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How do people ever manage to book viewings??
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We conducted a long distance house hunt last year. If the places you're interested in are all in a similar area, start by putting aside your feelings on the profession and ring around all the local agents in that area, get on their books and explain what you're after. That should mean you get advance warning of properties about to come on the market before they hit Right Move etc.
We booked a couple of weekends away in the towns we were interested in, the first one to explore/"live" there and do a recce of the decent roads etc. The second trip we did intensive house viewings c. 6-10 a day. Once the local EAs realised this is how we were playing it they were actually really helpful, even working with each other to make sure we could get between appointments with different agents. We were cash buyers not requiring mortgage ssrvices either.
When I rang to enquire about listings the EAs gave me the house number/postcode. Sometimes I also found them on the titles of the floorplans on RM etc. So worth looking there. I hope your luck changes and that you get to the fun viewing bit...but try to find one before you get to house 40 like us!
Pretty much what happened with me. I had a 2 hour + journey and could only, practically, come down at weekends.
The first time I stayed over, had a mooch round the area (I did know it reasonably well) and went into every estate agent in town to make myself known and explain what I wanted. Helpfully, most agents are in the same road.
After that I'd get an early train on the Saturday and see 6-8 houses on the day. I had a reserve list as I found agents would ring while I was on the train cancelling viewings or trying to rearrange. It was a bit hectic as sometimes I didn't know exactly where I was - or the agent was late for a viewing which had a knock on effect.
Like JoJo1978 I didn't need a mortgage and have to say all the agents were absolutely fine. I think they, perhaps, accepted I was serious as I'd been in to see them and they knew that I had had to make a longish journey.
It worked. Saw one house that I liked - full offer made but in the end vendor (who went completely silent) decided not to sell. So back to the drawing board - next Saturday down again and found even better house. Negotiated on the day. Had to wait in the pub while this was going on. Agreed a price and was, by then, so drunk I couldn't find the station.
:beer::beer::D:D
One thing I'd say from my experience is that you have to watch out for acting too quickly as you have it in your mind that you won't be down that way again soon and don't want to miss out. Second viewings are problematic!
And, even in these days of RightMove, online everything, agents still appreciate seeing you face to face0 -
Crashy time at it again, this time being even lazier... Its a new index and its telling us prices are dropping, lets believe this rather than the established indexes including the land registry that are saying they are very slightly going up... All hail the new only truthful index (Unless it changes to show a positive in which case its a new index that can't be trusted).
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/foxtons-profit-slump-latest-results-london-housing-market-sales-lettings-historic-lows-a8232051.html0 -
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It'll be a very short conversation, then...victoriavictorious wrote: »We won't be talking to *any* finance guy because we don't need a mortgage.0 -
Pretty much what happened with me. I had a 2 hour + journey and could only, practically, come down at weekends.
The first time I stayed over, had a mooch round the area (I did know it reasonably well) and went into every estate agent in town to make myself known and explain what I wanted. Helpfully, most agents are in the same road.
After that I'd get an early train on the Saturday and see 6-8 houses on the day. I had a reserve list as I found agents would ring while I was on the train cancelling viewings or trying to rearrange. It was a bit hectic as sometimes I didn't know exactly where I was - or the agent was late for a viewing which had a knock on effect.
Like JoJo1978 I didn't need a mortgage and have to say all the agents were absolutely fine. I think they, perhaps, accepted I was serious as I'd been in to see them and they knew that I had had to make a longish journey.
It worked. Saw one house that I liked - full offer made but in the end vendor (who went completely silent) decided not to sell. So back to the drawing board - next Saturday down again and found even better house. Negotiated on the day. Had to wait in the pub while this was going on. Agreed a price and was, by then, so drunk I couldn't find the station.
:beer::beer::D:D
One thing I'd say from my experience is that you have to watch out for acting too quickly as you have it in your mind that you won't be down that way again soon and don't want to miss out. Second viewings are problematic!
And, even in these days of RightMove, online everything, agents still appreciate seeing you face to face
Thanks NeilCr that was helpful (and funny :beer:) and is more or less the situation we are in, except that every property of the type we are looking for, is snapped up immediately it comes on the market, so at the moment there isn't anything left for us to go and view!
If and when another comes on the market, it may mean making a special journey to view each one separately - if it hasn't gone before we can get up there!
It's not easy for us because OH works shifts, so we almost never have weekends to view, when vendors are around for viewings. Agents rarely seem to do viewings, and even when they do, they are very limited as to when they can fit you in.
I've never known it to be like this - it certainly seems to be a sellers market atm.
Only a week ago (just before we went under offer) I had 3 pages of bookmarked properties to view in 3 different regions but in the space of that week, every one of them has gone, even the ones that had been up for months! One of these did fall through but was again snapped up the day it went back on the market and we could never have got there in time anyway because of OH's work, so yet again we missed out!
It doesn't help that some agents deliberately leave sold properties on RM in the hope of selling you something else. Well, they're not going to persuade us to view another house on their books if we're not interested in it. We'll have already seen them all on Rightmove anyway. Agents just don't seem to get that.
As we've got nothing to view at the moment, we've no reason to make that 2+ hour journey, so I've registered online with a few agents for now.0 -
It was on the news yesterday that EAs have the lowest stock in all time at the moment (or the past 20 years).
It seems the last stamp duty concession has only muddied the market further as its put wise first time buyers off buying starter homes to rather wait till they can afford their first family home.
Stamp duty on ordinary family homes needs to be urgently abolished. Its put me off even thinking about downsizing or relocating for lifestyle reasons.
And don't I know it!!
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Crashy_Time wrote: »
Would that be the same independent that last month said....
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/uk-house-price-growth-housing-market-december-2017-property-average-a8207996.html
London saw massive increases, over and above the uk average for years so its not surprising that it is cooling as London prices are totally nuts.0 -
Is it worth you breaking the chain, and moving to a rental in that area - then you're on the spot to network with the agents and make sure YOU'RE on their "to call" list?victoriavictorious wrote: »Thanks NeilCr that was helpful (and funny :beer:) and is more or less the situation we are in, except that every property of the type we are looking for, is snapped up immediately it comes on the market, so at the moment there isn't anything left for us to go and view!
If and when another comes on the market, it may mean making a special journey to view each one separately - if it hasn't gone before we can get up there!
It's not easy for us because OH works shifts, so we almost never have weekends to view, when vendors are around for viewings. Agents rarely seem to do viewings, and even when they do, they are very limited as to when they can fit you in.
I've never known it to be like this - it certainly seems to be a sellers market atm.
Only a week ago (just before we went under offer) I had 3 pages of bookmarked properties to view in 3 different regions but in the space of that week, every one of them has gone, even the ones that had been up for months! One of these did fall through but was again snapped up the day it went back on the market and we could never have got there in time anyway because of OH's work, so yet again we missed out!
It doesn't help that some agents deliberately leave sold properties on RM in the hope of selling you something else. Well, they're not going to persuade us to view another house on their books if we're not interested in it. We'll have already seen them all on Rightmove anyway. Agents just don't seem to get that.
As we've got nothing to view at the moment, we've no reason to make that 2+ hour journey, so I've registered online with a few agents for now.0 -
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victoriavictorious wrote: »Yes, it is beginning to look that way at the moment. We have said we'd do this as a last resort.
If you are looking in more than one area, vv, you might want to make your rental in the middle of them if at all possible. I think, if you just hang in there, you will find the one and be the person who gets it. We are just coming into Spring, traditionally the best time of year to buy a house. Good luck and please let us know how you get on.
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