Why would someone accept an offer when another viewing was booked?

cymruchris

pjs493 said:

I get what a lot of people are saying regarding not wanting to sit on an offer. But we’re talking about one working day here. The vendor could have easily asked for that weekend to think things over, allowed me to view on Monday morning as planned, and then made a decision based on whether I put an offer in or not. The estate agent could have even used it as a tool to put pressure on me to make an offer quickly. 

I’m not caught up or emotionally attached to the house, just surprised that after two years on the market the vendor accepted an offer immediately when a second viewing was set up for just days later. Especially as it went for so long without any interest. I get that the other buyer could have also been a cash buyer, but I still can’t wrap my head around why they wouldn’t wait a couple of days to see if they could get a better offer. Most buyers would understand if a vendor asked for a weekend to mull over their offer. The estate agent knew it was well under my budget too so it’s not as if they thought I couldn’t outbid. 

You'll never be privy to the details of the offer made though - but really simply if the vendor was happy with what was offered - and the buyers position was strong - and they might have said 'Here's my offer valid for today only, and if accepted I want the house off the market immediately'. One day isn't much - but you could have been a complete time waster, and they might have lost the offer. (And I'm sure you're not!) If you were the seller, having waited two years and you received a very, very strong offer - would you wait? I think I'd be biting off their hands personally and taking it!

Keep your eyes open for the next opportunity - there will be one!

Hoenir

pjs493 said:

I get what a lot of people are saying regarding not wanting to sit on an offer. But we’re talking about one working day here. The vendor could have easily asked for that weekend to think things over, allowed me to view on Monday morning as planned, and then made a decision based on whether I put an offer in or not. The estate agent could have even used it as a tool to put pressure on me to make an offer quickly. 

How many properties have you previously viewed through this Estate Agent? 

BarelySentientAI

pjs493 said:

 Most buyers would understand if a vendor asked for a weekend to mull over their offer. 

But that's not what you're suggesting.  And if that's what the vendor then said, it wouldn't be true.

You're suggesting that the vendor should keep other people viewing the property in case one of them (you) wanted to put in a different offer.  And before you say "it's only one viewing that was already booked", what about if there were two viewings booked? three? a full day's worth?  If it wasn't a weekend?  Where are you going to draw the line and say that the vendor should make a decision about an offer that they already have?  

I think 'most buyers' would think a little bit differently if you explained it that way.

There are often posts on here from people who've put in an offer and can't understand why they haven't had a reply yet, or by people who had an offer accepted and then discovered that there are still viewings going on.

Soot2006

Friday isn't one working day in the world of house buying, though. If I made an offer during the week and I didn't hear back, I'd assume the seller wasn't keen or had other options, so I'd continue my weekend viewings.  The house I bought I viewed at 5pm on a Thursday. I have many Saturday viewings lined up that week. I made offer subject to house coming off the market immediately at 10am Friday; EA called back 12 noon Friday to squeeze me a bit but ultimately accept within the same call. EA cancelled all their Saturday viewings on the house, and I cancelled all my viewings of other houses.

staffie1

There is no honour in this process, and in my experience, estate agents - who are typically guiding the seller’s decisions - are the least honourable of ‘professions’.

bobster2

pjs493 said:

I get what a lot of people are saying regarding not wanting to sit on an offer. But we’re talking about one working day here. The vendor could have easily asked for that weekend to think things over, allowed me to view on Monday morning as planned, and then made a decision based on whether I put an offer in or not. The estate agent could have even used it as a tool to put pressure on me to make an offer quickly. 

Well it doesn't sound like you get what people have been saying. 

As I wrote - the other buyer may have made the offer conditional on the house being immediately removed from the market - and no further viewings. Other folk have pointed out several other potential reasons.

The seller doesn't have any obligations to other potential buyers like yourself.

pjs493 said:

I’m not caught up or emotionally attached to the house, just surprised that after two years on the market the vendor accepted an offer immediately when a second viewing was set up for just days later. Especially as it went for so long without any interest. 

After two years on the market this would make it even more likely a seller would immediately accept a decent offer and take the house off the market.

pjs493 said:

I get that the other buyer could have also been a cash buyer, but I still can’t wrap my head around why they wouldn’t wait a couple of days to see if they could get a better offer. Most buyers would understand if a vendor asked for a weekend to mull over their offer. The estate agent knew it was well under my budget too so it’s not as if they thought I couldn’t outbid. 

For the third time -  the other buyer may have made the offer conditional on the house being immediately removed from the market - and no further viewings.

You need to wrap your head round the fact that the seller got what they wanted - and just move on. It does seem like you are "caught up / emotionally attached" and feel like the seller has wronged you in some way.

YBR

It's a personal decision of the seller, and may have been a condition of the accepted offer.

Since the seller is a different person you can't rely on understanding their reasoning or what influences them.

ss2020jd

Perhaps the agent didn’t even pass on your position and just advised the seller to cancel the viewing. I was due to have another viewing today, booked before an offer from a FTB I was strongly advised to accept. When I questioned waiting for the Saturday viewing the agent said they were not in a proceedable position. I have no way of knowing if this is true nor whether anything else they have told me is either but I have chosen to accept the offer based on the information and advice they have given me.

Dustyevsky

You are dealing with people whose lives and motives are infinitely complex. You might never guess in a million years why somebody does something counter-intuitive in the particular world you inhabit.

As someone else said, it's best to move on!.

CouldntResist

As a seller it seems quite simple to me. The last time I sold a house it went to the first person that made me an acceptable offer. No point in letting a procession of other people view as I had the offer I had decided I needed to proceed. 

In the next viewing I could have been offered more, I could have been offered less but at that point it didn't matter, I had what I needed