Paranoid or something up - buyer wanting measurements?

patricia..xx

Not sure if there is anything I can do about this anyway, but our buyer wants to come and measure up this weekend. They have had no survey yet and were lurking around outside in their car yesterday.

I would rather if they had changed their minds they just said so, then we can get it back on the market.

If the worst comes to the worst and they do pull out how can I avoid this in future - i.e. just get a straight answer out of people. No more viewings until exchange? Until survey done?

Anyone have a positive story to make me feel better that they are genuine?

I_have_spoken

It could go either way. They may be using the excuse of 'measuring up' to have another really good look before committing ££s to a survey.

They're really only on the 1st rung as a "buyer". I guess they've made an offer and you've accepted - did they insist you take the house off the market?

how can I avoid this in future

You can't without risking coming across as a grumpy, hard to deal with seller by genuine buyers

Anyone have a positive story to make me feel better that they are genuine?

I visited the house I bought three times and 'lurked about' watching what sort of people were on the streets on a Friday night etc. so it need not be bad news

fragmast3r

sounds like there keen to me?

want to come and measure up, ive done this on all houses ive bought, so i can buy the stuff i need for moving in day

lurking around, i did loads of visits to the house ive just bought, getting a feel for noise, parking etc

the house i sold early this year, i didnt get a survey done, perhaps there happy not to have 1 either, and there mortgage survey could of been just a drive buy valuation

think you maybe getting worried over nothing
jas

G_M

I would always 'lurk around' if I was serious. I'd want to see what the street was like at different times of day (eg when school comes out, when the pubs come out etc).

I'd knock on the neighbours door too. Is that 'nosey'? Spooky? Maybe, but ifI'm serious I'll use all means to find out what I'm buying into.

Yes, 'measuring up' might be an excuse for a 2nd visit, but why do a 2nd visit if you are not serious?

Yes, following the 2nd visit they might change their minds. Who knows. But at least so far they are keen enough to be coming back!

Mrstickle

I think you are being over paranoid, and you should see this that they are keen. We keep going round to look at the house we are buying, sitting outside to admire what is about to be ours! Also getting a feel for the area. They wouldn't be coming back to measure if they are time wasters, they are getting a feel for the place and imagining their life there. Cut them some slack, they have every right to be excited.

landybabe

we have done a couple of drive bys and 2 vewings and then went again for the 3rd time when we had the survey asthere were some things we havent notice. We are just really excited !!!!

GwylimT

I lurked around my last home and this one before I bought it, I wanted to see it in the day time as I had viewed it early evening, I stood outside one day at about 10 pm so I could see what the traffic noise would be like when I was in bed. I also wanted to get a better idea of the neighbourhood, parking issues, I also thought more visits were likely to show any problems with neighbours.

moneyistooshorttomention

I'm guessing you are in the same generation as me (ie middle-aged).

I think there are probably two distinct mindsets re how the housebuying process works in the event.

The one that says it goes: viewing 1, viewing 2, surveyor visit, buyer comes back after Exchange of Contracts for a "measuring up" visit for working out sizes of curtains they will need and the like (and that's probably the viewpoint the Middle-Aged and Older Generation have).

The other viewpoint seems to go: however many viewings they want whenever they want and send in their workmen to work out what work they "might" want to do on the house once its theirs and/or they might be trying to find excuses to cut the price they have already agreed on the place and its anyone's guess whether these Extra Viewings before Contracts Exchanged are "genuine" or seeking an excuse to try and knock down the already-agreed price. That viewpoint seems to be common amongst the Younger Generation (ie 20s/30s).

You have my sympathies. I'm taking the standard Middle Aged and older Generation viewpoint and have been thoroughly upset by demands for workmen visits and Extra Viewings before Exchange. Obviously left upset by demands to tidy up my home yet again and being here for "their" workmen and getting kicked out of my own home for Extra Viewings.

I think a charitable viewpoint is they're excited and don't realise they aren't exactly being reasonable and fair to expect things like that - but that is the sort of Life Lesson that comes with age and experience. The plus side is that having given way to Younger Generation way of looking at things - those workmen and Endless Viewings - then its Our Turn Now when it comes to later decisions in the process (ie going at a pace that we tend to expect in our generation).

There will be crossover between different generational views obviously and some Younger Generation will be reasonable enough to know that Workmen in ever before completion and Endless Viewings is not fair or reasonable and abide by that. There will be some Middle-Aged or Older Generation not that bothered about workmen and Endless Viewings.

Most of us will come somewhere in the middle.

I can fully understand where you are coming from though. I've had to agree Younger Generation demands with my buyer, but its My Turn now and they have made several "requests" that do not go down well with Our Generation usually and probably don't even look at it as a "bit of try-on and worry" (ie how we would probably see it). But now the buying process from here on in will go according to Our Generations usual expectations.

I am telling myself I was once "young and heedless" and try to be patient at being on the receiving end of such behaviour....but it is a worry that they might possibly be after an excuse to try and reduce their offer.

I know I've had that concern myself when those workmen visits/Extra Viewings "requests" came up and it doesn't seem to be the case that they were going to be used as an excuse to try and reduce agreed price. I think they were just being thoughtless and I guess I was probably often thoughtless myself when I was younger...

It's such a shame that my buyer is being so "excited" (I think it is....) - as I was actually quite looking forward to actually deliberately inviting them back for that Third Viewing (ie the Measuring up for Curtains etc viewing) AFTER Exchange of Contracts - as I'm dead curious as to what the next owner of my house will be like. But they've upset me with those Workmen and Extra Viewings before Exchange that I've changed my mind about that....darn...and I was going to get out the best coffee and bikkies for them too...

mark?_3

so they're measuring up - most likely to work out furniture layouts and they're spending time hanging around the street to get a feel for the area. These aren't the actions of someone who's about to pull out of a purchase.

Remember, these people are about to spend many tens if not hundreds of thousands of pounds - and you're surprised they want to look around a few times?

patricia..xx

thanks all, I do feel a bit better. I just think all the reasons given above should be done before an offer is made as if you want to see the street at different times, worry about noise/neighbours those are things that you can't change and therefore you shouldn't agree to buy somewhere until you are happy with those issues.

I'm 33! Hope that doesn't make me middle aged - maybe I can buy your house moneystooshorttomention, seems like we would get on. And I love any biscuits ;-)

moneyistooshorttomention

mark? wrote: »

so they're measuring up - most likely to work out furniture layouts and they're spending time hanging around the street to get a feel for the area. These aren't the actions of someone who's about to pull out of a purchase.

Remember, these people are about to spend many tens if not hundreds of thousands of pounds - and you're surprised they want to look around a few times?

Yep..that IS understandable and a normal "human reaction". I'll give you that...but I think many buyers don't seem to realise its still someones "home" and they will be putting the seller out and maybe kicking them out of their own home (so the estate agent can let them back in again for that).

My personal "wish" for the place I am buying is to head back in there with measuring tape and notebook and spend hours planning and re-planning just how I want it to be. But I know that is something that will have to come after I have actually moved in and am entitled to spend hours deciding and then re-planning all over again and then changing my mind yet again. I know I will be spending many hours chopping and changing my mind about exactly how I plan to get my new home together and that that's up to me to do once I have actually moved into the place and am free to do that for however long I want to and change my mind endless times about the way to get it as I want.

Frustrating, as I'd love to spend a couple of days just having a "darn good think" about how and when....but that's Life...

But lurking in the general vicinity - now that I do understand...as I had my standard two viewings and surveyor visit when I bought my current house and then did a bit of "lurking in the general vicinity" until I actually moved in. Didn't even ask for that Third Viewing to "measure up" after Exchange in fact....(but there would have been no actual point to that anyway...so it doesn't matter in the Grand Scheme of Things...as I would only have been doing that out of curiosity, rather than because I actually needed to iyswim).