Estate Agent rushing us during viewing

liberty_lily

Definitely ask for another viewing. 

We once drove three hours - and had explained this to the EA when making the viewing appointment - to see a house we were very keen to purchase. It was a four bed house of around 2000 sq ft. Vacant. 

The EA showed us round the inside in a rushed fashion, then let us wander round the fairly large garden on our own. We returned to the house intending to go back inside for a final look in case we'd missed anything. As we approached the door the EA was locking up and said she had another viewing to go to so we'd have to leave. We were a bit miffed but there wasn't really anything we could do at the time. 

We did make another appointment and this time explained that we needed an hour at the house because it was a long way to drive for a fifteen minute viewing. A different EA (the manager) showed us round and let us take as long as we needed. Afterwards we went back to the office and made an offer.

A few weeks down the line, when the purchase was progressing and we wanted to take a sparky round to get a wiring quote, the EA actually gave us the keys so we could let ourselves into the property.

housebuyer143

This happen late 2021 when we were viewing and they had a max number of people they would book in and all the slots would fill within a day.

She said I could have 10 mins. I explained that my husband needs to see it also but our son has severe learning difficulties and we couldn't bring him into the property so we would need to go in seperatly so someone could sit with him in the car (no one else to look after him). After some pushing we got an extra 5 mins and were rushed around this house with 7 minutes allocated each 😡 the next viewers came early and she even had the nerve to say we needed to go halfway through my husband's allocated time. As we left we were told if we wanted to buy it we should put an offer in that day as there wouldn't be second viewings...

Not all the agents were that bad, but they literally expected us to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on a house we saw for all of 7 minutes each. 

MultiFuelBurner

All of this confirms why we don't use estate agents to show our homes.

They really don't know their A from their elbow.

YoungBlueEyes

The EA who showed us round a house had been told we were moving counties and driving 100 miles just to view this house, so we booked a half hour slot. We sat outside while the agent turned up VERY late and then tried to rush us round, unable to understand that we wanted to properly look at stuff having driven so far. 

I ended up putting him back in his box - “if you’re gonna huff and sigh and keep checking your watch you can do it outside”.  Problem solved

I’d book another long viewing, with someone else. 

powerful_Rogue

In and out in less then 10 minutes. Knew this was the house within the first couple of minutes. No need to see boiler/electrics.

Offer submitted and now been in the house for over two years.

user1977

Yes, 10 minutes is probably a fairly typical time, especially if the viewer has already done their research (or simply takes an instant dislike to it!). A second viewing is the time to poke around all the details if you need to make sure.

BobT36

Ridiculous expecting to make a judgement on the most expensive / stressful purchase in one's lives (sometimes up to the tune of half a million, with house prices nowadays) in ten f*** minutes. 
I have a full checklist of things to go through and look at, including measuring up the rooms to ensure my work desks will fit where I'd want them to while still allowing floorspace etc (never trust EA's measurements or floorplans). 

Never accept being rushed like that, finding a home is a stupidly major important purchase, and certainly wouldn't spend anything like 10 mins on something of that scale for anything else. 

Gycraig

Isn’t a first viewing a basic look to see if you like it, see the house etc. 

then if you offer or are interested you have a second viewing and pay a surveyor. 

Took me 5 minutes to decide my house was the one for me 

BobT36

Sounds like some probably spend more time scrutinising something when shopping on amazon for an item at £50, rather than a house they're spending £500,000 on..

hazyjo

If a desk didn't fit, I'd buy another. Things like measurements are for a second viewing (unless there's a good reason like distance where you can only view once). If I found the desk didn't fit, so what? Sell it, buy another.

The vast majority of houses I've looked round have been written off within 5 minutes - and I have a long checklist and expect them to be right for me. It usually takes seeing a dozen or so to find one I actually want. It's not the finer details of a house I consider, it's the floorplan, layout, light, and the all important 'feel', etc. Anything else can be changed.