Seller won't let us look at house again until we exchanged contracts!

Ignite

I would like to add here a reminder that when you exchange, you are saying that you will buy the property in the condition it is in at the point of exchange. Therefore if the last time you have seen the property is a couple of weeks earlier than exchange, anything could have happened. I would therefore say to the sellers that you are coming round the evening before exchange is to take place. If they refuse to let you see the property, you will instruct your solicitor not to exchange the next day but will pull out of the deal. This is not an unreasonable request given that you are investing so much money into buying the property. Now if you put this to the estate agents, it will soon get something going on. Demand an early evening viewing not during the day. Remember that most good estate agents do work in the early evenings.

rrf494g

pull out anyway

Even if you get another viewing you may not spot what is being hidden. You surely have enough concern not to take the risk. If you have not had a full structural survey, there may well be a massive structural problem that has been papered and painted over. It can't be worth the chance that you will regret the purchase.

Ms_Chocaholic

Just wondered what time have your previous viewings taken place?

Audster68

Similar thing happened to me in my purchase in 2005. We saw the property in August and I wanted another look in October - but was put off by a variety of excuses - her daughter was poorly and she used this right until we exchanged completed! It wound me up no end, and it all became apparent when we moved in - noisy and occasionally anti-social neighbours! We plan to move next year as soon as I sort out my debts and I fully intend to look at our new prospective home a minimum of three viewings! It did have a bearing on how I felt about the house and of all the houses I have owned, this one has not been my favourite and its important to connect with what is one of the biggest purchases that you ever make!! I agree with the other posters who say that you need to either re-schedule or you'll pull out or just turn up!!

Charliezoo

We recently sold our house and the buyers asked for another viewing close to exchange.

I would normally have welcomed them straight away but I have to admit I did feel a little concerned. The main reason was that prices had dropped since they'd offered and I was worried they were coming round to try and find little faults they could negotiate a price drop on. I had visions of them pointing to a cracked fence panel and asking for a grand off the price to fix it or something.

Maybe this is the sort of thing the sellers are worried about. Try speaking some more the the ea and ask them why the sellers are so against you viewing again. Maybe try and reassure them that it really is just a simple measure up and you won't be making any price negotiations as a result.

goldbyron

Okay this could be a case of trying to hide something like noise so do a drive by for a start at night and weekends. Or knock at the neighbours door to get a sense of the surroundings.

However it could be a fed up vendor who just doesn't want to bother tidying up at the weekend and evening or is maybe wanting to delay things so doesn't have to do a face to face. I would suggest a weekend evening as a compromise - midday is very inflexible and press home that you aren't there to badger her or to change your mind but you just want to measure up as you are very excited.

baxt3r

I would ask to see the property one more time before exchanging. It's a perfectly reasonable request and I would certainly question any reasoning for them not allowing it.

My first house, we asked to view again and they never came back to us but we didn't think too much of it. The day we moved in we found the kitchen worktops missing and the place so dirty that I had to rip most of the kitchen out.

Turns out that there were 5 people living in a one bed.........

kev.s

your letting your heart ruling your head, you want the house simple as! if you went to buy a car and the dealer refused a test drive, would you want to buy the car? let alone deal with the garage, i'd tell the vendor you have no more interest in the property and walk away, i'd also tell the EA you want their fee's reviewed for their lack of service.
no doubt if you got the viewing you'd miss whatever it was you suspect, and then would come back with a post of having fingers burned etc, take the warnings signs and walk away.

goldbyron

Blimey - it is a bit of an over-reaction just to say walk away. I really would try and negotiate and at least give the vendor a chance - you are thinking of pulling out as you are concerned you are not allowed to view again. Don't just pull out...there could be a perfectly plausible reason. Maybe suggest that the agent just shows you round if she doesn't want to do the viewing or is busy?

goldbyron

I have to add that my partner's buyers viewed it twice before offer - came in the morning and in the evening. We placed no restrictions on the viewings at all. Within one week of the offer they wanted a third viewing because they wanted to bring all their family over and she wanted it that weekend. We said no as after weeks of viewings and a week of responding to buyers many phone calls, we needed a weekend to arrange personal events that we had had to put off for months. We also didn't have the time to tidy up etc. Having said that we have left it open for them to come again on the weekend or during the weekday evenings or daytimes. I do appreciate that buyers wanted to have more than 2 viewings but I certainly will not pester my vendor for a third viewing until around exchange time. I brought my parents over on the 2nd viewing so I didn't need to bother her again. In the meantime I do drive bys to check for noise etc but am fairly confident there is no issue. So although this vendor may be covering (and specifying midday only is very inflexible) there may be genuine reasons why she doesn't want people in her house again. So negotiate and test her flexibility and maybe ask her to come up with a time in the evening or weekend....