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Property/DIY

Vendors hiding in garage during viewing...

16 replies

ReshapeWhileDamp · 28/08/2010 23:35

Anyone else got any amusing stories of hidden vendors?

We went round a house recently that turned out not to be for us, but I believe in doing a viewing properly and wanted to investigate all the storage space, etc. Went into the garden, threw open the garage/shed doors - and the vendor was sitting in a deckchair, in the pitch dark, with his dog, blinking a bit into the sunlight! He said he liked to stay out of the way during viewings... Um, like taking the dog for a walk, perhaps? I said 'Oh. Ok. Sorry', closed the doors and then had to run down to the end of the garden so he wouldn't hear me laughing!

Has this happened to anyone else? I don't think he was hidden away in order to eavesdrop on us, I think he genuinely wanted to keep out of the way but didn't want to go out!

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Sidge · 28/08/2010 23:48

We viewed a house years ago, and the estate agent showed us around whilst the vendor sat in the lounge.

She failed to tell us her teenage son was still in bed, so we went steaming into his room and wondered why it was all dark and smelly.

ReshapeWhileDamp · 29/08/2010 10:41

Yuk! It's bad enough going into teenage bedrooms on a viewing when they haven't left the window open.

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Wordsonascreen · 29/08/2010 10:47

We went to one at 4pm on a Saturday afternoon iirc .. vendor was having a bbq and had 15 drunken guests who were hysterical with laughter about the properties dodgy plumbing (one of them had blocked the loo)

Estate agent said after they thought it was a good idea to kill tow birds with one stone so they only had to "tidy up once" for us and the party.

We didn't buy it.

TDaDa · 29/08/2010 10:48

Person we bought our house from sat in his office working. We never met his wife. I think that they were hiding/feeling guilty about the odd fault - the did zero in the 20 years that they lived there- which we have had to fix.

NoseyNooNoo · 29/08/2010 21:08

TDaDa, where do you live - they sound like a couple we almost bought from?

In the last house we bought the vendor hid in a wardrobe and then the garden. This sounds pretty wacky but he also lied about having a brain tumour - slightly cuckoo me think!

MDUK · 29/08/2010 21:32

We went to view a house and were welcomed in by a blind lady. She was a very capable woman and took great pride in showing us round.

As well as the property features she was keen to point out how well kept and clean the house was. Unfortunately, it really wasn't - it was dirty and unkempt. We made our excuses and left...

ReshapeWhileDamp · 29/08/2010 21:35

Nosey - in the wardrobe? Did you fling the doors open and have a heart attack?

Love the drunken BBQ!

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MixedupMartha · 29/08/2010 22:01

We once viewed a flat where the vendor wasn't home. The estate agent showed us around and by the second room, we'd decided it wasn't for us.

We proceeded to slate the place (everything was dodgy) and as we entered the bedroom, the estate agent joined in with us saying how awful the place was....

Yup - the vendor was in bed - and he heard everything.

TimothyTigerTuppennyTail · 29/08/2010 22:05

We were shown round a house by the estate agent and the vendor. The vendor's partner was hiding behind the kitchen door.

We still giggle about it even now.

TDaDa · 30/08/2010 07:08

Nosey- I am in NW London.

StealthPolarBear · 30/08/2010 07:15

Wordsonascreen we used to do that! Invite people round after a viewing as the house was already clean and tidy :o We did wait until the viewers had gone though :)

TDaDa · 30/08/2010 07:20

Viewing partys!! Did you hide your fiends who arrived early in the garage. Open the garage and it is SURPRISE

StealthPolarBear · 30/08/2010 07:22

:) ah no we'd just have a couple of friends or family over rather than a party & leave a suitable gap :) DH & DS weren't allowed to make any mess in the gap!

TDaDa · 30/08/2010 08:38

shame; i rather liked the idea of you stuffing keep invitees into the garage and telling them to shush

NoseyNooNoo · 30/08/2010 13:18

TDaDa, not the same house - which I'm pleased about because I feel sorry for the people who went on to buy the house we almost bought.

kickassangel · 30/08/2010 13:37

i went to view a flat - the vendors had told the estate agent that they were away on their honeymoon, so we nipped round - to find them still packing & not yet gone.

i felt awful, they were sorting out bottles of champagne, her dress, the cake etc. we'd gone round early - about 9 am.

still, the day after they got married at that time, they could have been in the middle of something a bit more erm ... interesting.

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