Estate Agent not allowing me enough time to measure up

faerielight

I requested 45 minutes last week to measure up, and explained that due to my mobility disabilities, plus dyscalculia, and dyspraxia,  it takes me a bit longer, but when I turned up they only allowed me 15 minutes, which was not long enough, so I booked  half an hour but when i arrived  was told it was 15 mins max, and was also told that I would not be allowed to go bck now until I move in.   i got flustered and wrote down the numbers wrong, so in both visits, I didnt get all the measurements, 
Is this normal to be  refused enough time or to have the amount of visits limited to two?\
I really do need to know the blind measurements for the conservatory, or I won't feel secure, sleeping, facing a conservatory with no blinds. 

user1977

I would say it isn't normal to be making those sorts of detailed measurements before you buy. Just sort it out after you have the keys.

Murphybear

I think it depends on the owner of the property how/if you’re allowed to measure up.  We bought a bungalow a few years ago from a lovely elderly couple who couldn’t manage the large and fabulous garden any more.  We went round there a few times to measure up and sat down and chatted to them over tea and home made cake.  . They then went round the gardens with us and showed us all the lovely plants and fruit bushes.

I suspect that doesn’t happen in most cases 

ThisIsWeird

Hi Faerie.
What stage are you at? Have you exchanged yet?
I understand that a viewing just prior to exchange - or is it completion? - is strongly recommended in order to confirm the house remains as described; no unexpected damage, items removed, etc. but that would only take around 15 minutes.
It sounds as tho' your EA is either too busy - perhaps understaffed - or simply not very helpful. However, you have no entitlement to a longer viewing, so if they say 'non', then 'non' it is.
Is the house lived in? What do the vendors say? Most would be happy to allow a personal visit without the EA in tow.
Or, is the house tenanted? If so, then their reluctance is perfectly understandable, and you'll just have to wait.

Bigphil1474

You would normally do a visit just prior to exchange as that's when you become legally bound. 

Op, is this a house you have bought and are just going through the conveyancing process? I assumed it was an empty house given the inflexibility of the EA. If it wasn't why not just speak to the owners or tenants? We visited our new(er) house about 4 times as the vendors were quite happy to help.

Flugelhorn

Perhaps worth taking someone with you - always useful to have someone else on the end of the taper measure and writing things down.

Have you exchanged yet ?

Voyager2002

Are you buying or renting?

If you are buying, simply say that this is something you need to complete before signing contracts.

If you are renting, tough: the estate agent is not going to inconvenience themselves for you since there are so many other people who want to rent a home.

faerielight

thanks for your responses.. it's a probate so it's empty... I'm buying, not renting..I havent exchanged yet.. I just don't know the house buying selling system or the rules and ettiquette.. thanks to everyone giving me advice through the process. My buyer has been to my place 3 times, so I presumed it was normal. 

Flugelhorn

faerielight said:

thanks for your responses.. it's a probate so it's empty... I'm buying, not renting..I havent exchanged yet.. I just don't know the house buying selling system or the rules and ettiquette.. thanks to everyone giving me advice through the process. 

good luck with the rest of the process - YBH they are much more likely to give you more time when you have exchanged or about to exchange - take someone with you to get the job done more easily 

DullGreyGuy

faerielight said:

thanks for your responses.. it's a probate so it's empty... I'm buying, not renting..I havent exchanged yet.. I just don't know the house buying selling system or the rules and ettiquette.. thanks to everyone giving me advice through the process. My buyer has been to my place 3 times, so I presumed it was normal. 

Estate agents are typically paid a fixed percentage of the sales price irrespective if they sell it unseen on day 1 or have to do 400 viewings. Them spending a lot of time with one potential buyer means they dont have time to spend time with others. It therefore is a balancing act, you dont want to do things that will cause a buyer to pull out but you dont want to spend half your day with a committed buyer and lose the opportunity of finding a buyer for the next property. 

There are apps that can measure for you with a good level of accuracy and record the values so no risks of you transposing numbers etc. 

Most people will move in and then measure up 

faerielight said:

I really do need to know the blind measurements for the conservatory, or I won't feel secure, sleeping, facing a conservatory with no blinds. 

You can get "travel blinds" that stick on with suction cups, an old bedsheet plus a couple of tacks where the blinds mechanism will go, there are plenty of cheap short term solutions whilst you wait for your preferred blinds to be made up after moving in. 

saajan_12

The purpose of viewings ahead of completion is primarily to decide if you want to buy the property. Initially to decide whether to make an offer and pre-exchange to double check the condition. Sometimes there's an additional viewing to check out survey findings and or get a second opinion - all in the decision making process. Beyond that, anything to get the property ready is for your convenience, but at the seller / agent's inconvenience. So its up to whatever they're willing to do.. there's no expectation on them to have a visit to measure up.