PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the Forum rules. While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.

Signs of a serious viewer

24

Comments

  • Crashy_Time
    Crashy_Time Posts: 13,386
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper
    Forumite
    They probably won`t be wearing a HPC T-Shirt.....
  • DaftyDuck
    DaftyDuck Posts: 4,609
    Combo Breaker First Post First Anniversary
    Forumite
    The thing about HPC T-Shirts is..... none of the members ever gets round to buying one.......

    ;)
  • gazter
    gazter Posts: 931
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    DaftyDuck wrote: »
    The thing about HPC T-Shirts is..... none of the members ever gets round to buying one.......

    ;)

    Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Murphybear
    Murphybear Posts: 7,257
    First Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic First Post
    Forumite
    robatwork wrote: »
    Just read this thread http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?p=73100762#post73100762

    What it proves is that you can't tell who is a serious viewer. Just accept some viewers will be nosey !!!!!!s (who may conversely look very interested) and the ones looking disinterested may well be your buyer.

    Alone, en famille, young, old, male, female, quick, slow...if you're selling you have to assume they are all "the one".

    In some parts of the country EAs/sellers are plagued by people who view houses for fun. We have this problem in Devon/Cornwall with cute chocolate box thatched cottages. Lots of viewers who just want to look around but are not in the market to buy.
  • DaftyDuck
    DaftyDuck Posts: 4,609
    Combo Breaker First Post First Anniversary
    Forumite
    Murphybear wrote: »
    In some parts of the country EAs/sellers are plagued by people who view houses for fun. We have this problem in Devon/Cornwall with cute chocolate box thatched cottages. Lots of viewers who just want to look around but are not in the market to buy.

    Had that experience selling a timber framed grade 1 listed building in Lavenham! I should have opened a gift shop. That's the one I have bored people with the " .. ... are there g..h..o..s..t..s...? " tale ( I created one, rather too well, and scared the carp outta them).

    As to the OPs question, you simply can't tell. I have also told the tale of the Sister Wendy Beckett (Google for an image) lookalike, who literally wandered backwards throughout the viewing, just asking questions about me.

    When I shoved her out, I swore blindly at my wife that she was a f waste of f time and wouldn't f ever f ff fff, the f!

    She bought at asking price, only a valuation survey. She'd fallen in love with the house at first sight, didn't care in the slightest about damp, carpets, lighting, she just was having the house. Eccentric, yes! Rich though!


    You can't tell. Way I'm dressed at the moment, you wouldn't think I could afford a tiny semi....
  • phillw
    phillw Posts: 5,593
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    Forumite
    Natbag wrote: »
    I think viewers spending longer in your property, making positive comments, speaking as though they were imagining themselves living there and generally appearing enthusiastic are all good signs.

    I know people that will be like that out of courtesy. Observing viewers behaviour will only tell you things about the viewer, not whether they are interested or not.
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741
    Name Dropper First Anniversary Photogenic First Post
    Forumite
    edited 15 September 2017 at 1:21PM
    Murphybear wrote: »
    In some parts of the country EAs/sellers are plagued by people who view houses for fun. We have this problem in Devon/Cornwall with cute chocolate box thatched cottages. Lots of viewers who just want to look around but are not in the market to buy.
    I imagine that applies in most pretty, touristy locations, but such viewers' reception depends a lot on local circumstances. In the well-known, desirable parts of Devon, unproceedables may be treated brusquely, but where I am, things aren't so buoyant.

    Backalong, we spent 3 years researching places in West Wales and viewing properties there. In that slow-moving market, people welcomed us. We knew that we could probably sell our house in a fraction of the time they would expect to wait, so we felt OK about it. We were travelling upwards of 250miles a day or renting cottages to do it, but I doubt if anybody cared about that.

    So it was 'fun,' but fun with a purpose. How would we otherwise know what represented a good buy, when we'd never owned a smallholding or gained a good understanding of the area, with all its social nuances ?

    We did come close to buying several properties and made offers at sensible levels, but the knowledge we gained was also what put us off stretching to pay inflated prices. That's why we're here, not there.....and why we don't live in a dark, heat-leaky, old cottage.

    If and when we sell our place, I'm sure we'll get plenty of interest from totally unsuitable people, but they'll all get the same treatment. We haven't forgotten that the last house we sold was to people who looked quite unimpressed and weren't on the market when they first viewed.

    Such people can't be 'read,' and whether it's buying a house, or just a car, or a bit of antique furniture, it's probably more MSE to be one of them.
  • It works both ways. We viewed earlier in the year and the vendor didn't seem serious about selling and stated 'there is only one house we want, if we dont get it we will be staying put'.

    The next vendor stated 'we have split and just want to get it sold as I cant afford it on my own'

    We offered on the latter as both properties were equal but getting the deal done was far more likely with property 2.
  • Mutton_Geoff
    Mutton_Geoff Posts: 3,817
    Name Dropper Photogenic First Post First Anniversary
    Forumite
    edited 15 September 2017 at 10:38AM
    So here is confirmation that a "serious viewer" is not necessarily a "serious buyer" and it can be difficult to tell them apart.


    Until contracts are exchanged, I take everything with a pinch of salt no matter how "serious" they have been. In England that is the only clue that you've actually got the place sold.
    Signature on holiday for two weeks
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741
    Name Dropper First Anniversary Photogenic First Post
    Forumite
    Until contracts are signed, I take everything with a pinch of salt no matter how "serious" they have been. In England that is the only clue that you've actually got the place sold.
    I think you mean 'exchanged',' but I agree.

    Some of our most enthusiastic viewers never returned, and one who did at least 3 viewings dropped us without so much as word of explanation just before exchange.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.5K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.9K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.6K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607.1K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.8K Life & Family
  • 247.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards