Insignificant/ Significant things that BYP or just wind you up a little

[Yambo]

I would have thought so, but it's a flat no - "show us your money or you can't view the house", it was as clear as that.

Ask to see the estate agents accounts - so you can check whether they are a viable business to do business with.

[Tricky]

Estate agents usually want to push as many viewings as possible to make their client think they are doing a good job. I think they will send you through for a viewing no matter how your accounts look and then look for what else they can sell you or who they can sell your details to.

I would have thought so, but it's a flat no - "show us your money or you can't view the house", it was as clear as that.

We really like one of the properties, so we're going to do a drive-by and if we still really like it then I might capitulate, but I don't want to on general principle.

I'm genuinely surprised that you are surprised at that- I'm currently in the process of selling my old house, it's vacant and the agent is free to book viewings at any time but that is indeed how it works and you need to be in a proceed-able position if you want to view- If you're not, you can look at pictures but you're not going inside.
Means you get fewer viewings, but everyone wastes less time too.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Well...we know one house Iccy ain't buying

I can see both sides TBH. I wouldn't send a bank statement though, there must be better ways to find out if someone is good for it? In fact I know there are, cause a close family member of mine works for a very large and well known online property portal that also provides data services

S'like policing i suppose. You just don't get estate agents walking the beat any more, they rely on their databases.

[Count Steer]

Conversely, it would be nice if they could stop people putting their houses on the market when they have no idea where they are going or wet their knickers as soon as someone puts in an offer and then start talking about exchange of contracts at some point around the next monarch's first Jubilee. Then they wait until you've paid for a survey....and take it off the market. Bring on the Scotch system - you nodded, it's yours, cough up.

(Not my problem currently but a friend is chain-free, cash in hand and wanting to buy on the Wirral. The number of old dears that seem to put their houses on the market because they like having visitors ).

[MrLongbeard]

Estate agents usually want to push as many viewings as possible to make their client think they are doing a good job. I think they will send you through for a viewing no matter how your accounts look and then look for what else they can sell you or who they can sell your details to.

I would have thought so, but it's a flat no - "show us your money or you can't view the house", it was as clear as that.

We really like one of the properties, so we're going to do a drive-by and if we still really like it then I might capitulate, but I don't want to on general principle.

Knock on the door and try to bypass the estate agent.
Will be interesting to get the owner's view on it all.

It's taken years but the old man has said something sensible.

[Yorick]

I would have thought so, but it's a flat no - "show us your money or you can't view the house", it was as clear as that.

We really like one of the properties, so we're going to do a drive-by and if we still really like it then I might capitulate, but I don't want to on general principle.

Knock on the door and try to bypass the estate agent.
Will be interesting to get the owner's view on it all.

It's taken years but the old man has said something sensible.

[Potter]

I'm genuinely surprised that you are surprised at that- I'm currently in the process of selling my old house, it's vacant and the agent is free to book viewings at any time but that is indeed how it works and you need to be in a proceed-able position if you want to view- If you're not, you can look at pictures but you're not going inside.
Means you get fewer viewings, but everyone wastes less time too.

What if I want to view your house but I'm £50k short? I could get a loan for £50k in a few days easily, but I wouldn't bother unless I'm actually about to put an offer on it - and I'm not putting an offer on it until I've had a good look around it.

Maybe your house is £100k more than I was going to spend and I'd need a mortgage, but if I fall in love with it on a visit I'll do it, whereas otherwise I'll settle for a cheaper one.

Maybe I should ask for your bank statements in case you don't have very much money and you're selling it in a distress sale and you've cut corners looking after it? Maybe you're so skint you'd allow someone to gazump me at the 11th hour?

Unless house viewing as a hobby is a really big problem then I don't see the problem.
Our current house is also unoccupied and for sale, I don't give a shit who views it as long as someone buys it sooner later.

[DefTrap]

I've bought at least one house where I was slightly short on funds and was able to borrow the last chunk from family, that must happen all the time? And that was at the lower price negotiated from what the vendor wanted (as it didn't sell for that, let's just agree it was overpriced). So i definitely wouldn't have been able to show I had the money for a viewing.

Personally I think if you want to sell something, whatever it is, you have to do some graft. The "no time wasters" thing always makes me think the vendor must be a total bellend.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I fucking hate buying and selling from the general public.

Rather than setting arbitrary viewing rules or saying "no time wasters" I just don't do it.

I reckon a house purchase is just about the only transaction that will lure me into dealing with the great unwashed.

[Asian Boss]

When I bought my current place a few years ago I looked at several other houses first.

I was paying cash and the estate agents never asked for any proof of anything.

It might be because I'm all Channel Four posh talking and Iccy probably sounds like some sort of Lancashire chaw-bacon.

[Asian Boss]

If I was a time waster, I'd be actively drawn to things advertised 'no time wasters'. That would make wasting their time all the sweeter.

[Potter]

When I bought my current place a few years ago I looked at several other houses first.

I was paying cash and the estate agents never asked for any proof of anything.

It might be because I'm all Channel Four posh talking and Iccy probably sounds like some sort of Lancashire chaw-bacon.

I was told earlier that in that neck of the woods it's houses >£500k and interesting, because they get house viewing tourists and nosey people.
One of the houses is an 18th century job and looks lovely and they said they've had people just wanting to view out of curiosity because they'd walked past it a few times.

Under £500k they won't ask for proof of funds.

[Tricky]

I'm genuinely surprised that you are surprised at that- I'm currently in the process of selling my old house, it's vacant and the agent is free to book viewings at any time but that is indeed how it works and you need to be in a proceed-able position if you want to view- If you're not, you can look at pictures but you're not going inside.
Means you get fewer viewings, but everyone wastes less time too.

What if I want to view your house but I'm £50k short? I could get a loan for £50k in a few days easily, but I wouldn't bother unless I'm actually about to put an offer on it - and I'm not putting an offer on it until I've had a good look around it.

Maybe your house is £100k more than I was going to spend and I'd need a mortgage, but if I fall in love with it on a visit I'll do it, whereas otherwise I'll settle for a cheaper one.

Maybe I should ask for your bank statements in case you don't have very much money and you're selling it in a distress sale and you've cut corners looking after it? Maybe you're so skint you'd allow someone to gazump me at the 11th hour?

Unless house viewing as a hobby is a really big problem then I don't see the problem.
Our current house is also unoccupied and for sale, I don't give a shit who views it as long as someone buys it sooner later.

Now you are being silly

It's just what anyone who knows what they are doing does in any business transaction, namely, simply qualify you in or out as a prospect.
Now that doesn't have to mean that he/she has to have evidence that you have every last penny of the asking price, but if you want to view, any professional salesperson worth their salt will want some detail (and possibly evidence ) as to how you would fund the purchase, and your desired and possible timescales to see if they match - it's almost always very soon apparent who's serious and who's a time-waster from a little bit of probing and information exchange.

It just sounds to me like you haven't done a very good job of convincing whoever it is has upset you that you're serious about potentially buying that particular property and they're viewing ( ) you as a time-waster...

[Count Steer]

When we were looking at particular areas - and hadn't started the selling process. We went to places for a week and did the tour of estate agents. I'd say, 'I'm just speccing out the what and where at the moment so quite happy to just note the details of a few and talk to you about the different areas, crap like broadband availability etc etc.'

They pretty much wanted to bundle us into a car and take us viewing. I said no - but I suppose they just wanted the owners to think they had some prospects. Slower market then, particularly in areas like the Brecon Beacons. Probably very different now.

[v8-powered]

We were asked where the funding was coming from for our purchase, bit cheeky I thought - we wouldn't be looking at the place and submitting an offer if we couldn't afford it!
Ended up having to send statements from premium bonds etc...

[Yambo]

I fucking hate buying and selling from the general public.

Rather than setting arbitrary viewing rules or saying "no time wasters" I just don't do it.

I reckon a house purchase is just about the only transaction that will lure me into dealing with the great unwashed.

One has to assume I guess, that anyone looking to buy your house is at the same sort of unwashed level.

I don't know what Potter's problem is really, it's just a slightly different version of anyone wanting to buy a doubtful accuracy wind-up watch.

[DefTrap]

Now you are being silly

It's just what anyone who knows what they are doing does in any business transaction, namely, simply qualify you in or out as a prospect.
Now that doesn't have to mean that he/she has to have evidence that you have every last penny of the asking price, but if you want to view, any professional salesperson worth their salt will want some detail (and possibly evidence ) as to how you would fund the purchase, and your desired and possible timescales to see if they match - it's almost always very soon apparent who's serious and who's a time-waster from a little bit of probing and information exchange.

It just sounds to me like you haven't done a very good job of convincing whoever it is has upset you that you're serious about potentially buying that particular property and they're viewing ( ) you as a time-waster...

I'm damn sure the last few UK houses I bought my wallet wasn't checked. I didn't look far out of my own price range because I don't need my own time wasted. Has speculative viewing really become such a problem,? And when selling I don't recall having to do zillions of viewings with chancers.

People are a bit precious these days.

[Yorick]

If I was selling and the estate agent did that, I'd call them lazy wankers and change to another.

[Horse]

I'm damn sure the last few UK houses I bought my wallet wasn't checked. I didn't look far out of my own price range because I don't need my own time wasted.

Were you selling a property? If so, that sort of answers the "do you have sufficient funds?" question.

[DefTrap]

If I was selling and the estate agent did that, I'd call them lazy wankers and change to another.

They -are- lazy fuckers and it's money for old rope. Minimum 3-4k every time. But it's the vendors who pay them so presumably these are the twats setting the rules.