When's the right time to start looking?

robynlouise

We have an estate agent coming around a week tomorrow to discuss getting ours on the market, I have an agreement in principle mortgage wise. When should we start booking viewings? Now, once we have interest in ours, when we accept an offer?! I have no idea.

bigfreddiel

If you can't proceed with a purchase the vendor may not be willing to wait till you are.

But every vendor is different, so you could just take a chance

Whatever you decide be upfront and explain your exact position to any vendor.

Cheers fj

robynlouise

I thought about getting a few viewings booked in now, whilst bearing in mind these may have gone by the time we are ready but it does give us the upper hand if they are still on the market when it is time to proceed. Thanks for your advice!

glasgowdan

I'd get looking now

hazyjo

Arrange viewings - so long as you're not going to be one of those who collapses in a heap or talks of bridging loans if you can't sell or might lose it

There will always be other houses (Says she who has fallen in love with one before selling, although at least the one I love is off the market at the mo lol.)

Jx

csgohan4

No harm looking, but your offer maybe rejected if you don't have an offer on your own house and there not able to move forward

getmore4less

it is impossible to predict the end date of the process

to estimate the start date is futile.

Start looking and viewing.

Work out your needs/wants so you can decide quickly as things come on the market.


if priced right you should sell in a reasonable timescale.

AlexMac

Agree with getmore4...

There are so many random factors in buying homes that I (despite being an arch-pragmatist) am beginning to get all mystical about it and think that fate determines!

Maybe it's because we live in an area where homes sell fast, but our last two purchases have gone incredibly quickly after many false starts;

- in one case we saw so many unsuitable or unaffordable places or houses which we liked but which were snapped up by others that we gave up. Decided not to move. Told all the local EAs to forget and de-list us. Then one EA approached us, out of the blue (in error?) with "the one"!

Next time (our current home) we were similarly despairing of ever finding something, as anything we offered on got snapped up. We then spotted a For Sale board while visiting friends in a street way outside our search area, and got a great offer on our place the next day... and WHAM... here we are (house for life, etc!

So start now, lower your expectations and let the dice or Kharma decide... Good luck