Am I not allowed another viewing?

dublingirl83

quick question-

I'm writing this post on behalf of my friend, would just like some advice.

she placed a deposit on house back in July, processing of the sale has been delayed until now for a few reasons such as- there was a query over the management company of the estate and she was buying from a couple who were in the process of separating (one of them was reluctant to sell)

long story short, the sellers have both now signed, and the house should be all hers in about two/three weeks (once bank submit paperwork to solicitors).the problem is she last viewed the house in August so would like to do a quick visit again, as its now almost 6 months later. she just want to get some measurements for sofas etc see utilities and see that everything is still the same as it was. plus has to organise house insurance before bank will release money.

but the estate agent said she can't see the house again- "this is not part of normal process, nobody does that"

is that normal? surely one is allowed to see the house again, its been so long- how does she know since her last visit walls haven't been knocked down or maybe tiles trashed (i know thats probably a bit dramatic but just giving an example )

apologies if the above is a stupid question, I'm just looking for some advice i can give her. when i bought my house, it was all very straight forward, i was living in house within 2/3months after putting down deposit.

Marcusm

A pre close inspection is not that unusual. Given the 9 month gap, I would say that it is imperative.

zl1whqvjs75cdy

Tell the estate agent that a second viewing is necessary. DOn't ask. A firm hand is all they understand.

sopretty

If everything is stamped and signed, EA and sellers will not be compliant with any request. If the final signatures have not been made, she should use that as leverage.

It's bad practise on the part of the EA and seller, but once they are assured of a transaction, frankly my dear, they don't give a damn.

daithi1970

..get them to tell the EA that the sale will not be closed until a second inspection is carried out. That should concentrate their mind...

Kristopherus

Tell the EA to arrange a second or even third viewing in the next week and if he dose'nt comply, then your friend could inform him nicely that his services will be re-assessed in the light of a refusal.

shane b

Hi
The guy I work with had a pre close inspection before he got the keys a couple of weeks ago. The estate agent said its a newish trend in the last few years and getting more common but up to recently this would have not been part of the normal process as EA above said. But I would argue to see the property again

dublingirl83

estate agent said she can only view the house again the evening before the deal goes through... my friend then asked her solicitor for advice who said- sure why would you want to see the house again, you have already signed a contract!

my friend has no intention of pulling out, its just piece of mind she would like to see the house again so she can measure walls, in order to pick furniture etc.

the whole process has been such a negative experience for her, i think it would be nice if she could see it again.

i think putting her foot down might just be the option,
thanks for the advice. i just wanted to check was there some obvious reason we weren't aware of why another viewing would be inappropriate.

Baby01032012

We bought our house a few weeks ago. There was no problem arranging with agent to view and measure up for furniture etc month or 2 before it actually completed.

I'd stick to my guns, no view no completion.

ted1

Is the house currently rented ?

I don't think tenants are obliged to let people in if the house us sale agreed.

L1011

ted1 wrote: »

Is the house currently rented ?

I don't think tenants are obliged to let people in if the house us sale agreed.

Current owners problem to get it emptied for vacant possession at sale in that case; not the OPs.

I'd utterly insist on getting the viewing. A pre-close viewing is not uncommon so the EA is either bluffing or horrendously inexperienced. If they're not the latter I'd be worried that some damage / stripping / similar has happened to the property.

ted1

MYOB wrote: »

Current owners problem to get it emptied for vacant possession at sale in that case; not the OPs.

I'd utterly insist on getting the viewing. A pre-close viewing is not uncommon so the EA is either bluffing or horrendously inexperienced. If they're not the latter I'd be worried that some damage / stripping / similar has happened to the property.

Your reading me wrong. The owners will have it empty for when the sakes closes. However if its currently let, then the tenants are under no obligation to allow a viewing as it's already sale agreed. They do have to let viewings before this

L1011

ted1 wrote: »

Your reading me wrong. The owners will have it empty for when the sakes closes. However if its currently let, then the tenants are under no obligation to allow a viewing as it's already sale agreed. They do have to let viewings before this

I'm not - if the house isn't going to close with tenants in there due to them not allowing viewings; that's the vendors problem to sort out.

Valentine1

A second viewing at this stage really shouldn't be a problem, presumably at least one of the sellers is still living there and may not want to be helpful. If your friend has not signed the contracts they should not sign them until they have had another viewing.

If they have signed your friend has an insurable interest in the property and they need to arrange insurance immediately. If the contracts are signed exchanged and the house burns down tomorrow they would still have to complete the contract and pay the seller regardless of the fact that there would be nothing but a ruin left.

Victor

Kristopherus wrote: »

Tell the EA to arrange a second or even third viewing in the next week and if he dose'nt comply, then your friend could inform him nicely that his services will be re-assessed in the light of a refusal.

That is utterly meaningless - the estate agent is paid by the vendor and has no formal relationship with the purchaser.

bovril

We did a final viewing recently two days before getting the keys. Our solicitor advised us to do this as we had asked for vacant possession and it was to check if the house was in a vacant possession state. The same goes for if you had asked for furniture to be included in the deal. A final viewing is the only way you will know the house is in the state you want it in BEFORE you get the keys and at this point there is a better chance of something being done if the house is not in the state you requested. It does not matter that the contract was signed. Demand a final viewing from the Estate Agent. The EA for our house had no problem meeting me at the house at a time that suited me two days before getting the keys.

Remember to check the attic during a final inspection. You'd be surprised how many people do not clear it out!

jmayo

bovril wrote: »

We did a final viewing recently two days before getting the keys. Our solicitor advised us to do this as we had asked for vacant possession and it was to check if the house was in a vacant possession state. The same goes for if you had asked for furniture to be included in the deal. A final viewing is the only way you will know the house is in the state you want it in BEFORE you get the keys and at this point there is a better chance of something being done if the house is not in the state you requested. It does not matter that the contract was signed. Demand a final viewing from the Estate Agent. The EA for our house had no problem meeting me at the house at a time that suited me two days before getting the keys.

Remember to check the attic during a final inspection. You'd be surprised how many people do not clear it out!

And don't forget garages and garden sheds.

hobochris

Sounds like typical EA BS. Too lazy to do their jobs.

Don't take any crap from these, people you are the one paying a large sum of money not them. Most act like dodgy used car salesmen and should be treated as such.

You want another viewing, get another viewing.

DavyD_83

jmayo wrote: »

And don't forget garages and garden sheds.

And any bins etc.
Check everywhere; I thought I had, still ended up with a matress in the attic.

spurious

DavyD_83 wrote: »

And any bins etc.
Check everywhere; I thought I had, still ended up with a matress in the attic.

I checked mine two days before everything was signed. Got the keys and came down to find six piss-stained mattresses in the sitting room and the one decent bit of carpet in the house gone. I hope he choked on it.

Gandhi

Here in the US, you always do a "walk-through" the morning of closing on the house. If the buyer finds anything amiss, they have a right to stall proceedings until everything is fixed. I always assumed the same thing happened back home too.

Both times I bought houses here, we met our realtor (EA representing us as buyers) and the seller's realtor at the house. I think the sellers and their realtor have the right to walk-through with us to say their piece, but both times the seller's realtor just handed us the keys and left to get the closing documents ready. We walked through with our realtor, and did not see any problems, so once we were satisfied that the water, electricity, and gas were all running, we headed for closing and signed all the docs.

A guy I worked with did a walk-through once and found that the seller had removed the electric garage-door opener. He had the photos from the listing to prove that one had been there, so they postponed closing until they came to an agreement on it. My friend (the buyer) is fairly handy, so he said if the seller brought a new opener to the closing, that he would install it himself, and say no more about it.

This was a short sale (negative equity) so the seller was actually bringing $25,000 to closing to get rid of the house. He was not happy to be lugging a brand new garage door-opener too. My friend (the buyer) is a complete smart-ass and he told us he had all these hilarious (to him) comments about the situation floating around in his head, but managed to keep them to himself.

dublingirl83

thanks for all the advice, I've shown her this thread which has given her the push to ask for another viewing. The EA and her solicitor were so adamant another viewing was not necessary she was beginning to feel like maybe they were right, and that maybe she was asking too much.

one of the owners is still in the house, the other has moved out as they have separated. originally she was told they wanted a quick sale. The person still in the house has managed to delay the sale massively by not attending solicitors etc each time they were due to sign papers. He did not want to sell the house.


so far my friend has only signed the initial contract (the agreement to buy)paid deposit, surveyor report etc,both sellers have finally now signed their end- just waiting on money from mortgage company to go through. keys should be handed over in two weeks approx.

one last question?
the bank want her to have house insurance in place before money can be handed over, is it possible to purchase insurance if you have only viewed house once before over 6 months ago?

chopper6

Estate Agent can take no decision in this matter,it's not thier property....unbelievable arrogance as usual from them.

chopper6

jmayo wrote: »

And don't forget garages and garden sheds.

And bins...my green bin was full of overcoats and the Corpo wouldnt take it.

Victor

dublingirl83 wrote: »

one last question?
the bank want her to have house insurance in place before money can be handed over, is it possible to purchase insurance if you have only viewed house once before over 6 months ago?

Of course. However, it is unlikely it will protect you from anything that happens before handover.

Valentine1

dublingirl83 wrote:

one last question?
the bank want her to have house insurance in place before money can be handed over, is it possible to purchase insurance if you have only viewed house once before over 6 months ago?

It is essential that house insurance is in place as soon as the contracts are signed and exchanged as the buyer is obligated to buy regardless of the condition of the house on closing. if the house burns down the day before the keys are handed over, the buyer must complete the contract. Thus having insurance in place is a standard requirement for any mortgage.

Victor wrote: »

Of course. However, it is unlikely it will protect you from anything that happens before handover.

once contracts are signed the buyer has an insurable interest and insurance will pay out should anything happen.