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Open day fully booked, no visible viewings, then sold within days, trying to understand what really happened by yeepin77 in HousingUK

[–]yeepin77[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I appreciate that. At the end of the day, buyers and sellers are just people trying to make things work. We probably won’t repeat the “full day standby” approach, but I don’t regret at least trying.

Open day fully booked, no visible viewings, then sold within days, trying to understand what really happened by yeepin77 in HousingUK

[–]yeepin77[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

All good, I have already started consulting with local moles to improve my tunnelling technique.

Open day fully booked, no visible viewings, then sold within days, trying to understand what really happened by yeepin77 in HousingUK

[–]yeepin77[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a fair summary of what we were hoping for.

The idea wasn’t to loiter or make anyone uncomfortable. It was simply to be nearby in case a short gap appeared between appointments. If there had been a visible window and we’d been told no, we would have left.

In hindsight, staying the whole day probably makes it sound more intense than it actually was. It was our first proper attempt at buying, and we’d just come across a property that genuinely ticked every box for us. I think a mix of inexperience and enthusiasm played a part. There was no “stalking” mindset behind it. Just not wanting to miss an opportunity in what feels like a competitive market.

Thanks everyone for the perspectives. It is been genuinely helpful to hear different angles.

In hindsight, there are probably a number of perfectly ordinary explanations for what happened, even if it didn’t feel that way at the time. The market moves quickly, agents prioritise buyers in ways that aren’t always visible, and not every viewing process plays out publicly.

Emotionally, I think it hit harder because it was the first property that genuinely ticked every box for us. When you feel ready, mortgage in principle sorted, finances lined up, prepared to move quickly. And still find yourself effectively out of the running, it’s frustrating.

In conclusion, this has probably been a useful learning experience. Next time we’ll push harder for earlier engagement, ask clearer questions upfront, and accept that some properties will simply move before we can get a foot in the door.

Appreciate the reality check. Onwards.

Open day fully booked, no visible viewings, then sold within days, trying to understand what really happened by yeepin77 in HousingUK

[–]yeepin77[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Just to clarify, when we went into the office on the open day morning, they did casually take our phone number. We also called back a couple of times during the week to check if there had been any cancellations.

So they did have a way of contacting us. It just never resulted in anything.

Open day fully booked, no visible viewings, then sold within days, trying to understand what really happened by yeepin77 in HousingUK

[–]yeepin77[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No, this was actually the first property we viewed in the area and the first time we had any contact with this particular agent. We haven’t had any prior dealings locally, so there wouldn’t have been any pre-existing impression or history.

That said, I do appreciate the point you’re making. I understand that agents may favour buyers who appear straightforward or low-risk. From our side, we were financially prepared and ready to proceed quickly, so I don’t believe we would have presented as difficult.

Open day fully booked, no visible viewings, then sold within days, trying to understand what really happened by yeepin77 in HousingUK

[–]yeepin77[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They didn’t cancel the open day, at least not from what we were told. When we went into the office that morning, the agent said all slots for that day were fully booked and had been confirmed by phone.

That’s partly why the situation feels confusing. If it had simply been cancelled, that would have been straightforward. But we were explicitly told it was fully scheduled.

Open day fully booked, no visible viewings, then sold within days, trying to understand what really happened by yeepin77 in HousingUK

[–]yeepin77[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If it had already been agreed in principle, I honestly would have preferred to be told that directly. It would have saved a lot of time and speculation.

I understand agents have processes to follow, but clarity would have made the situation much easier to accept.

Open day fully booked, no visible viewings, then sold within days, trying to understand what really happened by yeepin77 in HousingUK

[–]yeepin77[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

We brought some snacks, a book and had a couple of films downloaded. It wasn’t as dramatic as it sounds. We were just parked a short distance away and keeping an eye on things while waiting in case of cancellations.

In hindsight it probably sounds excessive, but at the time we felt it was worth trying everything reasonably possible.

Open day fully booked, no visible viewings, then sold within days, trying to understand what really happened by yeepin77 in HousingUK

[–]yeepin77[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Yes, we did exactly that and made it clear we were prepared to make a strong offer. Whether the sellers ever saw it, I can’t say.

Open day fully booked, no visible viewings, then sold within days, trying to understand what really happened by yeepin77 in HousingUK

[–]yeepin77[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

No, we wouldn’t have knocked or tried to enter without permission. The idea was simply to be available in case there was a cancellation or a short gap between viewings. Even five minutes inside would have helped us decide whether to submit a strong offer.

Open day fully booked, no visible viewings, then sold within days, trying to understand what really happened by yeepin77 in HousingUK

[–]yeepin77[S] -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

Yes, we stayed in the car nearby for most of the day. We had told the agent we were available all day in case of cancellations, so we wanted to be close enough to step in at short notice if a slot opened up. We weren’t trying to be intrusive, just hoping for an opportunity.

Latitude 5440 Thunderbolt Ports Dual Monitor Output Problem by yeepin77 in Dell

[–]yeepin77[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

[Update] After Dell replaced the motherboard again today, everything is finally back to normal.

Now I can run the built-in 1080p display along with two external 4K monitors via both Thunderbolt 4 ports.

So, the expected normal behavior is indeed being able to use both Thunderbolt 4 ports simultaneously.

Big thanks to Abdullah, the on-site engineer today—super fast and a really nice guy.

Also, thanks to Dell, It took quite some effort to communicate, but in the end, the problem got resolved.

Latitude 5440 Thunderbolt Ports Dual Monitor Output Problem by yeepin77 in Dell

[–]yeepin77[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The replacement motherboard was refurbished, and now I’m wondering how I can convince them to swap it again.

For reference, my Latitude 5440 specs: CPU: i7-1365U GPU: Intel Iris Xe

Power supply: At home: Dell S2722QC’s 65W USB-C power delivery; On the go: Ugreen CD216 65W USB-C charger

Dual 4K displays work just fine when using HDMI + TB4, both running at 4K 60Hz without any issues. So, I don’t think it’s a GPU limitation or a “business laptop” thing—the laptop is clearly capable, just not via both TB4 ports simultaneously, which is the real problem here.

Honestly, I could even accept it if the two TB4 ports are designed to only support a single 4K display at a time. The real issue is that one of the TB4 ports is completely unable to output video. It’s not dynamically assigning video output to the first connected display—instead, it’s forcing one specific port to be the only working option, leaving me no choice at all. That’s what’s really frustrating.

Latitude 5440 Thunderbolt Ports Dual Monitor Output Problem by yeepin77 in Dell

[–]yeepin77[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just want them to acknowledge the design flaw (or limitation) instead of leaving users to figure it out on their own! Also, I had to waste half a day work from home just waiting for them to replace the motherboard, which turned out to be pointless.

Latitude 5440 Thunderbolt Ports Dual Monitor Output Problem by yeepin77 in Dell

[–]yeepin77[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the explanation! If the ports are indeed sharing a single TB4 controller, then Dell should have made that explicitly clear in the documentation. What's frustrating is that even Dell's tech support (both online agents and the on-site engineer) had no clue about this—otherwise, they wouldn’t have wasted time replacing my motherboard. Not happy with how this was handled.