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Original poster

I would not let them in!

286 replies

snowandshowers · 05/05/2023 12:01

5 years ago we had viewers to our house which was for sale. A retired couple arrived with a clip board held out in front of the man. They came in and were a nightmare. Opening my windows, wardrobes, kitchen draws, running taps, jumping up and down on my floor, taking photos, flushing toilets, and much much more! After 3 hours I had had enough and said we were going out so they would have to leave.
We never heard from them again but the owner of the house we eventually bought said she had had them view hers and they had stayed 6 hours doing the same things.

I later found out they are serial house viewers and do it as a "nice day out".
Anyway we are now moving again and low and behold who turns up at the door, only Mr and Mrs pain in the arse. I did not remember their name or I would have refused a viewing. Same as last time clip board and pen ready.

The moment I opened the door I recognized them.

I was so angry with these time wasters I just said "YOU AGAIN! FUCK OFF! and closed the door.
I feel better now.

OP posts:
WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 05/05/2023 17:24

I'm not big on swearing, but there are times when nothing else will do.

It might seem rude on the surface, but I would consider these people to be emotional and time-burglars. What an absolute nerve they have.

TiredOfCleaning · 05/05/2023 17:25

God one of my neighbours used to love doing this on a saturday. He was a nosy bastard generally though.

My parents had an 'Open House' day when they sold their house. My mother artfully arranged everything .. fruitbowls in the kitchen; champagne in the bedroom that sort of thing then went to work and left my father to sort of be around. When she got home she noticed a perfectly ripe avocado that had been in the fruitbowl was missing. She went absolutely apolplectic and said 'There has been a THIEF in the house!!!'. My father had to admit that one of the viewers was a pregnant woman who mentioned her craving was for avocado and he had given it to her. That woman ended up buying the house so my mother was molllified.

[sorry- random anecodte shoehorned in for no good reason]

PinkiOcelot · 05/05/2023 17:32

🤣🤣🤣

Roselilly36 · 05/05/2023 17:44

Something very similar happened to a friend of mine, was selling a flat, woman came to view, made an offer and she accepted, did nothing but cause her stress and a lot of upset, with her constant demands, and then pulled out. She put her flat back on the market and sold very quickly to a sensible, no hassle buyer. All good. FF a few years she then decided to sell her house, and guess who booked in to view! She told the EA in no uncertain terms that she wouldn’t allow her to get over the threshold!

Roselilly36 · 05/05/2023 17:45

TiredOfCleaning · 05/05/2023 17:25

God one of my neighbours used to love doing this on a saturday. He was a nosy bastard generally though.

My parents had an 'Open House' day when they sold their house. My mother artfully arranged everything .. fruitbowls in the kitchen; champagne in the bedroom that sort of thing then went to work and left my father to sort of be around. When she got home she noticed a perfectly ripe avocado that had been in the fruitbowl was missing. She went absolutely apolplectic and said 'There has been a THIEF in the house!!!'. My father had to admit that one of the viewers was a pregnant woman who mentioned her craving was for avocado and he had given it to her. That woman ended up buying the house so my mother was molllified.

[sorry- random anecodte shoehorned in for no good reason]

That’s hilarious 😂

JudgeJ · 05/05/2023 17:57

YourMommaWasASnowblower · 05/05/2023 14:03

🤣Hilarious! I wonder what they do with their clipboard full of information afterwards? 🤔

I would have expected that after 5 years they would have upgraded to an ipad or similar, no need for pens, cameras, much more efficient.

WeeblesWobbled · 05/05/2023 18:01

FuckoffeeBeforeCoffee · 05/05/2023 13:19

It does sound like a great day out, though.

It does sound like a good day out.

I thought of trying it out myself after seeing that old Mike Leigh film about the girls who do that (forgotten what it's called), but i'd never have the nerve.

JudgeJ · 05/05/2023 18:03

HereForTheFreeLunch · 05/05/2023 15:32

Prettybutdumb That's terrible! When we viewed during covid times it was strictly 15 minutes in and out. And no children allowed. Yours sounds awful!

There were many advantages of Covid!

HappyMe6 · 05/05/2023 18:04

Which county are you in op, although knowing these cf they probably sail through loads of counties 🤣

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 05/05/2023 18:13

I thought of trying it out myself after seeing that old Mike Leigh film about the girls who do that (forgotten what it's called), but i'd never have the nerve.

Was that Career Girls? It's been far too long since I saw that wonderful film.

mrshenny · 05/05/2023 18:14

JohnPrescottsPyjamas · 05/05/2023 14:44

Not quite as bad as these 3 hours viewers, but I have to confess to an awkward moment viewing houses.
I was looking at a potential purchase on a new estate and headed to what I thought was the show home. I tried the front door, which appeared to be locked, so I decided I might as well look in the windows to get an idea of the layout.

The living room looked ok but there were newspapers scattered all over the coffee table. I mentioned to my DH that I assumed the house builder was trying to make it look a bit more “homely” and less staged.
We walked around the back, let ourselves in through the garden gate, to the kitchen window and saw dishes draining by the sink and slowly things started falling into place.

Unfortunately, DH had moved along to the patio doors and already had his hands cupped around his eyes and face pressed against so he could see in better and yes, there was a man sitting working at his dining table. He glanced up and I’m not sure who was more horrified. Imagine suddenly finding a random couple standing on your garden borders, having let themselves in, peering closely at you through your own window.

We did the sensible thing and scarpered. I felt at the time that an explanation would have made it even worse - so if the homeowner is on here and remembers this incident, I genuinely apologise.

🤣🤣🤣

Wellhowdeedoo · 05/05/2023 18:15

Wait - so they came to view your house despite having spent six hours going round it when it was last on the market?? Absolutely bonkers!

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 05/05/2023 18:19

I wonder what their criteria for houses are? Do they just go for volume of properties, those over a certain price/age, or complete a whole street? They probably do have to travel over quite a wide radius, so as not to raise the alarm with any one town's estate agents.

I wonder what they call their 'sport' - 'Bungalow bagging'? 'Cottage conquering'?

Do they have their own theme song? I can imagine them in the car on the way to their next 'kill' singing lustily "First we take Manhattan.... then we take 43a Honeysuckle Avenue" Grin

TitsInAbsentia · 05/05/2023 21:26

Totally loving this thread BUT....four pages and no-one asked you what the crazy hell you were thinking when you answered your door - everyone knows you don't answer doors on MN 😂

LightDrizzle · 05/05/2023 21:29

😂

LightDrizzle · 05/05/2023 21:30

How did they like them apples?

WeeblesWobbled · 05/05/2023 23:02

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 05/05/2023 18:13

I thought of trying it out myself after seeing that old Mike Leigh film about the girls who do that (forgotten what it's called), but i'd never have the nerve.

Was that Career Girls? It's been far too long since I saw that wonderful film.

Yes, that’s the one: Career Girls. Must watch it again.

WeeblesWobbled · 05/05/2023 23:23

Perhaps they are professional burgers who go around sizing up properties, making a note on their clip board of everything they’ve got their eye on.

WeeblesWobbled · 05/05/2023 23:24

Burglars - auto-correct is such a CF.

tracylamont13 · 06/05/2023 17:44

Good for you. Our house is on the market atm. We tried to sell it a few years ago and had a viewer whose opening remark was "I look at alot of houses". Time waster. She didn't even answer the call from the estate agents about feedback. Last year, she viewed next door so she's clearly, a few years later, still just looking at houses almost as a hobby. I said to hubby that if she turns up I won't be letting her in. Quite alot goes into preparing for a viewing and she clearly just looks at house after house for something to do.

extramile · 06/05/2023 17:49

What makes this funnier is that that this wasn't the first time they had come to view that house. I wonder if they remembered coming 5 years previously and staying for 6 hours??

wildchild554 · 06/05/2023 17:51

to be honest, when I did the viewings I was checking things worked or rather the lady taking me around was showing me, I did feel the walls for any feeling of damp and checked windows, number of sockets in each room, checked mortar, I didn't jump up and down but listened out for creaking floorboards and felt for dips as I walked and I did question a damp patch which I thought it was from the radiator and made a point to check the flooring there which was fine and as expected it was from radiator as they'd been recently replaced along with the boiler, we did check things like lighting worked, was very thorough with clipboard and taking notes but most it took was 20 minutes to view which was actually the one I chose in the end even measuring garden space with the estate agents help, why on earth they don't put measurements up for garden I don't know as this greatly impacted my decision and probably does for others, could save a lot of time for sellers and viewers. Can't understand why they took 3 hours and why on earth do this as a day out???

@Mischance My experience of it recently is they only want proof when your actually putting in an offer, not for the viewings.

Gh12345 · 06/05/2023 18:02

Good for you! Weirdos

GeeEss · 06/05/2023 18:07

LakeTiticaca · 05/05/2023 12:08

There is a name for people who do this, carpet traders or something similar? Correct me if I'm wrong .
Although I would probably call them something far far worse 🤣

Tyre Kickers

thewoodgnome · 06/05/2023 18:09

Good for you! I bet that felt good!

That was in the “heat of the moment”. Now a bit of time has passed, can I suggest another thing you might want to do - tell your estate agent about them and that you’re considering going with another agent if they let anything similar happen again. That’ll wake the agent up to the problem! After all, it’s the estate agent’s job to properly screen buyers. If these time-waster “carpet-treaders” get called out enough amongst the local estate agents, perhaps they’ll have to find a new passtime - maybe go to the park and feed the ducks! 🙂

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