If you've sent enquiries through a property site and heard nothing, you're not alone. Agents work for the seller, get dozens of enquiries per house, and answer the ones that look like serious buyers first.
Email the agent directly
The form on a listing site often goes to a shared inbox. Find the agent's own email on their firm's website (the branch or team page) and write to them directly.
Make it easy to say yes
- Subject line: the address and what you want. "Viewing request: 12 Main Street, Ranelagh".
- One clear ask. A specific time works better than "any availability?": "Could I view on Saturday morning or Tuesday after 6pm?"
- Say you're a serious buyer. "I have mortgage approval in principle and I'm not in a chain." One line.
- Short. Four or five lines.
Follow up, in the same thread
No reply in two working days? Reply to your own email with a one-line nudge. Still nothing after five days? Try again, and ask if the house is still available. Keeping it in one thread means the agent sees the whole history.
Keep a record
Agents change, and things said on the phone get forgotten. Keep your viewing requests, bids and their answers in writing. It matters most when you're bidding: see how bidding works.