If you see a for sale sign on a house. Can you just knock on the door and politely ask to quickly inspect it?
I work until late monday-saturday.Agents around my area are closed on Sunday.
Is It Rude to Knock on a House with For Sale Sign?
Comments
Not if you heard from a friend of the owner that the house was for sale and didn't see the for sale sign until you got to the house.
Still doesn't matter. When you put a house up for SALE via an agent, you sign an exclusively clause, that even if you sell it via other means, they still get their cut, including up to 6 months after the property is taken 'off the market' in most cases.
So your example means nothing.
Not all agency agreements are exclusive (although vast majority would be). If it is non-exclusive, agent only get their cut if they actually sell it.
@djkelly69: yeah nah, You'll be hard-pressed to find ANY agents who wouldn't have this clause as standard. Otherwise, they run the risk of doing all the work and can get 'cut out', making zero.
Its the same reason they have the 6 month after its off the market clause too.
@JimmyF: If it is an exclusive agreement, yes it will have a clause to that effect. If it is not, it won't. As stated, it is uncommon, but occasionally happens (eg. when there are two different agent firms involved). In that case, the one who sells it gets the money, bar some sort of agreement between the two agents.
Also most exclusive agency agreements I have seen can be terminated on 30 days notice.
You'll be hard-pressed to find ANY agents who wouldn't have this clause as standard.
That's crap. Just go to regional areas and you will find loads of non-exclusives. We bought our land through an agent who wasn't even representing the owners (and there were two other agents who were representing them).
However, non-exclusive agreements usually have a higher percentage fee than exclusive.
Please try and refrain for posting erroneous comments. Thank you.
Give it a try.
It's not rude to knock/ask since sellers may be willing to go the extra mile to secure a deal, but for all you know, it could be tenanted (ie. they may not care about the sale and you could just be inconveniencing them; if not already emphasising the point they will potentially be getting kicked out). Even if it is the owners living there, they may not be ready for an inspection and have their private things around and not ready for an inspection (a lot of effort goes in to preparing for an inspection on the day!), or it's simply inconvenient for them.
IMO go through the agent and ask for a private inspection. If you're a serious potential buyer, agents will be happy to help accommodate such requests.
It might not be rude, but it's definitely the wrong thing to do.
If there is an agent involved, the owner has chosen to have the agent act on their behalf and would not be looking to communicate directly. Plus all the reasons you gave :)Agreed.
Just to clarify my original comment - I am NOT encouraging knocking on the door.
Go back and search for the address in Realestate.com.au Then email the agent saying you are interested and if they could arrange an inspection that suits your time and that you have work commitments around the usual hours. Most of the time, the agent won't have a problem organizing a quick 30mins walk around on a Sunday morning unless the owners have any objections. If working for 1 hour on a Sunday can lead to a potential sale, they would do that.
probably not, but i would ask the real estate agent if they didn't mind and to warn the people living there.
The estate agent will try and open it for you when you can visit.
Also is it going to auction? If so, auction will likely be on Saturday too so you'll need to sort yourself out for that.
Just give the number on the sign a call. They are usually 7 days a week If not for sure 6 days a week. This is why owners go through agents & pay thousands for commissions.
Anyone residing in there might be a tenant and not the owner.
I would be quite expressive in my displeasure should someone knock on my door regarding my LL's for sale sign.
In case you hadn't noticed, the tennis is on which is much more important to me than assisting you with land banking
The agent will make time for you if you're serious about the property.
As previously mentioned already, regardless of whether it's the owner or a tenant, the home may not be in a state for you to see it. Speaking from experience, I once tenanted a house which the owner decided to put on sale a few months into the tenancy and… that was not pleasant at all. They had viewings every weekend and "requested" that we comply to their requirements of having the house in "showroom" condition, i.e. make it look like there's no one living there as much as was possible. Definitely not what we signed up for.
So, yeah. End point, always best to go through the agent or maybe leave a note in the mailbox of the house asking them to contact you and work out a convenient time? (Though this probably won't work if it's a tenant living there.)
Interestingly I've heard of some tenants negotiating 'allowances' or 'rebates' for the inconvenience and cost of maintaining the cleanliness (i.e. to help pay for 'cleaning' costs).
Whilst I did not do such a thing when my LL was hosting inspections for new tenants after my lease finished, I felt the agents were honest in setting expectations and explaining what my legal obligations were with regards to allowing inspections, and so I cooperated in good faith.
Oh, that is interesting, indeed. Though probably only applicable if the tenants actually needed to hire people to clean the place… but still, would have been nice to have as an option. Unfortunately, that agent totally neglected us as tenants, ignoring issues like half-done maintenance work (which left things in a worse state than before) and a rat problem due to an issue with the house. So, I doubt they would have agreed to anything like that, haha…
If it was my house, I would tell you to call the number on the sign to make an appointment with the agent. I'm probably in the middle or something and not in the mood you follow you around my house to make sure you don't steal anything.
Agreed, I've always been a bit nervous about that aspect of open houses/inspections when it's got my things in there (vs rental furniture). I also had to ask the potential clients to not take any photos (although it didn't stop some from trying to be discrete in filming the place… which I confronted them on and watched them delete it).
I once sold a house from a guy who was door knocking in the area. Saved a bucket both sides with no RE involved. SO was a bit surprised when i rang her "hey sold our house!"
As an Agent, the issue to me isn't the inspection part, as that is totally up to the owner (the commission is paid regardless who shows), HOWEVER, the big issue is 1/ Security. Almost no owners will ask to see ID and get contact details. The people going through will potentially just be checking the home out to clear it out, and 2/ because they do not get contact details, the Agent can not follow them up. The owners will say contact the Agent, and most times this doesn't happen and the everyone is dark as to who has inspected the property. For these reasons alone, I would ask the owner to call me immediately so I can talk to the buyers and arrange a look through, either then if really keen or another appropriate time. Best if the owners politely say that all inspections are through the Agent.
As far as inspections are concerned, most buyers will feel more at ease if the owners are not home when they look around.
Real estate agents usually ask for ID? Is that a new thing?
Been around for a few years
Not rude at all. I sold my last house to a couple who came knocking on my door late one afternoon on a weekend when the Estate Agency was closed.
They were from out of town and were just about to head home and noticed the For Sale sign.
I showed them through the house, no pressure, and told them that they'd have to contact the Estate Agent on Monday if they really wanted to buy.
Not only did they buy the house but they paid the asking price for it.
I'd do it again.
You mean you didn't mind. I would.
The potential buyer can contact the agent and arrange a suitable inspection time.
On the other hand, if I knew I could find the right buyer with just a sign, it'd cost me less than $100 to sell rather than whatever you paid.
sorry… that must have cut deep for an ozbargainer
got conned by 2 crooks who gave me the same story once. they burgled me the next time [granville, nsw]. agent then told me never to let them without him being present. there are OH&S and public liability implications as well. safety of letting strangers into your house.
Well yes, as you don't 'deal' direct with the owners. So its a no, no.
You can also look at the listing online, to get a feel if this place is something you would like to look at in person, then ring the agent ask to book in a time, this might be an early morning appointment before work.