House selling and time wasters

M0nica

*NotAGran*, I quite agree. it is 25 years since we last sold a property, but apart from a quick look round to make sure the loo seats were down that is all i do before a viewing. People have always viewed houses we have sold 'as is'. We have never had a problem finding buyers.

You have only got to watch a house programme, or read threads like this to realise that, for example, your house may be immaculate, but if a buyer doesn't like the living room curtains they may decide not to buy, to realise how flimsy and random the reasons for buying, or not buying a house can be.

Times have changed though.
Younger people aren't prepared to 'make do' the way our generation were and are used to seeing perfect houses online and often grew up in pretty 'designed' looking houses.
I think a cluttered house would be more of a turn off nowadays than 25 years ago.

We put our house on the market after first lockdown (strong family reasons for the timing!) EA showed people round. After each viewing we had to go round disinfecting every door handle, light switch, chair back etc etc, EA advised us to put away certain things too (eg hoover and ironing board so it didn’t highlight there wasn’t a cupboard for them, couple of extension leads so it didn’t highlight the lack of power points, our scruffy arrangement of an extra quilt on top of DH’s side of the bed) and get out a display folder of paperwork that showed the high speed WiFi and the fact there was a new boiler and oven. All small things but together with a clean round and all that pigging disinfecting it made it stressful!

My SiL (in USA) had tried to sell her house for ages then one morning got a ludicrously early phone call saying a family were passing through and wanted to come. They were all still in bed! All dragged clothes on and vacated a very messy house but not before the eldest DS had done the world’s smelliest poo in the bathroom. The viewers put in an immediate offer.

When I was still a tenant and the LL decided to sell the house I had no intention of putting myself out to tidy up etc. There was nothing in it for me and the LL had refused to lower the rent during viewings. People took the place as they found it and I know that it did put a few people off to see durty dishes in the sink and an unmade bed. I just sat there watching TV while the EA showed them round. I know they felt awkward.

One man was so rude that I decided to allow no further viewings. I didnt tell the EA this - just made myself very difficult to contact. This was back in 2001 when there were no smart phones and they only had my landline for contact. Whenever I saw it was their number I did not answer the phone and the EA had no keys for the house. Subsequently I moved to another house in the same street and bought it when the LL decided to go and live in Dubai.

We had a note put through our door asking us to make contact if we decided to sell our house. The note sat in a drawer for 6 years before we decided to sell. We had engaged an EA but remembered the note and rang them. They had just sold their own house, offered the asking price and over 20 years later are still living in the house. Some things are meant to be!

Those TV programmes are responsible for false hopes but they are fun to watch.

Does anyone remember the wonderful realistic descriptions of houses for sale from EA Roy Brooks who became famous?
www.mortgagestrategy.co.uk/opinion/roy-brooks/

I can remember a Location x 3 programme where someone was insistent he wanted a house in a town where none were available in his price range.

In the end Kirsty got him into a corner and said 'You are hoping that either someone will put a house on the market at two thirds of its value, or someone will reduce their price by a third . THIS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. Estate agents know the market and in a busy market there are few or no price reductions.

The chap finally got the message, and after spending 2 years looking for this mythical 'cheap as chips' house, bought a very nice flat.

Good grief! How rude! But these days, I would not be surprised, sadly.

Out of curiosity do any of you look in drawers and cupboards that aren't part of the fixtures and fittings? I'm tidying up everywhere just in case.

There was a time, in Scotland anyway, when houses were advertised in the papers on Thursdays, flats on Wednesdays and "commercial" premises on Tuesdays.
Open viewings were strictly Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons except by arrangement with an EA.
.
This house was only advertised on Tuesday! We bought a substantial house currently in industrial use, with potential to be an hotel and spent the next many years turning it back into a family home. Fine except that I am now, 42 years later, all alone in a huge house and wouldn't know how to begin to advertise it

I don't like the modern way whereby the EA does the viewing, rather than the vendor.
I had a lot of viewers and many wanted to view after work which meant me rushing eating dinner and clearing up or eating very late. The worst thing was having to go out and walk around during the viewing which was horrible on dark, cold, wet winter evenings. I don't have a car to sit in.
Viewers other favoured time was 10am Saturday. I always have my DS and DGC staying then and could not get everyone up, washed, dressed and out by that time so had to refuse it.

I remember one harassed and poor 'weekend father' telling me that on wet days he would take his little one to look at houses where he thought there were children. They would usually start to play together, he would be offered a cup of tea.....and that was an hour passed pleasantly & cheaply! Funnily enough I realised on hearing a friend moaning, that she had probably had him viewing!

I did actually ask someone why she had come in and taken up our time, and on leaving said 'sorry but my husband would never consider a shared drive'. She said that of she had really loved it, she might have tried to persuade him! I was still sceptical though, it was on a 1970s estate of identical houses, she didn't need to come in to know the basics!

On the other hand, we were sent to view a 'quirky house' by an estate agent who most certainly knew that we have 3 children under 5. The floor plan appeared to show 4 bedrooms upstairs along a landing. However, when we got there, instead of a door, there was a wall dividing the landing in 2. We would have had to go downstairs, outside and back upstairs to get to our children in the night (unless we all crammed into 2 bedrooms which rather defeated the point...)
I rather think the owners thought we were wasting their time, but at least we could point out we didn't know until we were inside.

Razzamatazz

This thread has made me reflect on how stressful it was. I sold a railway station and sometimes the first question would be 'what time are the trains', as though I was the Fat Controller!

That's wonderful if infuriating Razza

We had a time waster once who admitted she was. "I am not interested in buying but my house is similar so wanted to see what you were offering for the price in order to know what to ask for mine".

My neighbour left theirs in the hands of the EA, went on holiday for a week, leaving it very tidy, and it was sold by the time they were home.

Good luck Vintagejazz

This thread makes me realise we were ideal buyers. Our vendor must have been pleased. DH even offered the asking price, though we did negotiate it down after the survey.
I just wish we had much less stuff than the previous owner, as the house looked more spacious, because less cluttered.

Razzamatazz

This thread has made me reflect on how stressful it was. I sold a railway station and sometimes the first question would be 'what time are the trains', as though I was the Fat Controller!

I think if I ever sell this house I will leave it in the hands of the estate agent. They are being paid enough to do very little. The last person to sell her's did that and she and her family moved out each time there was a viewing. At least she did not have to listen to the rude comments. It is at least 6 years since a house was sold in this cul de sac.

This thread has made me reflect on how stressful it was. I sold a railway station and sometimes the first question would be 'what time are the trains', as though I was the Fat Controller!

Doodledog

My sister is selling, and she's had similar problems. She has a video of the house on the EA's website, along with a clear description and a floorplan, yet still people say the rooms are too big, or the location is not what they are looking for etc, when everything is very clear before they get there.

It's infuriating, and because of the location of her house she thinks that people treat it as a day out.

It used to infuriate me when viewers e.g. ‘wanted bigger bedrooms’ or ‘a bigger garden’ - and I found out that the EA had brought them round without their even having had a proper look at the particulars.

Eventually I told the EA that this sort of viewing was wasting everybody’s time - hers, theirs and mine.

I also put my foot down over the EA phoning to say, ‘I have a Mr and Mrs X here - OK to bring them round in 20 minutes?’

I had to state firmly that I would always need a minimum of 2 hours’ notice - I am not a tidy type!

Sparklefizz

I think these house buying programmes on TV have encouraged people to make ridiculous and often insulting offers. They view properties way above their maximum budget in the hope of getting a massive reduction.

I agree. Even when people can afford the asking price and admit the house is worth it they're still determined to offer a really low price and resent having to pay anything close to the asking price. They never seem to realise that the vendor is just a normal citizen who needs to move for whatever reason and can't do so if they don't get the proper market price.

Razzamatazz

Good luck Vintagejazz, I hope you have a selection of offers to choose from after your open day.

Thanks. Fingers crossed.

I agree Sparklefizz. I used to watch these programmes and the presenter's face when people mention a ridiculous 'cheeky offer' is priceless. I'm always glad when the seller comes back with a counter offer. I think the antiques shows where they haggle money off from shop dealers are also a poor example.

I'm a Londoner living in the north, and when I found my prospective buyer was also from the south, realised he thought he was going to get my house cheap as chips as they say. His 'negotiation' was very ugly and my friend and I thought he couldn't afford it, he wanted money off for almost everything. He has now listed his listed building planning permission consent and is spending at least £500K. And I paid for his damp/timber survey because the EA said 'poor X has already spent so much money on his survey'.

I think these house buying programmes on TV have encouraged people to make ridiculous and often insulting offers. They view properties way above their maximum budget in the hope of getting a massive reduction.

Good luck Vintagejazz, I hope you have a selection of offers to choose from after your open day.

Grannybags

Many years ago when our house was for sale , after having a good look round, someone said "I've always wondered what this house looked like inside"

They had only come in to be nosey!

Oh, yes, we had several of those when we sold our last house!

I don't mind time wasters coming along to open viewings. The house is ready and on view anyhow and a crowd can create a buzz.
But booking an individual viewing and then just cancelling at the last minute is putting lots of people out: the estate agent, the vendors, people who might have made themselves available to babysit the vendor's children, people who've allowed you to switch appointments or take a couple of hours off work etc
It's just so selfish and rude.
Anyhow I expect I'll just have to swallow hard for the next few weeks

If you get the agent to allow viewing to those with proven “funds” that will cut out most of the time wasters. An increasing number now auction the property to get a quicker assured sale and only serious viewings.