Can you make an offer without a viewing? An important question now that the housing market seems to be picking up. Because if the real estate agent's schedule is full and you desperately want to get your dream home, can you actually make an offer unseen? In this blog article, we explain.
Buying without looking
We all know it from the well-known RTL program Kopen Zonder Kijken, where real estate agent Alex van Keulen buys a house on behalf of seekers without having seen it himself. Apart from the fact that it is an exciting thought that you are spending a large amount of money on something you have not yet seen, the question also arises: can you make an offer without a viewing?
Blind bidding
When a candidate makes an offer without viewing the property we also call this: 'blind bidding'. There can be several reasons for blind bidding, but the most common are:
- If a spot is no longer available for a viewing
- If a professional party (such as an investor or developer) is involved
- If someone wants to be the first to bid to get ahead of the competition
Risks of blind bidding
The biggest risk of blind bidding for a candidate is the so-called "duty of inquiry" for prospective buyers. This means that a buyer is expected to properly inspect the home for any deficiencies or defects so that one knows what is being purchased. Not inspecting the home, or not inspecting it properly, soon results in this obligation not being met, and that can cause major financial problems.
Suppose you made a blind offer on a very popular house. The seller agrees to the proposal but then the problems begin. When you get the keys to the house, everything turns out to be wrong: the window frames are rotten, the roof leaks, pest problems, the list goes on and on.
If, in this case, you as a buyer seek redress from the seller, you will in almost all cases be left empty-handed. A judge will always rule that you as a buyer have not fulfilled your obligation to investigate. After all, you could have seen most of the defects by viewing the house in real life instead of on the funda photos.
Blind bid for a seller
The same story applies to sellers, but from the other side. At first it sounds tempting, even before the first viewing a good offer has been received. That saves a lot of appointments, tidying up and stress! But the prospective buyer still wants to take a quick look at the house, and together it is decided that the buyer can take a quick look inside after signing the purchase agreement.
During the brief viewing, the house still disappoints the prospective buyer. After a night's sleep, the buyer decides to abandon the purchase within the consideration period. End result: seller and real estate agent have to register the property again, call all interested parties and probably a worse negotiating position.
For this reason, in most cases, a real estate agent will recommend that the candidate look anyway and go through all the viewings in order to get the most out of the property and avoid risk.
Exceptions
There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. For example, previous examples have always dealt with the risks in a consumer purchasing a home. When there is a professional buyer, someone buying on behalf of a company rather than an individual (e.g., an investor), it may be of interest.
In fact, for professional parties, there is no requirement for writing. This means that when this party makes an offer and you accept it (without signing a purchase agreement yet), the sale is immediately binding. There is no question of the legal three-day cooling-off period and parties cannot go back on this. Note: this also applies to the seller!
Summary
Going back to the question: can you make an offer without a viewing? The short answer to this is: yes. When asked whether it is wise for buyers and sellers, the answer is almost always: no! The duty to research counts heavily in the buying process and should not be underestimated. If you do not manage to get a place, it is advisable to hire a buying agent.
