Viewers/potential buyers

Combenew

Our home has just gone live online and we have a viewing in a couple of days. The agent recommended we accept the viewing request even though the viewers haven't yet got their house on the market.

I know they are potentially just being nosey or maybe not. I don't know how I feel about preparing the house for potential time wasters.

So, my question is - would you allow viewings for people not yet on the market or, even not able to proceed?

MeteredOut

If I had a barrage of viewings after putting it on the market, i might only allow those that are proceed-able. If I had only 1 viewing booked after a couple of days, I'd probably consider it.

So, I'd either wait till Monday to see what other interest is, or perhaps allow this first one but then see what interest there is before allowing others.

horsewithnoname

Must admit I didn’t put my house on the market until I found a house I wanted to buy and had my offer accepted. Until I saw my current home I didn’t know I wanted to sell. 

Skiddaw1

We allowed viewings from everyone (whether proceedable or not) when we were last selling.

I think it's usually worth attracting as large an audience as possible unless, perhaps, the market is exceptionally buoyant. Yes, there'll potentially be some tyre-kickers but you may well get a viewer that swiftly finds a buyer and becomes proceedable.

Albermarle

MeteredOut said:

If I had a barrage of viewings after putting it on the market, i might only allow those that are proceed-able. If I had only 1 viewing booked after a couple of days, I'd probably consider it.

So, I'd either wait till Monday to see what other interest is, or perhaps allow this first one but then see what interest there is before allowing others.

As above.
You should not get too picky, unless there is a LOT of interest.

Voyager2002

Unless you are particularly busy, it is worth allowing a first viewing as a kind of 'dress rehearsal'. The chances are, you will discover when it is too late that a particular corner has not been cleaned, or something is untidy, or... Next time you will know this, and so will be able to get the house really ready for a viewing that actually matters.

gazb_2

The last 3 houses we’ve bought, we viewed/ loved them and put our home on the market to buy the new one. 

Luckily for us, we managed to sell ours and then buy the new one each time.

id let them view it regardless 

oystercatcher

gazb_2 said:

The last 3 houses we’ve bought, we viewed/ loved them and put our home on the market to buy the new one. 

Luckily for us, we managed to sell ours and then buy the new one each time.

id let them view it regardless 

I have done this too, and know of others who have as well. You can never be sure how things will work out but if people can't view then they can't offer or buy!

youth_leader

I sold at auction, expecting everyone to be proceedable.  The house was viewed for a month before being in the auction,  I was unhappy so many were allowed to tramp around the house with just the one very young viewing agent in attendance. 

After a very large amount of viewers one day, I'd driven past and my drive and the road was full of cars, she rang me to say 'one of the viewers liked the house so much they said they were going home to put their house on the market'.  I had believed everyone to be a cash buyer.  I did sell, after the auction, to someone who needed a mortgage and wanted eight weeks to completion.  A farce.  And during lockdown which made it even worse.

Keep_pedalling

horsewithnoname said:

Must admit I didn’t put my house on the market until I found a house I wanted to buy and had my offer accepted. Until I saw my current home I didn’t know I wanted to sell. 

We were exactly the same, saw the property first and put an offer in the same day then put ours on the market. We were in the fortunate position that we could purchase by liquidating our ISAs if ours did not shift so the EA was happy with our proof of funds and the seller was happy to accept our offer. 

You never know what the full story is with viewers until they put an offer in, so go ahead with the viewing. 

Green_hopeful

I would let whoever wants to view to view. We have been selling my in laws house. We accepted an offer in October 2023 from someone who had the money in the bank and appeared to be ready to go. They strung us along until October 2024. Then we accepted an offer from someone else who appeared to just need a small mortgage. They pulled out in February 2025. We accepted another offer two weeks later and exchanged three weeks after that. We are just waiting to complete. My point is nothing is certain so you never know what will happen the people who are currently not in a position to proceed might sell quickly and come back.