Viewing with the owners not estate agent

atarisrocks

I am going to see a property for a second time as the previous viewing was pre covid and before committing to spending the most money we ever have spent we would like to see it.

 The last time we viewed the property we had stood outside waiting for the agent and after 10 minutes we knocked on the door and found out the viewing would be with the owners which was kind of awkward as we felt they were listening for everything we said both good and bad.

Lucky the house was lovely hence the second viewing.

 We have now been informed that once again it will be with the owners as the estate agent is too busy and we have expressed our disappointment in this.

 We have had a lot of issues with the agent as they have been putting a lot of pressure on us to put in offer yet wouldn’t offer us a second viewing.

 We have also been trying to build a relationship with the agent  as they seem to think we are time wasters which we are trying to change but we are 80 miles away so can’t just pop into their office and get a introduction.

 So far we have not seen a single property with an agent and this is from a few different companies.

 Is it normal to not ever meet the agent and is there a way to build a better relationship with them?

princeofpounds

Why do you want a relationship with the agent? Who cares?

It is much more useful to have the owners on hand, if you can get past the awkwardness. They know much more about the property and you should take advantage of that to fully inform yourself. You don't have to say anything good or bad to them at all, you should be the one asking questions. But as long as you don't shout out your love for the property, conversation isn't going to hurt.

danlightbulb

In my experience agents are almost useless, if you do get viewing with one they come round with the wrong keys, never on time, and know nothing about the property. Far better to meet the owner in my opinion. Some owners however don't know anything about the condition of their own house, they are useless too.

Im waiting for a viewing appointment to be arranged on a house right now with Dubberley - despite calling them quite often about houses I see, they still never take the time to find out anything about me and rarely get back to me when they say they will. Last year I made an offer that never found its way to the vendor.

I simply don't trust them, you never know if they are telling you the truth, or progressing what they say they will progress. Glorified admin apprentices.

I think its a myth that people have relationships with agents, or something you only see on very expensive houses on the TV property shows. Im apparently on all the agents books in this area yet have never once had a proactive call about any house.

RelievedSheff

We had very few viewings with the EA most were with the property owners apart from a few repossessions we looked at which were then with the EA present.

Same when we sold  the property. We showed the potential buyers the house.

davidmcn

atarisrocks said:

So far we have not seen a single property with an agent and this is from a few different companies.

 Is it normal to not ever meet the agent and is there a way to build a better relationship with them?

This comes up fairly regularly here and seems to be partly a regional thing. I'm not sure where you got the impression that it's standard for the agent to conduct the viewings.

From my experience (in Scotland) it would be downright weird for anybody other than the owners to be conducting a viewing of an owner-occupied property. It's the owners who are knowledgeable about the property, and the owners who are selling to you, not the agent.

In any event, it's certainly not the viewer's right to pick and choose who does the viewings!

atarisrocks

We have asked all the questions we wanted to ask and even built a relationship with the seller but it feels like the agent is the gatekeeper and we can't seem to get them to talk offers with us

davidmcn

I would also say that even if the office sends someone to show you round, more often than not it isn't the negotiator, so there's not much point in trying to build up a relationship with the junior who's been entrusted with a set of keys.

Comms69

atarisrocks said:

We have asked all the questions we wanted to ask and even built a relationship with the seller but it feels like the agent is the gatekeeper and we can't seem to get them to talk offers with us

You're not seeing the agent correctly. The agent is the sellers agent; nothing to do with you, the buyer.

cattie

Remember, the agent is acting on behalf of the vendor, so ea is more interested in having a good relationship with them rather than you.

Whenever I've sold I've always elected to do my own viewings with prospective buyers,  feeling I know the property far better than the ea does & can answer any questions they might have. After showing viewers around I then leave them to wander around alone & they are free to have any discussions they wish with each other without me present. If viewers decide they'd like to return for another viewing I've always asked were they happy to wander without me or prefer me to accompany them.

comeandgo

Never used an agent, I've conducted any house sales myself and owners have previously conducted any viewing when I'm purchasing.    You can ask questions and get answers immediately, also let's sellers see what sort of person you are and whether they would want to do business with you.  We have always shown prospects around the house then left them alone to view and they can discuss things without us being close.

steampowered

I wouldn't worry about "discussing" an offer. Just put in an offer that seems fair, and see if it gets accepted or negotiated.