Final property viewing before exchange: what should we ask the vendors?

[ErlingHaalandsManBun]

DH and I are going to view the property we are buying one last time before exchange of contracts. Its more just to refresh our memories over one or two things but we want to make sure we ask any questions about the house while we have the vendors there to ask face to face.

What kind of things do we need to ask our vendors?
What kind of things should we be looking at?

We have thought about things such as how the cooker/heating works, what day is bin day, and taking a mental note of where the power points and plug sockets are in each room.

Anything we are missing?

What things would you want to know before you moved in?

I asked them to show me any quirks about the house and they showed me the hive heating buttons and where the override switches for the built in appliances as they were hidden away.

I did check the heating worked but it was winter so that was easier.

We also verbally agreed a couple of small value items they could leave that weren't on the fixtures forms, things like TV brackets that they would remove unless we wanted them.

It was good to meet them actually. We had an easy process overall.

I’ve done most of the above even before I’ve offered! I’ve asked about the garden, the sun, the neighbours, whether the loft can be boarded out or not and whether the TV is wired up to only receive signal through a satellite dish as they’ve placed the TV on the wall with all the cabling hidden. I don’t want any hidden surprises where to get normal free view TV we have to chase out walls for more cabling.
Im still waiting on answers for some of the above before I’ll make an offer. That way I’m happy that we won’t need to mess them around in the future.

When I sold my house in March this year - my buyers had 5 viewings over 6 months. Towards the end I must admit I had enough!

Two, back to back on consecutive days, back when we first offered last October. We are relocating, hence the two viewings close together while we were in the area.

Todays was our 3rd and final one.

I'm a bit baffled at this as this flies in the face of everything you're told not to do, being friendly with your buyers and sellers isn't a good idea and if your conveyancer suggested all this then wow, what are they there for or doing? When it comes to viewing when I sell I won't be there for any viewing and all enquiries will go through estate agents/conveyancer, that's what you have them for. Not buying a house off someone as they're 'unfriendly'...this is business, friendliness has nothing to do with it....!

You haven't even exchanged yet! What a palaver over a house you may not even buy.

Are you somewhere where the market is very difficult for sellers? Have to say, as a seller, I wouldn’t have engaged on any of that. Though I’m guessing it’s a buyer’s market near you if you haven’t yet offered and it’s still on the market?

Very much a seller’s market where I am. We had 19 bidders within three days of the first viewing so think the EA was able to sieve out any dawdlers or time-wasters. I certainly wouldn’t have expected to have to deal with questions around tv cables. Like, if you love a house, are you really not going to buy it because of a cable?

This. I do appreciate you are not there to chamge the terms of the deal or pull out. But personally I'd just get on with moving in. You can deal with anything that happens then without causing stress and bother to the vendors.

Of course they will say they are happy for you to come round but really how hard can all these things be...most people (have never heard of this pre exchange viewing) work these out when they move.

No one is aghast at someone doing this. Just aghast at the thought anyone would do it after making an offer having it accepted and having gone through all the conveyancing.

The time to have done that was before making an offer.

But that's not what the OP is having the last viewing for anyway.