To think that there is no such thing as too clean and tidy

Dear oh dear. MIL's comment is exactly the sort that eye-rolling was invented for. A house that's going on the market cannot be too clean and tidy. If too empty some houses can look bare and clinical, but that is most unlikely to be the case with 8 people living there. Good luck with your move.

Sometimes people say this and its more about their style/taste preferences. Not actually about cleanliness. If for example they love lots of books, art, texture, colour and you have a house that is neutral colours, minimal art or decor, clear surfaces, nothing 'on show' they might describe it as ' too clean and tidy' for their tastes.
Its not really about cleanliness but more what theyd consider to be a bit of an austere/plain look?
Either way...its still rude to comment and she sounds annoying.

Well done OP, getting a house ready for selling without six children is quite the task anyway! I hope you don't let those pathetic little comments rattle you and wish you every happiness in finding your new home (just remember to do a head count before you leave!)

I agree to an extent, but often if people don’t clean they also don’t do essential repairs, so you could be buying a money pit. If it was the top end of my budget I’d probably rule it out too, because you never know what else might come up.

I hadn’t realised they were buying such a large house for the two of them and expressed surprise.

What does this have to do with the cleanliness of your house?

See I don't think that's needless to say at all. I like nothing more than a clean and tidy home but to base one of the biggest decisions you can make on something easily fixed is crazy. People are often amazed at the large and lovely home i live in knowing my middling career, but I bought something that other people would have said no to based on cosmetics.

Just out of interest, why would it put you off?
Surely it is easier to see the space, is a good sign the home is well maintained and likely to be in decent condition on moving day?
I would have thought you make it a cosy home with your belongings when you move in!

The less clutter there is the bigger the rooms look so the space appears bigger as uts not being used. That's a great tactic when house selling. They're bonkers. Can't understand why they'd be annoyed if you got a good price. They should be happy for you. How negative.

I wouldn’t have said anything but I see where they are coming from. I find “show home” houses sterile and a bit uncomfortable to be in.

There’s a middle ground between clutter everywhere and no sign of human habitation.

Having said that I can understand wanting to clean efficiently if you are selling.

We’re always tidying up as our house is on the market.

when we move I may find the stuff again😂

i think it is a good idea to leave it clean and tidy

Please can you come and sort my house out?

There is nothing more likely to put people off is a house when the bathroom displays the domestic bottle, manky old cleaning cloth and a tonne of kids bath toys and the kitchen countertops are cluttered with bottles and jars, etc.

Prospective buyers want to see the size and space that could one day be theirs. It's nice to include some well placed cushions on the sofa or a coordinated rug in the hall, but other than that, you did well to have photos that show off the potential, not the normal family detritus.

id ignore all the bitchy barbed comments, joy sponges!. you don't need to please anyone. Once you've got a buyer and on your way to a new home, you get the last laugh

I hope you are moving a long way away from both sets of parents, they sound weird.

Even that wouldn’t bother me when I was looking to buy a house, because I’d be envisaging it with my stuff, not theirs. It’s irrelevant to me if they live in a sterile box.

My daughter went to view a house yesterday that looked fine in the photos but the sheer filth and dirt she saw plus cobwebs was enough to put her off. She just couldn’t see the real house for the dirt needless to say it’s a big fat no from her!

When we had viewings on my first house (pre kids but I was pregnant with our first) we had stuff hidden in the car, they're talking daft 🤣🤣🤣

No such thing as too clean. Of course it can be too tidy, if it just looks like a sterile box that is unlived in. But no need to worry if you’ve accepted an offer that you’re happy with!

You were selling your house!

If you were my dd I would be delighted for you and proud of you.

I wouldn’t worry about it. You’ve put the big tidy effort in, you’ve accepted an over offer price, you’re doing well. Who knows what the background “noise” was/is about with the parents. Maybe you’ll never know but does it really matter now

In the context of selling a house, I think you’re absolutely right. When we bought our house I think the previous owners must have put the majority of their stuff into storage as there was barely anything anywhere. I loved it; it meant I could properly see the condition of the place as it wasn’t all covered in stuff.

Some sterile tidy superclean home might put me off a bit. Its not very cosy. Depends on the house.

No-one wants to see all your crap when trying to envisage themselves living in it. The parents sound batshit.

What did they say when you got the offer, what made you think they were put out?

It sounds like there was a case of the green-eyed monster from both sets of parents. Are you buying a larger house? Sounds like your in-laws are trying to out-do you which is fine for a handbag but a stretch for the actual house they will live in…

I do get where they’re coming from, when I visit friends who have houses which are super clean and tidy. Which look staged, they don’t feel like a home, they feel like a house that I can’t relax in. I get why you’d want it like that when you’re selling though.