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

[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.

[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.

[DefTrap]

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

Yebbut I was buying 'up' and they had no idea whether I was good for the difference or had a bazillion pounds owing on my Burton's store card.

[Horse]

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

Yebbut I was buying 'up' and they had no idea whether I was good for the difference or had a bazillion pounds owing on my Burton's store card.

Although Potter is rocking up to view £750k properties, not funding a difference.

If you already had a house, then you - at one point - had sufficient credit history and means to support it, and hadn't subsequently had it repossessed.

[DefTrap]

I thought he already had a mock Tudor mansion in the grim Northern wastes somewhere.

[Horse]

I thought he already had a mock Tudor mansion in the grim Northern wastes somewhere.

OK, so he needs a £730k bridging loan ...

[Count Steer]

I can see the sense in qualifying people in/out at some point if there's a chain involved. Pretty annoying for all involved if it all falls down because someone has an ambition/credit/asset imbalance and can't actually scrape the money together. That's a step on from viewing though, and what's the point of asking for bank statements when often, most of the £ is in a buyers existing property? Has the market gone cash only?

[Horse]

what's the point of asking for bank statements when often, most of the £ is in a buyers existing property?

It will need Potter to confirm, but I got the impression that this is a new purchase, 'cash buyer', rather than part- or wholly-funded by sale of the other place.

[Horse]

Around here in West Berkshire, £3/4M isnt 'really' a huge amount for a house.

£1/4M gets you a nice 2 bed apartment
£1/2M gets a nice 4 bed 1930s semi

If you're already on the ladder, and earning sufficient, they're not huge sums, 'only' debt.

But if you appear from nowhere, no property assets to support the purchase, that's a lot of cash however big the space is down the back of the sofa or under the mattress.

They might think he's actually money laundering on behalf of an oligarch. We know he already has the fast car and yacht ...

[Horse]

I don't think it's 'right', but have been trying to think of reasons why they might have asked.

And Yorrick's idea is worth trying.


FWIW, I knew a BMW car salesman who mainly dealt with fleet purchases, but one day he helped a scruffy oik who wondered in and asked for brochures, etc.

A lottery winner, out to get the car he'd always wanted.