It takes time to find your dream home, but exactly how long should you spend viewing a property?
It’s a question many house hunters ask themselves, conscious that they are either overstaying their welcome or not spending enough time making sure the property is right for them.
While there’s no right or wrong answer, there are some guidelines and rules you can follow.
In this article, we are drawing from our own experience to look at the whole house viewing process for buyers to help you find that perfect property.
How Much Time You Spend Depends On Type Of Viewing
Typically, 35% of people will spend more than 2 hours viewing a property they go on to purchase.
But not all viewings are the same: there are different types of viewings. And depending on the type, the time spent will vary. These are the different types of viewings:
- First viewing
- To make sure viewing – often second viewing
- Second opinion viewing
- Issue viewing
- Measuring up viewing
So let’s look at each type of viewing in more detail to find out how much time to spend at the property.
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1. First Viewing (20 – 30 minutes)
On your first viewing, you may be able to be in and out fairly quickly as you just need to get a sense of whether you’re interested enough to go back for another viewing.
We would say that 20 to 30 minutes is probably an appropriate amount of time. It gives you chance to see all there is to see and get a feeling of the property. It could be less if you know it’s not the home for you.
While you might spot some issues or things you are unsure about, generally, first viewings are used to establish whether the layout works for you and if you could see yourself living there.
The question you want answering on this viewing: Is this property a possible contender?
The first viewing is often when people listen to their heart. They are looking for “the feeling”, which is so important when buying a home.
2. To Make Sure Viewing (45 – 60 minutes)
Once you have a contender that you really like and think is the one you want to make an offer on, your next viewing will have a different purpose. You want to make sure that it’s definitely the one for you and that it will work.
Often, it’s the second viewing, but it could be third or even fourth. During this viewing you look at various things that will help you decide whether it’s the one:
- Layout: does it really work for you?
- Size: are the room sizes sufficient for what you want to do with the property?
- Rooms: how would you use the rooms and does the house have all you need?
- Work: Do you need to carry out any work? If so, do you have the budget for it?
- Issues: Are there any issues you might not have spotted previously? Do they need further investigation?
- Questions: this is also the time to ask any questions to the seller about the house as well as the area
As there is a lot to find out, you will spend much longer at the property during this type of viewing. Probably between 45 and 60 minutes, but it can be longer, especially if you have many questions for the owners.
Take your time on this viewing, after all you are trying to make a decision and it’s a big decision.
The question you want to answer with this viewing: do I want to make an offer on this house?
This viewing should be ruled by the head. No matter how much you love the property, you have to look at it realistically to make sure it’s definitely the one for you.
3. Second Opinion Viewing (30 – 60 minutes)
Sometimes you might want a second opinion, especially if you are a first-time buyer. Buying a property is probably the biggest purchase you ever make, so getting the thoughts of someone else can be helpful.
There are different types of second opinions. For example, you might just want a friend or family member who knows you to confirm that it would be the perfect fit for you.
Or you might want someone with more experience buying a home, like your parents, to see it to make sure you haven’t missed anything. We have asked my parents along to viewings before because my dad knows a lot about buildings and issues that could occur.
You might plan to do some work on the property and want the opinion of a builder regarding what can be done, how much it might cost and how much upheaval it would be.
So depending on which type of opinion you are after, this viewing might take 30 to 60 minutes.
The question you want to answer with this viewing: was my judgement of the property correct?
It’s important that you choose the right person, depending on what kind of second opinion you want.
4. Issue Viewing (45 – 90 minutes)
Whether you spotted an issue yourself during one of your viewings or it came up in a survey, you want to make sure you know what you are dealing with. So it’s sensible to dedicate a viewing to the issue to figure out if it’s a dealbreaker or not.
Issues that you might want to investigate further include signs of subsidence, signs of dry rot, damp and woodworm activity. Basically, anything that could be costly and difficult to repair.
It’s important that you fully inspect the issue, possible bringing someone along who has experience dealing with it. If possible, also talk to the owner about it.
You might also want to consider carrying out a specialist survey to get to the bottom of the issue.
Because you want to be thorough and get as much information as possible, this is likely to be a longer viewing, probably 45 to 60 minutes.
The question you want to answer with this viewing: do I still want to go ahead buying this property?
No matter how much you love the property, it’s important not to just dismiss any issues you come across. Because otherwise, your dream home might turn into a nightmare.
5. Measuring Up Viewing (20 – 30 minutes)
Once you get closer to moving day, you might want to know if your furniture will fit or if you need to buy new ones. So having another viewing armed with a tape measure is very useful.
One advantage is that you can sell anything that won’t fit to get money towards new furniture rather than taking it with you and then find out that it won’t fit.
This could also reduce your removal costs if you don’t have a sofa, bed and wardrobe to move.
Because you know exactly what you want to achieve, this viewing shouldn’t take too long. We would say 20 to 30 minutes should suffice.
The question you want with this viewing: what furniture can I take with me?
Make sure you are organised for this viewing, so you don’t have to spend too much time in the property. Remember, the sellers will also have a lot to do to prepare for the move.
Not everyone will need all these types of viewing, as it depends on the property you are looking at. The thing to remember is that each viewing should have a purpose, which will dictate how long or short it will be.
We have an article about how many viewings you should have on a property, if you want to know more about this topic.
Our shortest viewings are on houses we instantly know aren’t for us!
In cases like this, we would quickly look at the whole house and then leave, only spending 10 minutes in the house.
After all, you don’t want to waste your and the seller’s time when you already know it’s not for you. But we will still look at the whole house, just in case there is something that might change our mind.
The most time we spent at first viewings was when we weren’t sure or really liked a house. When we weren’t sure, we spent more time discussing how we would use the rooms and if it would work.
This just takes more time. We have spent over 45 minutes in some houses!
When we really like a house, we kind of do the same, but rather than seeing if it works, we see how we could make it work. Again, we might easily spend 45 to 60 minutes in a house if that’s the situation.
Our first viewings are usually pretty thorough…
We found that these longer first viewings are very important. Not only will they help you to decide, it can also help you to see where you are willing to make a compromise.
We were always looking for a house with a big master bedroom. But then we viewed a house that we loved, even though it had a small bedroom.
Because the rest of the house was perfect, we were happy to make this compromise.
Even though in the end we didn’t make an offer on this house, we weren’t that focused on a big bedroom anymore. This meant that the pool of houses we considered got bigger, leading us to the house we eventually bought (which didn’t have the big bedroom we initially wanted!).
So we would recommend spending as much time as you need on a first viewing, as long as you are using this time productively.
… but our second viewings are usually the longest!
Second viewings are different. Because you have already established that the house is a contender. Now it’s about finding out how you would live in it, what changes you would need to make and if there are any issues you should be aware of.
As a result, our second viewings always tend to take longer than our first ones. Often we go equipped with a tape measure, so we can make sure that everything works the way we thought.
Don’t forget to add on some time to wander around the local area to get a feel for the facilities and safety of the area.
House Viewing Etiquette
Now that you know how long you should spend viewing a property, let’s move on to viewing etiquette.
Whenever you view a property, always remember you’re entering someone’s home. That’s true even if the property is already empty.
How long you spend at the property is part of the house viewing etiquette. While you should stay as long as you need to, try not to overstay your welcome.
Make sure you know what you want to achieve with the viewing beforehand, so you can focus on the question in hand. This will help you to focus your mind and make most of the viewing without spending more time than you need.
However, there are a number of other things you should do, as well as some things you shouldn’t!
Do:
- Make sure you arrive on time
- Be polite and offer to take off your shoes
- Ask fair questions that will help you make a decision
- Be positive about the things you like
Don’t:
- Bring pets with you
- Bring food or drink into the property
- Be too abrupt about anything you don’t like
Obviously, this is just a small list; there are lots more things to consider. However, if you stick to the above, you’ll be on the right track.
When we view properties we always stick to these. In addition, we also never open any cupboards or drawers, even if the owner isn’t in the same room. As a general rule, we only view with our eyes and not with our hands.
If there is something we want to see that isn’t visible, because it’s in an airing cupboard, for example, we ask the owner for permission.
We also don’t touch any pets without permission. This rule comes from an experience we had when we sold our first home.
We had two cats at the time, one of which was very nosy and would follow us around while showing people around (in hindsight, we should have made other arrangements to keep her out of the way!).
During one visit, the cat was just passing by one of the viewers, who bent down and picked her up. We didn’t like that at all. For one, we were worried that the cat might get scared and bite or scratch him. But we also felt that it was wrong to just grab someone’s cat like that.
Thankfully, the cat just looked at him a bit shocked and then tried to get down. For the rest of the house tour I was holding her, much to her dismay!
Experiences like this have helped us to know how to behave when viewing someone else’s home.
Conclusion – How Long Should You Spend Viewing A Property?
As you have seen, there isn’t a one-fits-all answer to this question. You should spend as much time viewing a property as you need. And this will depend on the type of viewing you are undertaking.
We have provided you with questions for each type, which you should be able to answer after the viewing. If you go into each viewing with the appropriate question in mind, you can avoid spending longer than you need to.
If you have more questions about viewing properties, head to our FAQ page about viewings to get answers.
