Help close to exchange but want to view another house!

ognum

We are close to exchange on a mid terraced house, this house has several small issues that will require work and time but no major problems.
The house is not in a chain, we are cash buyers the vendors are moving into rented. We have asked for a reduction on survey and the vendors were faily set on their price and dropped a little. We have never met the vendors everything has been done through the EA so feel we do not have a relationship with them and they have always seemed from our point of view to want things their way!
Yesterday another house in the same terrace came up for sale except it is the end of terrace, completely modernised, new windows etc. Looking at the pics it does not have the same 'feel' as the one we are purchasing and the asking price is £15000 more than the asking price of the one we are close to exchange on.
I contacted the EA and said we would like to view it, sadly it is the same EA, would have been easier if it wasnt, he came back to me saying the vendors had refused to let us view because they are friends with our vendors.
We are now being pressurised by the EA to exchange. I feel pretty confused by this. There is nothing to say that if we viewed we would wnt to buy and I feel the EA has advised the new vendors not to show there house. Any help please

DPJames

How's the estate agent going to konw they're friends, what a load of horse !!!!!!. Just phone up and pretend to be someone else.

ognum

DPJames wrote: »

How's the estate agent going to konw they're friends, what a load of horse !!!!!!. Just phone up and pretend to be someone else.

Apparently he claims he explained the situation to them and they said they did not want us to view!!
The pressure is on to exchange today, my husband is keen to think things over.

Horizon81

Well as you know until you exchange contracts you're not bound to anything. I'm surprised the vendor of house number 2 is so close to the vendor of house number 1 that he's refusing to let you view. Why does he care - he's leaving the neighbourhood?!
Maybe the agent is just feeding you BS as they just want a sale of house number 1. Get a friend to phone up about the second house and then you just go along for a look at it. You can't just proceed with the purhcase of a house because the agent is telling you to!

mrmrsa

The EA isn't going to want you to see the other property as it just causes problems for them if you were to go with that one instead.

I'd do what DP suggested or ask someone else to phone up for you. My mum did this for us a few times after we'd already put an offer on a place but we wanted to view properties with the same EA. She just told them her own details, booked the viewings and I simply went along with her. You'll be viewing the property with the owners and not with the EA so they've got no chance of knowing who you actually are.

mrs-h_3

I would do as others have suggested ie go with someone else to view, you are not bound by anything until exchange so put it off! i cant see any neighbours personally being that friendly they would turn down a viewing especially in this market, i think the ea is talking out of his a**e!!!!

G_M

EA just want to get you to Exchange as quickly/easily as possible. That's where his quickest/surest route to commission lies.

If you have doubts, don't Exchange. YOU decide if/when to Exchange, not the estate agent!

Do as suggested. Get a friend to arrange a viewing of house 2, and just go along as well. You 'friend' is buying, you are there to advise!

kazwookie

If you are unsure DON'T sign anything, till you and your OH have had thinking time, like another poster has said get your mum / friend/ etc to ring up to make a viewing of the other proprty and just go along with them.

ruggedtoast

Its awkward though isnt it.

Horizon81

ruggedtoast wrote: »

Its awkward though isnt it.

Life is awkward.

The poster clearly isn't happy exchanging today. It would make sense to view the second house and decide the course of action after that. Screw the estate agent!

tyllwyd

The two houses are in the same terrace - it seems perfectly possible that the two vendors would know each other. If I was the second vendor, and I knew the other couple thought that you were going to buy their house and you were potentially going to let them down at the very last moment, I think I would probably refuse to let you come and view. If nothing else, if you did offer on the other house I would be worried that you were unreliable buyers and might do the same another time.

And if I was selling house number 1 and discovered my EA had arranged a viewing on house number 2 without telling me, no matter what the legal rights or wrongs of it, I'd be hopping mad.