Viewing properties before selling your own?

victoriavictorious

Our house is going on the market next week (yay!) and I'd be very interested to hear what people think about viewing property before you have a buyer (assuming the agent and seller are amenable to this)?
Do you do it, or do you prefer to wait until you are proceedable before looking in earnest?
Would you allow people to view your property before they were under offer?
It wouldn't be an issue for us and we wouldn't refuse viewings / offers in such a situation because things can change and you never know, but we would keep our house on the market until they were in a position to proceed.

freeisgood

From experience...the vendors generally tell the agents not to allow viewings unless proceedable, and by that, at least an offer on your house already.

NeilCr

I’m sort of thinking of moving and have had no problems with arranging viewings.

The agents were fully aware of my position (house not even on market) and were fine about it.

betsie

We have had 2 viewers neither had their house on the market. One really liked ours and has put theirs up for sale now. We haven't taken ours off the market and I haven't looked at anything.

teddysmum

I would hate to have lined someone up for my property then have to find somewhere in a hurry and have to compromise.


My sister found the home she wanted (only along the street, but detached and having a drive to the garage) and had her offer accepted before marketing her house, as she could have afforded to pay cash for the new home , but didn't want to as it meant taking out savings which would loss their higher interest rate because of early withdrawal .


The situation worked out well as he first viewer offered the full asking price and the seller needed time for the completion of a newbuild, over in Wales .

JP1978

We looked at houses before ours was listed - we had an EA round and was waiting on the Home report visit and we looked at the house we are in now

The previous owner did look down his nose at us a little when we told him ours wasnt even on the market.

10 days later, 22 viewings, 10 offers 5 of which above home report value he soon changed his tune :-)

hazyjo

I always view before I sell.

But... NEVER view if you will get emotionally attached and would sell your granny or a kidney to get it.

JoJo1978

I don't see a problem as long as you are honest. A few vendors may not let you view but that's probably because they're in a hurry or can't do many viewings and so save the slots for buyers who are proceedable.

Be clear that you're not just window shopping and are serious about moving. We started viewing before sold due to location being 100 miles away so took planning. We were on the market though.

Yazmina

I did this with my hubby way before we were ready to sell. It was really to see what we could get for our money. A floor plan telling me that a bedroom was 3 x 3m didn't really mean anything to me so I needed to go and see it, and check out the neighbourhood. We were up front about not yet being on the market.

victoriavictorious

Thank you - really interesting replies. Tbh I wasn't expecting so many to have viewed - or even have been allowed to view - before they were under offer!
Unfortunately I *am* the type to fall in love with a house and have my heart broken if I lose it, so probably better that I don't do it!
In fact I already have fallen in love with one house I found on RM and haven't even viewed it yet! It had been on the market since last Aug but has now been temporarily removed for reasons unknown. I called the agent to ask them what was happening and they said it would be coming back on in the next few months. He added that we'd need to be under offer before we could view it anyway; hopefully its remarketing will coincide with an offer on ours (she said optimistically...) It is - or was - 10K over budget but offers invited. We won't need a mortgage so fingers crossed......