At first look this is a new question but reading the date it is old, i wantd to add my 2 cents to help any other buyers who are now reading this. If you have a buyers agent, the buyer agent would arrange for youto get back in the house between the time it goes under agreement and the time you close. As a listing broker some people do take advanatage and want to make daily trips to the house they are buying, They dont realize the seller is still living there, it is still teh sellers home until they close. I hav some sellers who will welcome teh buyers in and sit with them for hours telling them all about the house but then i have sellers who may be part shy, part not very outgoing or selling the house because they had to and are now losing their dream, to see a new buyer discussing changes breaks their hearts. I recomend if you are buyer to give enough notice so teh sellers can be gone if they choose and do it once, bring everyone through but please leave the young kids home unless they can be watched or held. I had soemone come through with 4 little ones plus 2 of their friends that got into the hummel collection and it got ugly fast. Each situationjh is different so let your buyers agent handle it for you and assist you to get in when needed but do it with respect for the family still there and the listing agents time and consideration.

How fare are you along with your deal? Do you have Mortgage comm.? You should be able to visit the property but, if you do as a group. Contact me if I could answer any questions for you, and I hope this helped?

JohnandAndreaPratt.com

How did it turn out?

Michael Walker
Century 21 Premier Properties
Mike@MikeWalkerHomes.com
585-872-3020 ext. 43

Eric - What does your buyers Realtor advise you to do? (You ARE working with a Realtor aren't you?) As a listing agent, I welcome the buyers to come in during the home inspection. Other than that, I discourage buyers to come back through with family, friends, etc. Keep in mind that often the seller is packing and stressed with their move. I do my best to accomodate everyone, but my priority is to my seller.

Hi Eric:

Congrats on the purchase of your home!

Let me tell you, I used to be a real estate paralegal, and the attorney with whom I worked always advised his seller clients NOT to allow buyers back into the house too often before the closing. Why? Well, first of all, true, it's not your house - yet. But more importantly, there are liability issues.

What if you are walking through the house with your measuring tape and you trip and accidentally dent the wall, or worse, fall through a window? Uh-oh. The house still belongs to the seller, but YOU, the buyer, caused the damage. Who pays for it? And if you get injured?

That's just one example, but expand on that mentally and imagine the possibilities.

Therefore, do what you can during the inspection, and, if necessary make an appointment to see it one more time with a contractor, with the seller's permission, of course.

In most cases they will be reasonable as long as they feel the requests are not bordering on abusive, but they may have an attorney just like the one I worked for that is advising them it's a no-no, and do try to understand that, too.

Good luck!

I give my buyers 3 meetings after the contract is accepted. That way they have inspections, and 2 "freebies". The owners of the house sometimes get a little miffed when someon is walking around thier house when it hasn't closed....

How many times have you asked to go back in to see the house since your offer was accepted? I usually suggest to my buyers that they bring a camera,measuring tape and pad of paper to their home inspection. That way they can make notes and take pictures of rooms, windows, etc. It is also a good time to invite family members and contractors. You may have to go one other time to get a contractor in (for instance if you are refinishing floors before you move in and they have to order for the job). Most sellers will understand that you need to do that.
Usually once a home is sold, the sellers are very busy trying to pack all of their things so that they can move on. Accomodating a buyer once or twice is reasonable. Beyond that it becomes an inconvenience.
That said, the sellers agent should never be rude to you and I would discuss it with either the agent or their broker. Good luck with your new home. I have no doubt that you will enjoy it once you are settled in. Don't let this experience ruin your joy.

Please remember that you do not own the house until you close. Although I have had customers request multiple viewings for family members, I try to keep the traffic down. Put yourself in the seller's place: if your home was pending sale, would you like to have the buyer's coming in and mentally redecorating, painting, and renovating your home all while you are trying to tie up loose ends, pack and move? I tell the my buyers there will be plenty of time to decide what to do after closing. Once I begin allowing visits from painters, floor sanders, etc, to make estimates, then the questions start "would it be OK if I store some stuff in the garage?" I had one buyer want to get 3 different estimates from floor renovators. Personally I believe this is an inconvenience and a disruption. Selling a home is an emotionally draining process and i prefer to keep to a minimum the chances of buyer and seller meeting and having some kind of emotional confrontation before the closing. This is the kind of situation that starts innocently enough and ends with sellers complaining about "bending over backwards" and "being nickel and dimed" and buyers accusing sellers of "not wanting me in the house! are they HIDING something."

Hi Eric,
What a disappointing situation given that this should be a very exciting time for you! What I would do is this. Once you get through Purchase and Sale, make certain that your attorney has put language into this legal document that allows "reasonable" entry into the house. This should of course be mutually convenient to all parties. If your agent is anything less than professional and courtious ... then you have every right to go to his BROKER and request representation from another agent. You most certainly DO NOT have to accept this kind of treatment from your agent. Shame on him or her!!! Not sure where you are, but if I can be of any help in finding you an agent in your area, please don't hesitate to ask. I am in Massachusetts. So sorry that you have had this experience!

Debbie

Hi Eric! It's pretty unusual for the sellers and their agent not to want you back in the home to estimate repairs, measure and prepare for your move.

It also sounds like you don't have a Realtor representing you in the transaction. If that is truly the case, and they're being rude and un-cooperative, I would look in to the possibility of bringing a buyer's agent in to represent your interests. It may be difficult, as they will not want to pay a buyer's agent at this point, since you're already under contract. But...you never know. Explain your feelings and see what you can do to ease the situation.

For future reference...always get an agent to represent your interests. If you need a good agent in your area, please let me know and I'll see if I can help find someone for you.

Hello Eric:

Sorry about your experience. You should be able to make appointments through your Realtor with either the seller or the listing agent so you can go and see the house again. Yes, you will need access to the house for inspections both when the inspectors are there or when you just want to take your time and go through the house carefully again. Sometimes my buyers want to go in to the house to measure the room, windows, etc so they can plan the repairs, remodels, buy furniture, window treatment, etc.

However, your agent should be the middle person so you can avoid the situation like this.

Your agent should request that neither the seller nor the listing agent are present so you can take your time investigate the house. They should not be there unless there is specific needs for it - such as towards the end and they need to show you how to operate certain things, and possibly during walk through - even then, only listing agent should be present if he/she wants to - I always want to for my listings.

Although one thing I like to caution you is to be respectful of the seller's rights - they still live that and the house is not yours yet.

I can understand your excitement and the needs to show the house to families or friends. However, if it is possible, do it either after you bought the house; or if you want their opinion during the inspection period, make sure you don't over do it. This is not a tour. Make sure you invite a few important persons and make minimum appointments to see the house (once or twice should be enough just to show the friends and relatives) .

So, talk to your agent and ask the agent to talk to the listing agent so your experience when viewing the house will be more pleasant.

Sylvia