Trying to view a property.

BarryBlue

A property has just come up for sale in an apartment block where I have been keen to buy a property for some time to add to my small portfolio. I have contacted the estate agent and they tell me there is a tenant there at present but assure me that the property will be sold with vacant possession. I have rung a number of times last week to try and arrange a viewing and keep getting fobbed off by them saying they are having problems arranging it with this tenant.

I understand that the agent/vendor have to give the tenant notice of a viewing but the agent seems to be dragging their heels doing this. They appear to be one of these cheap & cheerful outfits selling for a flat fee. I have asked them to tell the vendor there is a prospective cash buyer with no chain involved but I don't think they have done so.

Has anyone else encountered this? I am tempted to ring them in a day or so if they don't contact me. It is my intention to make a low offer on it unseen, so they have to pass this on to the vendor and he will kick them into action.

seven-day-weekend

The tenant does not have to agree to let anyone view the property, so maybe this is the problem the EA is having.

alchemist.1

We had similar. They already had an offer in which the vendor was happy to accept but were just making sure the buyer was going to go ahead with it.

BarryBlue

alchemist.1 wrote: »

We had similar. They already had an offer in which the vendor was happy to accept but were just making sure the buyer was going to go ahead with it.

I know there have been no offers or even other viewings. The property had only been listed for 2 days when I first rang. The agent has said he has to give the tenant 24 hours notice to view with a key but seems to be dragging his heels doing so.

I have wanted to buy in this block for a while but this is the first one to come up for sale since 2010. It is close to my home so I am keen to buy a couple of apartments there if I can. Surely the agent would want to sell ASAP if he is on flat fee. I just think he is useless.

Mallotum_X

Agent may have a preferred buyer lined up already. If they are a letting agent too its in their interest to sell it to a landlord who uses them for letting rather than anyone else.

BarryBlue

Mallotum_X wrote: »

Agent may have a preferred buyer lined up already. If they are a letting agent too its in their interest to sell it to a landlord who uses them for letting rather than anyone else.

Good point. But why even advertise it if they have a buyer before they list it? They do seem to be letting agents too, but quite small-time. One thing's for sure - if I do buy it they will not be my letting agent!

deviruchi

We had a similar situation when trying to view a house which was let out - when I rang to book a viewing the EA said it was a tricky one as the tenant wasn't being very cooperative. I rang more than once and they did get back to me with only two possible viewing times in a 2 week period - the only times the tenant would allow it. So it could be that something similar is happening here. When we did view it the tenant was in and it was incredibly awkward - very obvious they weren't happy about the situation and the EA was basically silent throughout!

StressedFTB

My money would be on a buyer already being lined up, who'se viewed it before it went on Rightmove.

The same happened to me, but the agent subsequently knew my interest and situation. I viewed the next similar property they marketed before it went on Rightmove and had an offer accepted within a few hours of the listing going live.

Angie_B

When I was trying to buy a flat a few years ago, I had a very similar experience. No matter how many times I called, I could not get a straight answer or actually manage to book a viewing.

Turned out the tenants just would not allow it at all. In the end, the flat sat there for months because no one could get in to view, as the Landlord/seller wanted to have their cake and eat it too. If the seller is serious about selling, they should have got the tenants out first before putting it on the market.

My next move, I refused to even consider tenanted properties.

System

Would you like to buy mine??!! haha

Mine is currently rented out (her contract is due to end next month), the property is in the process of going on the market but she works full time and isn't available until after 6pm. She has already told me she doesn't want last minute viewings and wants to be there for them all (rather than me showing potential buyers the property).. I have also been around to do some repairs recently and the apartment hasn't been in the cleanest state... a little worried she might be uncooperative when it comes to viewings. But totally out of my control.. I have to work around her which is a tad annoying! Maybe your buyer is in a similar situation? x

BarryBlue

Angie_B wrote: »

When I was trying to buy a flat a few years ago, I had a very similar experience. No matter how many times I called, I could not get a straight answer or actually manage to book a viewing.

Turned out the tenants just would not allow it at all. In the end, the flat sat there for months because no one could get in to view, as the Landlord/seller wanted to have their cake and eat it too. If the seller is serious about selling, they should have got the tenants out first before putting it on the market.

My next move, I refused to even consider tenanted properties.

Oh, don't worry. I would have no intention of buying it with a sitting tenant and my first question to the agent was to confirm it was being sold with vacant possession. He assured me they would give the required notice for visiting with a key but has failed to do so this far.

As and when it does happen, I would not even consider instructing my solicitor until the tenant has gone. I would never take on anyone else's tenant because I would not have had the thorough vetting carried out that my agent provides.