Viewing a house that is currently occupied.

Lionel_Thinkbag

In the last 2 months we've viewed about 7 properties, but every one of them has been empty and we've been shown around by the estate agent.

Today I arranged a viewing and was told that the sellers are currently still living there but in the process of moving out apparently - the property is advertised as no-chain. I'm a bit dubious about this as according to Property Bee it has been listed since May. Would it really take this long for the sellers to move out if they really are 'no chain' ? :undecided

Anyway the main purpose of this thread is I've never viewed a property where people are still living, and I've been given the impression that the seller will be showing us around. I find this a bit daunting. I have literally no idea what to expect as the house only has an external pic on rightmove (we'd assumed it was a probate sale or something similar) So I'm a bit worried, given that seeing empty houses with an estate agent is a different experience - you can be more honest without worrying about the sellers feelings.

I dunno, I just worry that I might inadvertenly insult the seller if I'm not enthusiatic about their avacado bathroom suite or something like that.

Anybody have any advice or tips on how not to put my foot in it?

PasturesNew

No chain could mean they're so far along in their buying of their new house that it wouldn't hinder a buyer, or they're moving into rented that's organised (e.g. for a job move) ... so it's probably OK and without a buyer there's no rush for them to move out.

No chain just means they're not trying to sell/buy back to back and will move out once a buyer's found.

jules888

We were the opposite to you in that most properties we viewed still had somebody living in it.Also we were still living in ours and were showing people round.The few people that looked round ours didnt say much at all,but were polite.The young woman that bought it was the most chatty and enthusiact one who looked round!Its a nervous time.

ash28

Lionel_Thinkbag wrote: »

In the last 2 months we've viewed about 7 properties, but every one of them has been empty and we've been shown around by the estate agent.

Today I arranged a viewing and was told that the sellers are currently still living there but in the process of moving out apparently - the property is advertised as no-chain. I'm a bit dubious about this as according to Property Bee it has been listed since May. Would it really take this long for the sellers to move out if they really are 'no chain' ? :undecided

Anyway the main purpose of this thread is I've never viewed a property where people are still living, and I've been given the impression that the seller will be showing us around. I find this a bit daunting. I have literally no idea what to expect as the house only has an external pic on rightmove (we'd assumed it was a probate sale or something similar) So I'm a bit worried, given that seeing empty houses with an estate agent is a different experience - you can be more honest without worrying about the sellers feelings.

I dunno, I just worry that I might inadvertenly insult the seller if I'm not enthusiatic about their avacado bathroom suite or something like that.

Anybody have any advice or tips on how not to put my foot in it?

I don't think we've ever looked around an empty house.....the EA did the viewings on the last house we sold 18 months ago......before that we did the viewings ourselves.

The house we bought was occupied, the seller was at work and his mother showed us around. We said nothing when she showed us round....just things like "nice" and "that's a good size" etc.

I think you have to be fairly non committal to be honest....keep any negative thoughts to yourself and discuss them afterwards with your partner or estate agent.

Let the EA give the seller any feedback.

And we lived in our house until completion.

Davesnave

I don't see the problem, unless you find socialising difficult.

You are just going to look briefly at someone's house, which no reasonable person should expect you to like, or find completely suitable for your needs.

The agent may show you around, or the owner might, but either way, they won't expect you to go into paroxysms of ecstatic joy about the place. Most people play their cards close to their chests, so experienced sellers will be well aware that the chattiest viewer will possibly be covering nervousness, or giving them a load of BS.

You just need to be polite and non-committal, as the above poster says. You can say if you like something without sounding over-enthusiastic but negative comments are best kept for later feedback.

The biggest problem with first viewings is that in the heat of the moment details are missed or forgotten, so have a list of the things most important to you that aren't on the particulars and fill it in soon afterwards. For example,

garden overlooked?
sunny aspect?
noise outside?
any good/bad views?
tidiness/impression of neighbourhood...

You will have your own priorities.

hazyjo

You don't need to say it out loud in the house if you think it'll offend someone. Just wait until you're out.

If you feel the need to point something out or if you think you might forget to tell your OH important about a room, just keep notes as you walk round and discuss it later.

If you don't like it enough to proceed on, there's nothing lost if your OH misses something you've seen. If you do both want to proceed or think it's a possibility, point out all the things you think he missed on the first viewing (and vice versa) and have a second viewing together (advisable anyway!).

I try to do a bit of both - I don't want to offend, but would point something out to my other half like a dark room, a damp patch/leak evidence, ceiling tiles, or if we'd struggle to fit say a double bed in (maybe a strange layout rather than down to size which you could get from the particulars). I would also try to point out the positives like a light room, a large window, or a nice layout.

It's knowing where to draw the line - I'd not walk in and say their house stunk of dog (been there and kept schtum!), or that it was filthy.

I also doubt I'd make a decision on the spot - sometimes you can see the positives once you've walked away and realised it doesn't really matter if the kitchen's vile, if it stinks of dog or if it's like something out of that hoarders programme.

Jx

pinkteapot

I HATE viewings done by the estate agent and far prefer to meet the sellers. EAs never know the answers to:

* What are the neighbours like?
* How old is the boiler?
* When was the boiler serviced?
* When were these windows replaced?
* Are you planning on leaving this appliance/shed/light fitting/cat?

etc. etc.

Every time I've done a viewing with an agent and liked the house, I've left them with a long list of questions to phone the vendor and ask. So much easier if you can chat to the vendor themselves.

It's also good to talk to them to suss out what their plans are, how keen they are to move, etc. Can give you some useful insights into whether they're open to offers or not.

In every viewing we've done with a vendor, they've shown us round and then let us wander around again on our own. At that point we point things out to each other with gestures and whispers.

globetraveller

Also, even if it is the house of your dreams, keep it to yourself! They might push the price more if they think you really have to have it.

tim123456789

PasturesNew wrote: »

No chain could mean they're so far along in their buying of their new house that it wouldn't hinder a buyer, or they're moving into rented that's organised (e.g. for a job move) ... so it's probably OK and without a buyer there's no rush for them to move out.

No chain just means they're not trying to sell/buy back to back and will move out once a buyer's found.

I was told that my purchase was "no chain" but as soon as she got my offer she decided that she wanted to buy something

Fortunately, the MA were so !!!!!!! useless as responding to enquiries, her (new) purchase was still ready to exchange before I was.

angelsmomma

If there is only a picture of the outside it could be a tenanted property. That could be a whole new problem.

Davesnave

angelsmomma wrote: »

If there is only a picture of the outside it could be a tenanted property. That could be a whole new problem.

Or maybe not.....

When we were tenants, the agent asked if we would kindly allow a visit by a couple who'd seen the place for sale some time before the LL decided to rent it.

We said "Yeah, why not?" as we'd done plenty of viewings selling our previous house.

Dozy agents expected us to do the viewing too, as it was a weekend, so we did, pointing out the signs of subsidence, the other serious problems that would need quite urgent attention and the nosy neighbour next door.

Never heard another thing about viewings!