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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to not clean the house for tomorrow's viewings?

22 replies

SeriousWispaHabit · 15/02/2011 14:13

Because it will take ages (DDs are 2.6 and 7 months) and my house is a sea of toys and trodden in bits of biscuit etc.

I'll spend hours cleaning/tidying, then have to go out all morning tomorrow so DDs don't mess house up before tomorrow afternoon and will end up buying lunch in pizza express to keep us out the house. My jeans will then be even tighter and we will be just a little bit poorer.

If I thought it would all end in an offer then it would be fine, but it will end up with us being told "they wanted something with more bedrooms" or "the garden wasn't right" or my personal favourite "you can see the garage from the study"

Anyway, if they're buying a 'family home', surely they should see what it will look like when a family live in it, shouldn't they?

DH thinks not, and has started on the tidying...

OP posts:

scurryfunge · 15/02/2011 14:15

Depends on how much you want to sell .

Tidy up and keep the toys in one space only and have a big box handy for a last minute tidy up.

It really will put buyers off if they see toys everywhere. I would assume you had no room for storage.

LittleMissHissyFit · 15/02/2011 14:15

If you want to sell it... YABU!

Can your DH not pitch in and tidy too?

wishingchair · 15/02/2011 14:16

Tidy it. Unless you are not bothered about selling it. You don't have to tidy it properly ... just shove stuff in cupboards and drawers. Or even better ... in the garage.

(In same boat by the way and know how annoying it is ... but still ... family photos, artwork on the fridge, that's one thing ... skanky biscuit carpets a completely other thing)

Chil1234 · 15/02/2011 14:17

YABU.... how do you know the next people aren't going to be interested? What if they thought about making an offer but were put off by the mess? A family home will look like a family lives there, of course, but it doesn't have to be a pig-sty. Depends how keen you are on selling, I suppose...

QueenStromba · 15/02/2011 14:18

Your DH is right. This could be the person who would have thought the house was perfect but can't see in through the mess. If you aren't going to make the effort to try and sell it then you may as well take it off the market.

slightlymad72 · 15/02/2011 14:18

If potential buyers see skanky biscuits ground in the carpet they will assume that you don't care about cleaning so what else in the house don't you care about. Also they will potentially add up the costs of replacing carpets etc and deduct that off the price they will offer you if they are thinking about buying.

fruitshootsandheaves · 15/02/2011 14:19

We felt like that after a bit but then we had also just lost the only house we were interested in buying. We took ours off the market soon after.
The "oh it's lovely, it's such a shame it's semi-detached" was the most annoying....could you not see it was a semi from the photos?

Grit your teeth and smile!

fishcakefoxtrot · 15/02/2011 14:20

Maybe not unreasonable but perhaps a little silly... It really does make a difference. I second the big box for a last minute tidy up. And clean towels especially for viewings.

fishcakefoxtrot · 15/02/2011 14:21

Meant to add, good luck!

Mists · 15/02/2011 14:21

I used valuable and miserly babysitting favours to get DD out of my rented house and toys away for viewings.

The sale of which would make us homeless.

But I couldn't bear the thought of anyone thinking I was slovenly. Eejit that I am

ChickensHaveNoEyebrows · 15/02/2011 14:22

I understand your attitude. We were up for sale for 6 months last year and had 32 sodding viewings. They all found something to moan about (my personal favourite was 'the garden is untidy'. It was January and we had fecking snow). The amount of viewers who looked for a conservatory (we don't have one) or the fourth bedroom (ditto). Some people really don't read the details/look at floor plans before they arrange viewings. That said, you know that if you want to sell, you have to get the hoover out

xstitch · 15/02/2011 14:22

Good luck, you do need to tidy though. Been there its very stressful.

SoupDragon · 15/02/2011 14:24

TBH, if you're not going to tidy it for viewings, you may as well take it off the market or reduce the price considerably.

But I feel your pain. We last sold a house when DS1 was 2 and DS2 a newborn.

MrsBethel · 15/02/2011 14:26

Most people will see through the mess, and won't care if it's clean or not. They're not buying the mess!

The problem is that the sort of people who will care if its clean or not are probably the same people stupid enough to pay more than a house is worth.

Do you want a fair price, or do you want some muppet to pay the full asking price?

Original poster

SeriousWispaHabit · 15/02/2011 14:27

I know I have to tidy and clean really. Am getting up off sofa just as soon as DD2 finishes feeding.

I even have the special house viewing towels in the airing cupboard that all match, and a big box in the garage for the potty, toddler toilet seat, stairgate etc. Just feeling sorry for myself and losing faith that this 'very sellable house' according to Mr. Estate Agent is ever going to sell.

OP posts:

nomoreheels · 15/02/2011 14:29

Don't kill yourself, but it should be tidy. I wouldn't want to see bits of food and toys everywhere. Does it need hours of cleaning? If it really does, I'd do the big blitz and then really try between you and your DP to keep on top of it so it's less work for future viewings. (And hey, it will help your jeans to be less tight tomorrow if you do go out to eat!)

Do you have storage boxes for toys? Dump everything in there! If you are home with the DDs tomorrow, can you not try to restrict their playing to one room so it's easier to clear up just before the viewing?

I agree it's disappointing when you've spent hours scouring for just a passing viewing though. Or when you don't even get feedback! But that's the nature of house selling unfortunately.

Sounds like you are a bit disheartened with how it's going, has it been on the market for long? I know it's more work, but might be worth asking for very honest advice from the estate agent and friends as to what you could do to freshen the house up and make it stand out from the rest.

JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 15/02/2011 14:31

When I was looking at houses, there were a couple that were really messy (including an unflushed downstairs loo). I'm quite capable of seeing beyond the mess, but if the vendor couldn't be arsed to tidy, it suggested to me that they weren't actually serious about selling (in the event, both pulled their houses off the market a few weeks after I'd seen them). We didn't bother putting in offers on that basis as we really didn't want to be messed around.

SoupDragon · 15/02/2011 14:31

Thing is, I don't think most people do see through the mess. They see a house that is uncared for ("what else has been neglected?") and is plainly far too small for the family living there.

JemimaMop · 15/02/2011 14:34

YANBU.

When we last moved house (5yrs ago) the house was on the market for ages. I had two DC aged 2 and 4 and was pregnant with a third. We were desperate to move before DC3 came along as we needed the space. For every viewing throughout my pregnancy I tidied up and stressed at the DC not to mess it up. We had one offer, but she couldn't get a mortgage. We had pretty much given up. I went into hospital to have DD (emergency c-section) and DH phoned the estate agent to say we were taking it off the market as I couldn't manage viewings post op and with a newborn, a toddler and a pre-schooler. The estate agent asked if we would mind just two more viewings that Saturday. Saturday came, I had come out of the hospital the day before and the house was a tip. I decided not to bother trying to tidy as it was coming off the market anyway. Lo and behold... two offers made that afternoon, one for the asking price. Just goes to show

EleanorJosie · 15/02/2011 14:48

Personally I don't look at whether someone's house is pristinely clean, cluttered or what their furniture is like when viewing houses, I am more interested in the size of the rooms, the garden, storage space and the structure and generally whether it is worth the asking price. OK I would be bothered about decor if I wanted to move in and do nothing to it, but we tend to buy houses that need a bit of work as long as the price is right.

Our current house had red, orange and purple walls in the kitchen and no fitted units, but all I saw was a space you could play cricket in with a beautiful slate floor, a view onto the garden and lots of potential. The rest of the decor in the house was neutral though. They had teenage girls and their rooms were very cluttered, but I saw beyond that to the excellent amount of space and storage. The living/dining room was full of old furniture- but again was large and spacious - I wasn't going to be buying the furniture so it didn't bother me. Even adding on the cost of the work required, the house was a bargain.

This house had been on the market seven months though, so clearly others don't look beyond the superficial. Also each time we moved we bought the first house we saw- maybe we are easily pleased?

As others have said I'd just do a quick tidy up - shoving mess away in cupboards if necessary and hoover round.

Also remember what you are selling is a lifestyle- people don't just want to move house, they want a better, easier life than in their old place. Think of the selling points as you take them round - storage, are the bills reasonable, is there a nice view from the bedroom window, what are the local schools like, are they walking distance away, how far away is public transport, is it a quiet road where kids can play out...that sort of thing.

Original poster

SeriousWispaHabit · 15/02/2011 14:57

Nomoreheels No, it's not that much of a mess but will need 2-3 hours to clean properly as it's a biggish house. Also, our cleaner comes on a Thursday so Wednesday is when it will be the most messy/dirty.

I have done one bathroom, main bedroom and started on DDs rooms. Back feeding DD2 who vomited up last attempt along with a shed load of mucus from this neverending cold.

JemimaMop you have given me hope, although I don't think we'll get the asking price. I think the agent has overpriced it a bit but going to wait a couple more weeks before dropping it.

OP posts:

Original poster

SeriousWispaHabit · 15/02/2011 16:48

Done it!

Now just have to keep it tidy..

OP posts:

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