Selling your home can be stressful and time-consuming.
You need to schedule and prepare for many viewings.
So, the last thing you need is time-wasters viewing your home.
Unfortunately, there are many of them around!
Read on for our advice on how to spot and avoid them.
Types of time wasters
Purposeful time wasters
Sometimes, a person will arrange to view a house with little to no genuine interest in it at all.
They enjoy looking at houses or are simply killing time. There’s zero likelihood that they’ll make an offer.
Of course, they are unlikely ever to admit their real motivation!
Speculative time wasters
Some viewers may only be considering moving home.
They want to view homes to gather information for deciding whether or not to move later on.
In other words, they are knowingly highly unlikely to make an offer.
Misguided time wasters
Some time wasters may genuinely want to buy your home, but they have unrealistic plans for achieving this.
For example, they might have overestimated how much they can borrow or their own home’s selling price. Or they have underestimated the cost of moving home.
Whatever their reasoning, they are mistaken! So, the result will be a waste of their time and yours.
Bad-intentioned time wasters
Some potential buyers frankly have bad intentions.
They will view a house and even put in an offer.
However, unbeknownst to you, they intend on gazundering you at the final moment. This is when they lower their initial offer at a late stage.
If this stage is before they have signed a contract, you can only refuse or accept their new offer. If it’s after, you can take them to court for pulling out of the house sale.
Signs that a house viewer is a time waster
They don’t have a mortgage in principle
Most serious buyers arrange a mortgage in principle before they view properties.
This means they have already completed the mortgage approval process and have a valid mortgage offer, which remains in effect for six months.
This gives them guidance on their budget. And they can show proof of this once they make an offer on a house.
They say that they’re just browsing
If you hear a viewer say that they’re just browsing properties, this rarely indicates serious interest.
They’re often just curious to see what the house looks like inside.
This may be because they want to understand what that specific property looks like because they live in the area.
Or they may want an idea of what properties in that price range look like because they don’t live in the area.
Quantity and quality of questions
Viewers asking many questions is often a good thing.
So, few questions, or pointless or unspecific ones, may indicate that they are a time waster.
Negative and unspecific comments
Making negative comments without specificity is not a good sign.
They often indicate someone is trying to invent plausible reasons to justify their lack of an offer.
Viewing different types of property
Estate agents often encounter the same viewers repeatedly. If they do, they should notify you.
If all these properties are in the same price range, in a similar area, it’s a good sign.
However, if these properties are in vastly different price ranges or neighbourhoods, it indicates a time waster.
This indicates someone without a clear sense of what they want or their budget. You’re unlikely to get a serious offer from then.
Vague answers to your questions
While you – or your estate agent – show someone around a house, you’ll aim to strike up a conversation.
This could involve questions about why they’re moving or what area they’re most interested in, for example.
If their answers are vague, evasive, or contradictory, it’s often a warning sign.
Can you refuse to allow someone to view a house?
Yes, in some circumstances.
Estate agents typically show a house to anyone who requests a viewing. It’s rare for them to say no.
However, if they suspect that someone is a time waster, this is a legitimate reason for turning it down.
How to reduce time wasters in house viewings
Estate agents asking qualifying questions
Estate agents are the first line of defence against time wasters.
The main way they can do this is by asking qualifying questions, including:
- Whether they have a mortgage in principle
- What their reason for moving is
- What their timeframe for moving is
- The price range they’re looking for
- What other properties they have viewed or intend on viewing.
Of course, sophisticated and determined time wasters could lie about all of the above! However, most will unlikely have an answer for these questions.
Open house viewings
Open house viewings (when multiple viewers view a house at the same time) might technically increase the number of time wasters you meet.
However, it will reduce the total time you will waste in viewings. And it will reduce the number of times you need to stage your property.
Listing as ‘offers in excess’
When you list your property for sale, you can choose what type of price to include, i.e., a guide or an asking price.
You can also list the price as an ‘offers in excess of’ listing. This indicates that, unlike guide and asking prices, you will not consider below this value.
Cash buyers only
Cash buyers pay for houses outright. In other words, they do not rely on the sale of other properties or on mortgages.
Listing your property as open only to ‘cash buyers only’, you will disqualify all but the most determined time wasters.
However, you should note, you will unlikely gain the full asking price when selling to a cash buyer. In exchange, they provide a quick and guaranteed sale.
