Offering during/immediately after viewing - anyone else reluctant to do this or am I too cautious?

purplebutterfly

There's also www.police.uk for checking out local crime maps, if that's something that interests you.  Although be aware that it might look worse than it is because the categories are so wide-ranging ie "violence" covers everything from harassment to murder.

Personally I have probably over-searched properties I am interested in - down to using Google Earth to measure garden dimensions and garage lengths!   
 
I recently discovered Nimbus Maps which has free trials and will tell you lots of information including the total area of the plot and the total floor space of the house.  I can't guarantee its accuracy but it is spot-on for the house we are buying. 

sst1234

The answer to this question is dependent two things - how fast is the market? And how restricted is your search criteria. That market is moving at lightening speed so you really have no time to think about the all endless risks your are considering. And if your search criteria is very specific, i.e location, type of house, features etc and this ticks the boxes that you have no chance of securing a house waiting around for second viewings and extensive research. 

MovingForwards

I was saving for 3 years to get my deposit together.  Relying on the internet was the only way I could cover a lot of areas (street view and maps), while saving and keeping an eye on the market to see where I was getting priced out of. I drove round various counties and areas. Some I stopped to have a look around, some I kept going.

I kept looking at one property, cross referencing anything I could find online and hoped it was still going to be available when I was ready. It was exactly what I wanted, the EA photos were dreadful but I could visualise how it really looked; the location was also a dream come true. 

In a way I was buying blind. I hadn't lived in the area, nor had the couple of friends I spoke to, but they said it was a nice area and I would like it. I'd never even been there or driven through, only saw photos.  I took a trip out, got to the area and the road and I could have cried, I had to live here. Thankfully the property was still available a few months later, I pulled up outside and knew I had to buy it. Walking around the property and garden it felt like home.

Use the information available at your fingertips, it makes looking so much easier, especially in a fast moving market and saves time.

Mickygg

I offer after one viewing, most times in fact. The reason being I know what I’m after. It has pros and cons. Last house I owned I offered after one viewing and on same day. Turned out to be the wrong purchase, wish I’d never done it but I didn’t want to lose the house (at the time) so rushed in. 

my current house I offered after first viewing but I was round for an hour with the owners showing us around, a lovely couple. In that time in each room I was looking at every nook and cranny. When I offered same day of viewing there of course was another sudden offer on the table. I raised the offer the next day and stuck to my guns not increasing again. After having offer accepted I went round again to ‘measure up’ but that was to make sure I really wanted the house after just one (albeit long) viewing. 

It is sure very strange buying something so incredibly expensive after one viewing! I take longer to decide what mobile phone to buy! 

ss2020jd

purplebutterfly said:

There's also www.police.uk for checking out local crime maps, if that's something that interests you.  Although be aware that it might look worse than it is because the categories are so wide-ranging ie "violence" covers everything from harassment to murder.

Personally I have probably over-searched properties I am interested in - down to using Google Earth to measure garden dimensions and garage lengths!   
 
I recently discovered Nimbus Maps which has free trials and will tell you lots of information including the total area of the plot and the total floor space of the house.  I can't guarantee its accuracy but it is spot-on for the house we are buying. 

Some more great tips here, thank you. It’s impressive what you managed to do with Google Earth! 

I haven’t heard of nimbus either - sounds very useful. 

ss2020jd

MovingForwards said:

I was saving for 3 years to get my deposit together.  Relying on the internet was the only way I could cover a lot of areas (street view and maps), while saving and keeping an eye on the market to see where I was getting priced out of. I drove round various counties and areas. Some I stopped to have a look around, some I kept going.

I kept looking at one property, cross referencing anything I could find online and hoped it was still going to be available when I was ready. It was exactly what I wanted, the EA photos were dreadful but I could visualise how it really looked; the location was also a dream come true. 

In a way I was buying blind. I hadn't lived in the area, nor had the couple of friends I spoke to, but they said it was a nice area and I would like it. I'd never even been there or driven through, only saw photos.  I took a trip out, got to the area and the road and I could have cried, I had to live here. Thankfully the property was still available a few months later, I pulled up outside and knew I had to buy it. Walking around the property and garden it felt like home.

Use the information available at your fingertips, it makes looking so much easier, especially in a fast moving market and saves time.

That is such a great story. I’m so glad it was still available and all your dedication paid off. 

I think when you know, you know. 

Thank you. I will keep looking and researching as much as I can beforehand so that I am ready to act fast when hopefully the time comes! 

ss2020jd

Thanks @Redwino222 @Pok3mon and @elsien. That is so true about the second viewing after. In this market normal rules guidance doesn’t seem to apply and, as you say, if you don’t want to risk losing something you do need to act. By the time something I love comes up I should know how it compares after all the trawling I’ve been doing recently. 

ss2020jd

Mickygg said:

I offer after one viewing, most times in fact. The reason being I know what I’m after. It has pros and cons. Last house I owned I offered after one viewing and on same day. Turned out to be the wrong purchase, wish I’d never done it but I didn’t want to lose the house (at the time) so rushed in. 

my current house I offered after first viewing but I was round for an hour with the owners showing us around, a lovely couple. In that time in each room I was looking at every nook and cranny. When I offered same day of viewing there of course was another sudden offer on the table. I raised the offer the next day and stuck to my guns not increasing again. After having offer accepted I went round again to ‘measure up’ but that was to make sure I really wanted the house after just one (albeit long) viewing. 

It is sure very strange buying something so incredibly expensive after one viewing! I take longer to decide what mobile phone to buy! 

Yes, exactly! In many ways I wish I was more impulsive. But as you say, once the offer is accepted you can always go back again to ‘measure up’, aka - it is as I remember, is there anything glaring I missed the first time, and do I still love it?! 

ss2020jd

sst1234 said:

The answer to this question is dependent two things - how fast is the market? And how restricted is your search criteria. That market is moving at lightening speed so you really have no time to think about the all endless risks your are considering. And if your search criteria is very specific, i.e location, type of house, features etc and this ticks the boxes that you have no chance of securing a house waiting around for second viewings and extensive research. 

Yes I can see this now. Certainly too fast to hang around if it’s somewhere you love. 

lookstraightahead

 seriously you can walk right up to exchange. There's nothing to worry about - put in an offer and withdraw if you need to. Sellers are quite happy to push push push, so go with it and then if you don't want it, withdraw your offer later.
it's a greedy, unethical time out there so go along with the game.