A moan about waste of time viewings

[VintageFashion]

Just that really. House has been on the market 2 months. It’s well maintained, tastefully decorated (I know this is subjective) in a reasonably desirable area, priced more or less in line with similar properties in the area. I thought it would be an easy sell.
At the start we had a glut of viewings, then it’s tailed off to an average of 1-2 a week. We’ve had maybe 15 so far. None of these have resulted in an offer.
We’re busy working parents with a pet, so the house doesn’t stay show ready for long.
Each viewing (or set of viewings if they get several people in at once) requires hours of cleaning, tidying, mowing the lawn and weeding etc.
There are also all the logistics - make sure pet and child are out, commute to the office or rearrange Teams calls to accommodate the viewings. I keep missing my evening classes because there are viewings the next day and we need to clean.
I don’t mind doing all of this to accommodate people who are serious buyers, but it’s all starting to feel like a waste of time.

So far we’ve had the following:

No shows - cancelling (not rescheduling) an hour or 2 before the viewing, by which time we’ve already done the aforementioned cleaning/jugging of logistics. Or not even bothering to cancel, just not turning up and ignoring all calls and messages.

They like the house but are not even remotely proceedable - house not on the market and won’t be any time soon as still doing renovations etc

Don’t want the house because of things that are obvious from the listing or if they’d done some basic research eg doesn’t like the location (why view then), doesn’t like that there’s XYZ nearby (quick look at Google maps shows everything in the area), doesn’t like the hedge etc

Unrealistic expectations for budget - bedrooms too small (both are doubles with plenty of space for standing furniture), not enough parking, not enough space for large vehicles (there’s space for 2 cars, it’s a 2 bed terrace).

People who say they love the house, they’ll “discuss figures” with their other half, then disappear.

People who aren’t even the prospective buyer but are viewing it on behalf of their sibling/parent/son/daughter etc. Then never hear from them again.

This week has tipped me over the edge. Work is extremely busy and we’ve done the whole cleaning/rescheduling routine to accommodate a viewer who doesn’t like the house because it’s too similar to their current house and they want to upsize. Why are you viewing a 2 bed terrace then!!

I need a lie down and a drink I think.

I’m pretty certain the EA for my current home was only allowing people whose home was either also on the market or had sold/had mortgage. I’ll be doing this also as live in an area described as ‘desirable’ and just don’t want tourists coming around for a nosey. Hopefully because of the location, I will not lose any serious contenders with this approach. I hate the idea of adjusting my day to accommodate someone not knowing if they’re serious or there simply for a mooch!

Know the feeling only too well, the last minute cancellation with no intention to rearrange and those who find a thing they just don’t like which was so clear on the listing are the worst in my opinion, eventually though, someone does come through the door that really wants the property , good luck

I used to know a couple who would incorporate viewing properties for sale into their holiday itinerary, as an activity. They were actually awful people in many other ways too.

The problem with this approach is that it’s unfair on people who are still in the process of putting their property on the market. ts not a quick process these days ( though I dont know why) and v frustrating if you see your dream property but cant even view it cos yours hasn’t gone live yet

When I bought my flat the EA wouldnt let us view because we hadn’t sold STC! I just sat and watched the price drop …

Perhaps it is you. Are you showing? You sound like you expect people to love your wonderful house. You appear defensive and slightly angry. If that is so you are not going to sell.

That’s a good point, I think I’d ask EA to just ask for evidence (email or so) in those cases. Though in real life - who knows whether they really do filter all the viewers properly.

Someone has to go first, so refusing viewings to someone who is not quite "proceedable" may not be a good idea. It's a balancing act.

We viewed places before our place was on the market - although the vendors' EAs knew we were a viable prospect. So we allowed viewings similarly . Fingers crossed, the not-yet-on-the-market-not-got-a-mortgage-offer family are about to exchange contracts.

We had a lot of this when we last moved. One couple viewed the house and then said they wouldn’t buy it because the kitchen didn’t face the back garden, something that was obvious from the photos and floor plan. Really annoying.

I feel for you, my last sale took 42 viewings, I worked full time and 2 sons in a pretty small house, I resorted to using the car to throw laundry basket, ironing etc in quickly but was awful having to come home shattered from nhs shift to have to tidy and clean as well as normal domestic tasks. The one who finally bought returned three time with various family members🤦swore I'd never move again🤷

I would file this under "things that are impossible to know you don't like until you see them" - especially if it just so happens that every place you've lived has had the kitchen like that.

When we sold last year, after one sale fell through I would only allow viewings from viewers whose houses were under offer, you could try that.

So is anyone who doesn’t want to buy a house after they’ve viewed it a time waster then? What’s the point in having viewings at all?

We were selling a town house in Bath and it became very clear that a lot of people just wanted to have a nosy inside these properties for their own entertainment, so after about 10 days I told the EA to only show the house to people in a position to buy. One couple wanted to view the house every bloody weekend despite not knowing if they were going to sell their own house or not. they even turned up on the door step one Saturday after I put my foot down and tried to persuade us to let them in anyway! It was a very bouyant market, though, with plenty of buyers like that around. If I hadn't put my foot down I would have been doing viewings every day for bloody tourists.

I would also change estate agents and find someone who can SELL. That is what you are paying them for, their ability to sell your house to a buyer. Our house in Bath wasn't cheap so I avoided the kind of estate agents who sent out kids to literally just show you around and couldn't answer any questions because they knew nothing about the area or the property. I had huge respect for estate agents who were honest with me as a buyer and took their properties a lot more seriously. We were moving as we wanted an equestrian property and I fell in love with a period property on paper, it very Pride and Prejudice. The agent wouldn't even show it to me! It was the top end of our budget and he told me it needed so much work that wasn't obvious from the photos, it would be a money pit for us and break my heart. But he worked his ass off to find me a property that did suit, within budget, that we eventually bought. That man was worth every penny of his commission! There was one I blocked phone calls from because he constantly called me to try and get me to view properties that were not suitable, just to tell his clients he was getting people through the door. Not much point trying to get me to view a property that has no land but the neighbour does and they 'might' rent to me! Or try and persuade me that a 100 foot garden is big enough to graze three ponies, one of whom is a 14.2 Highland! You just need one person to love your property and your estate agents job is to find that person.

You need an agent like mine!! She sold my last house in 4 days and had 4 offers in well over the asking. Latest one 6 weeks, lots of viewings with vetted buyers. Ended up with 4 offers again (best and final) & we got asking price. The hold up has been how damn slow solicitors are at getting stuff done. We are buying an empty property, our buyer has no property to sell but nothing gets done quickly it's been 6 months already!! Buying in Spain took 5 weeks from viewing, deposit (no backing out there), completion. England needs to change things, electrical/boiler/heating etc certificates need to be mandatory, a non refundable deposit paid when offers accepted and minimum timescale to complete. It's a joke that you can go through months of waiting, then someone changes their mind at the 11th hour (& yes that happened to me & I was liable for all my solicitors costs🤬). Good luck op hope you get someone soon 🤞

Thank you all for the responses, I have read them all and taken them on board. I hadn’t realised how common this sort of thing is…the tourists going to look at houses as a hobby is completely bizarre to me but it takes all sorts I suppose.
I’ll get back to the estate agent and see if they can filter people at least a little bit, though I’m not sure if it’s the done thing in this area - when we went for viewings there were no questions asked, from any estate agent.
We’ll probably reduce the price if this continues, though it could probably just be the market at the moment - others in the area have said sales are moving unusually slow at the moment.

Ferl ur pain op. Mine been on since March. Estate agent hot air. No offers. No job after August. Relocating, but nothing going according to plan.

As an estate agent trust me we share your frustration! It’s just rude and unnecessary.

you could ask the agent to only send viewers in a position to proceed, and to phone and check they are attending on the day, but otherwise unfortunately there’s not a lot you can do.

it’s infuriating. I feel for you.

I understand what a pain it is getting your house looking it's best. When we last sold, we had 3 dc under 6, were both working outside the home, and were caring for a disabled parent whilst grieving for another. It isn't easy.
BUT
I also understand that buying a house is a HUGE decision. It is such a massive financial investment, and some posters (on loads of threads over the years, not specifically this one) seem to expect people to make decisions on one quick 10 minute viewing.
I'm not going to do that on my next move, even though I have bought a few times before. I know that photos and a floor plan don't tell you about the 'feel' of the house. EA's don't help the situation by the way they photograph things, trying to give the impression rooms and views are different from what they are. They call it marketing, but it is a recipe for people being disappointed when they get inside the house.

It's a pain, but it is what it is. We are hoping to move in the next couple of years and I wouldn't dream of putting an offer in without viewing several houses.

@krustykittens strangely we live in Bath too and met a couple of late 20 something girlie estate agents in the local wine bar - we had a really good chat generally and I was very impressed with their manner, knowledge and general attitude - one worked at Savills -maybe we get a better standard of estate agent here!!

There was a thread on here ages ago from an OP who was selling and this older couple came to look, then had a second viewing, then just kept randomly turning up on the doorstep asking to pop in and check this or that, or making appointments to ‘measure up’ and spending literally hours in there looking in cupboards etc whilst she was trying to work.

Eventually she lost patience with it all, at which point the couple just disappeared - never had any intention of buying, and IIRC it turned out they were known locally as serial timewasters; nosing round other people’s houses was literally their hobby.

Bloody infuriating, which is why we’ve always tried to sell off market or only show to immediately proceedable buyers. It saves wasting a hell of a lot of time and trouble pandering to tourists and people who aren’t in a position to buy even if they wanted to.

my blunt opinion...

just how is it gettting quite so dirty./messy between viewings that it's taking you hours to prepare for the next viewing? Especially if you both work full time?

you need to put more in storage/get rid of it if a daily 5 minute tidy doesn't keep you on top of it.

people view houses in person, that might nit be perfect on paper because the hope the pros outweigh the cons or that they can change the con in some way. Measurements aren't always enough, sometimes you need to be able to actually see it for yourself.

The EA agent listed my neighbours (sane footprint) house as 3 dble bedrooms. 🤣🤣🤣. Doubles? The 3rd barely accommodates a single bed due to the shape/ stairs/cupboard etc.

its no wonder people viewing were not impressed!! Whereas when new agents marketed as 2bdrm plus study/office/boxroom it sold very quickly. Make sure your listing reads true not bollocks!!

plus remember must people will give an
obvious reason if they just don't like it, to avoid hurty feelings.

things like kitchens/bathrooms can look very different in person than in photos,

it's just a numbers game. Make yours as easy to present well as you can so it's a 15 min job, not hours.

Good luck

@RhaenysNo, of course not. The point of a viewing is to let people who are ready to buy and have already read the listing carefully, looked at the photos, video, floor plan and measurements, researched the area, considered their budget and researched the market to see what’s realistic for their money, and have already decided they like the house at least somewhat and may want to buy it, to come and see it in person.

I’m clearly expecting too much though, so will try to chill, for my own sanity at least.

We're in the same position. We're got a regular 3-bedroom semi-detached house but the viewers we're getting have huge families with 3 teenagers or even a grandparent that needs a room and then complaining we haven't got an ensuite or downstairs bathroom even though there is a floor plan on the listing. I think it's because our house is done and looks nice and most of the 4-beds in the area are pretty run down but it's still so frustrating to have to get it ready for viewings constantly whilst we're both working long hours.

We've got a young couple coming on Monday who are related to one of my neighbours so I'm hoping this is the one

Completely with you on the keeping the house and garden tidy and the pets out the way, with teenagers and a full time job. Mines been 5 months now, 7 viewings, one no show, one showed up 40 mins early and with a dog ! Im already fed up of it. I keep hearing the market is dead here, selling due to divorce so can't afford to drop much and still afford to buy. Unsure if changing estate agents will help as I don't feel they've been great, but if it's the market that's too quiet, another local agent won't be able to do much more.