Buyer's Visits - Seeing the house prior to closing
June 10, 2021
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By Aneta Andrews
One of the usual terms of any purchase and sale agreement that I have been a part of are the buyer's visits. As a buyer agent... I ask for it on behalf of my buyers, and as a seller's agent... I never encourage clients to not allow them. With closings being usually 60-90 days after the acceptance of the offer, it is only natural that an excited buyer wants to see the house again prior to closing. Usually this visit is not an inspection. Most of the visits are about an hour in length. If my client needs extra time, I would ask for it up front in the agreement.
There are many reasons as to why the buyer would want to come back to the house prior to closing, thus I normally would request a minimum of 2 visits. If it is a longer closing I would ask for 3 and if the buyer has renovation plans there may be more. It is best to make sure it is in the offer up front, as after the agreement is accepted, the seller's don't have to agree to them at all.
Some of the more usual reasons to go back for buyer's visits are:
1) To see the house again and show it to the relatives and children
2) To take measurements for new furniture or to see if existing ones will fit
3) If one of the terms of the agreement was for the sellers to complete some repairs, a buyer may want to go and check out the repairs to make sure it is to their satisfaction, and as per agreement
4) If a major renovations will take place, one may want to engage engineers ahead of time, with seller's permission, who may want to come in and measure out the house and take drawings (this would be a longer visit than one hour and one may want to put it in writing into agreement, that this is the intention of the buyer)
5) To make sure that the seller is actually packing and moving (I always encourage buyers to leave the last visit to the few days before closing)
6) To make sure that all of the appliances are working still prior to closing and eg. A/C if you purchased the house in the winter time and never had a chance to see it work
7) to see that the pool is working as per agreement
This list is not all inclusive. There could be other reasons as to why one may want to request one.
Going back with my buyers for the buyer's visits is usually a very exciting time ... for all of us. As a realtor.. I want to make sure that my clients are happy with their purchase and things are moving smoothly and according to the agreement with the sellers. For buyers, it is also a very exciting time as the long awaited process (and recently a very stressful process due to very tight market conditions) is coming to reality. The realization of plans, and for many, the dream of home ownership are at their fingertips and there is nothing more exciting than this.
In the last week, I had the pleasure of accompanying many of my buyers to their new homes that they purchased in the last few months. The closings are coming up and the excitement is through the roof. I am so blessed to be a part of their journey and I very much share in their excitement.
If you or anyone you know is thinking of purchasing a home, please reach out to me. Let me help you realize your real estate dreams.
Call or Text me for a copy of my Buyer's Guide to help you get moving.
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