Should I let buyer visit again before exchange?

mat1964

How many times is it appropriate for a buyer to visit between accepted offer and exchange?.  I think my buyer is wavering - he's already seen the place 4 times and now he wants to bring more friends but only in a couple of weeks time.  All the searches are done and we are supposed to be exchanging late May to meet the deadline for our new build.  If he's not going to buy it, I'd rather not wait 2 more weeks for yet another visit.

comeandgo

Well if the owner of a house I was going to buy refused to let me view prior to exchange there would be no exchange, there is always a risk until exchange has actually taken place of either side pulling out.

mat1964

fair enough, but this will be the 5th time and given he lives locally I find it a bit odd he want to wait another 2 weeks for it.

ss2020jd

I was advised by my solicitor to view just before/day of exchange and I can’t remember if it was before completion as well just in case there had been any major destruction in the meantime! But bringing friends with, especially during Covid times, I would be unsure about. I can understand visits to measure up or even to bring a builder but five visits does sound like a lot. It might not be that they are wavering just that they have been advised by their solicitor. It is a difficult one as if you refuse then they could become suspicious. Can you say that they are welcome to visit but due to the COVID restrictions you do not feel comfortable having additional people in the house.

Irishpearce26

It is sensible to view the property you are buying before exchange, 5 times is a lot  but he may be really excited by the house, he may be bringing builders in as he wants to renovate, he may be looking at how he may be able to get the price dropped a little just before exchange.

A lot of potential reasons however as others have said if my vendor refused to let me view before exchange it would be a red flag for me. If i were you i would politely ask why he wants to view it again and explain the disruption/covid.

moneysavinghero

This guy is offering to hand over 100's of thousands of pounds to you - why would you not want to accommodate him? Only sensible to have one final check that everything is still as it should be with the property before he becomes legally obliged to buy it.

 

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

Five times is a lot.  Why has he said he wants to bring "friends"?  If the friends are builders, then he probably does have concerns, and refusing might lead to him pulling out - of course if there is anything wrong, allowing the visit might lead to him pulling out as well. If he just wants to bring friends round to see his new house then he is being a bit of a !!!!!!, and you would be well within your moral rights to use Covid as an excuse to refuse.  Although if the latter is the case, you could argue he seems keen on the sale so keep him happy.
If you don't have any more than "friends" then I would go back and ask "what friends and why" and work from there.  Solicitors and estate agents will both know that "bringing friends round" is not a part of the normal house buying process.

Redwino222

It does seem odd that he wants to bring friends.  Say no to that.  His friends can see the house when he owns it.  

If he wants to come to measure etc that’s fine, but be there.  If he turns up with dove mates explain you are uncomfortable with numbers and only he can come in.

maisie_cat

We drove 250 miles to view before we were prepared to exchange. We exchanged half way through our journey home. It is a a sensible thing to do in case anything has changed since last viewing. If you refuse the buyer will wonder what you have to hide.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

moneysavinghero said:

This guy is offering to hand over 100's of thousands of pounds to you - why would you not want to accommodate him? Only sensible to have one final check that everything is still as it should be with the property before he becomes legally obliged to buy it.

 

There's no indication that this is the final check before exchange.  This is his fifth visit and all we have is "he wants to bring some friends".  He might want yet another visit the day before exchange.

lookstraightahead

How many times have you looked at the plans/spoken to the builders etc about your new build?