and so we could bid against them.

We got the house. Good luck.

SapporoBaby · 05/05/2025 06:31

justmeandmyselfandi · 05/05/2025 06:23

I don't understand why can't you just buy this house with a mortgage, why do you have to sell your house first?? Or can't it be contingent on the sale of yours? Surely lots of people view houses before they sell their own so they can see what is out there

Most people can’t afford their house without the proceeds of the former house and can’t get a mortgage for the full amount…

SapporoBaby · 05/05/2025 06:33

If we hadn’t viewed until proceedable it would have held our buyers up A LOT. Took us almost a year to find one we wanted.

Nitgel · 05/05/2025 06:37

Doris86 · 03/05/2025 16:27

I disagree. I found a house I loved and subsequently put mine up for sale. Within 2 weeks I accepted an offer on my house, and got an offer accepted on the one I wanted.im living there now.

If the seller had refused to let me view it because I wasn’t SSTC, then they would have lost out on a sale to me.

I know plenty of people who have done similar. Mainly people who didn’t desperately need to move, but once they saw something they loved decided to go for it.

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Same. We viewed a house we loved. Said we would offer asking price they accepted offer and said they would keep it on the market until we had an offer on ours. We then put ours up at a good price and had a quick offer and our sellers took the house off the market then.