Why you need to be in a position to buy to view a house with Keystone
We believe this stance is not only in the best interests of our client the seller but also you the potential buyer. Here in both this video and the article I explain why Keystone have adopted this directive from the Government not just from a safety perspective but also because it's a far more effective way of working.
Post lockdown in July of 2020 the Welsh government introduced some covid safe guidelines for Estate agents in light of this and with the market being so busy we have introduced a policy where anyone viewing a property must be in a position to buy. This has caused some people to become irate with our staff so here I’m going to try to explain exactly why we have took this stance.
- Government Covid safety guidelines - a physical viewing must be a “last resort” if you still have a house to sell or a First time buyer without an Ageement in Principal then it would be irresponsible for us to arrange a viewing. Even if these guidelines lift it is likely we will continue with this stance for reasons I will highlight below.
- In such a busy market where the average time to agree a house sale is taking on average around a week or two then why would you want to go and view, fall in love with the place, then be disappointed when someone who is in a position to proceed beats you to the property? The vendor is very unlikely to hold the property for you when there are so many buyers out there in a position to go ahead.
- We now have a 3D Matterport Virtual reality viewing facility and I also do a video showing the surrounding area and a walk through of the house with commentary which can be viewed via YouTube…all this along with amazing photographs and a 3D floorplan - if you’re not in a position to buy surely this is enough to decide if you’re really interested in the property? By all means we can register your interest in the property and explain your position to our client.
- If you’re a first time buyer then why would you not have an AIP in place to start viewing properties?! We have mortgage advisers here at Keystone in house and they could have a decision in principal in as little as 10 minutes for you with absolutely no obligation to use us for the mortgage. I heard one client saying her Mortgage adviser had advised her it would affect his credit rating by doing an AIP - rubbish! This is laziness on their part. Most lenders now do a “soft search” anyway which would not affect your credit rating. If it really must be a hard search then if one credit search for the mortgage is going to throw it out for you then i would suggest more work is needed to increase your rating. Make sure you get this in place and we can arrange the viewing for you.
- Please remember we’re looking after the best interests of our client - the seller. We have multiple viewing requests (Usually around 10-15) on every property we bring to market. We ask our vendors what they would prefer - 4/5 viewers who are in a position to buy or 9/10 viewings with people who are “interested” but have a house to sell….put yourselves in their shoes - what would your answer be?
- Remember you’re in competition with lots of other people - is it really going to help your situation by being rude to our staff just because they’re acting in the best interests of safety and of our clients wishes?
- You may be in a dilemma about putting your house on the market and being worried you may not find anywhere – we have a solution to this! Click here to read another article and watch a video all about this scenario.
- If you're a seller and are liking the sound of us only arranging viewings for people in a position to proceed then by all means take a look at our valuation options by clicking here.
Regards
Ben Roberts
(Managing Director)