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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To find peoples' behaviour baffling when they come to look round the house?

24 replies

singaporeswing · 17/03/2013 10:08

I'm living abroad and renting an apartment, which is being sold at the end of the year. At the moment, the estate agents are conducting tours every 3-4 weeks to show people around, but no one has shown a major interest yet.

Every time people have come round, I have ended up closing windows, turning off lights, turning off air con, shutting my wardrobe doors and even moving things back that have been picked up & moved.

The latest ones have spent more time taking photos (with me in them), watching the TV and opening wardrobe/cupboard doors than actually looking at the house or asking questions.

AIBU for finding this behaviour a little strange or is it pretty much normal?

OP posts:

fluckered · 17/03/2013 10:10

i think some of it is normal though i would be personally putting things back as i find them but i would open windows and wardrobes and check electrics. depends on whats important to them ... watchin tv is strange though unless it comes with the house.

good luck selling it.

DoJo · 17/03/2013 10:17

I don't think it's that odd to check that the lights, air con etc work, and checking the internal dimensions of a wardrobe is also fairly standard (assuming they're built in and you can't see how big they are from the outside. What kinds of things are they moving? Could they be checking for cracks/damp/dead bodies behind things?

Original poster

singaporeswing · 17/03/2013 10:36

I'm absolutely fine with the opening windows,checking the lights etc work, but as long as it's turned back off/left how they found it.

The items they are moving are personal items, like books and photo frames. The weirdest one that I've just realised is that someone has moved the WIFI router. Maybe they just have a different concept in Singapore!

OP posts:

fluckered · 17/03/2013 10:38

i wouldnt be annoyed at what they are checking/looking for but surely putting things back as you found them in someone else's home especially a stranger is worldwide manners! so yanbu in that regard.

MammaTJ · 17/03/2013 10:40

It is annoying to find your things not as you left them.

I don't know if it is different in Singapore, I was born there, but brought back to the UK when I was 9 weeks old.

AMumInScotland · 17/03/2013 11:11

DH (reading over my shoulder) reckons they are trying to sort out your Feng Shui...

anewyear · 17/03/2013 13:13

@ AMuminScotland

TigerseyeMum · 17/03/2013 16:22

When we were selling our house last year I got annoyed with people opening cupboards and drawers and even picking fruit off the trees in our garden.

I told my DH I was Going to put some really obvious looking sex toys in the cupboard for the next viewers but he wouldn't let me.

I found it rude and irritating - if you are buying a house what does it matter what is inside a wardrobe or kitchen drawer?

LynetteScavo · 17/03/2013 16:28

I have had viewers completely blank me, ask how much the bulb for the outside light would cost (it wasn't broken, they were just planning ahead) - I had no idea, luckily DH was able to reassure them they were cheaply available from Wilko's, and I've had small children get all my DC's toys out and trash the place.

fluckered · 17/03/2013 17:20

what does it matter what the inside of the wardrobe looks like? really? i would definately look in there see if its big enough or not covering a gaping hole into next room! why is that so weird?

specialsubject · 17/03/2013 17:28

it matters if the doors and drawers work. It matters if there is mould inside.

it is considerate to turn off things after use but much of the developed world can't be bothered.

AMumInScotland · 17/03/2013 17:29

People may not care what is inside the kitchen drawers, but it's reasonable for them to check that they open and close properly. Same with looking inside fitted wardrobes - I'd at least glance to see if it had shelves, drawers, hanging rails, isn't only bookcase depth, etc.

It's a little rude of them not to leave things as they find them, but their minds are probably flitting from one thing to another as they look around and not on that kind of thing.

crashdoll · 17/03/2013 17:32

People are strange. We had all sorts of oddities when we sold our place last summer.

malovitt · 17/03/2013 17:35

The WIFI router being moved reminds me of something - one of my stingy neighbours always went to view very local properties (although she had no intention of buying) in order to jot down the wireless router code so she could snaffle their broadband for a bit before it sold.
I was when she told me about it.

fluckered · 17/03/2013 17:38

malovitt are ye serious? christ whatever about doing it but would you TELL anyone? mortified for her.

Egusta · 17/03/2013 17:40

My mother was very exercised when they sold their house because a viewer came in, picked up an avocado from the fruit tray, and left with it.

They did not buy the house either so I think it really bit

ananikifo · 17/03/2013 18:14

I always wanted to see how big storage spaces (like built-in wardrobes) were and I always wanted to know if a boiler was taking up an entire kitchen cabinet. I never would have thought to open windows, never would have turned anything in or off except lights, and never would have moved the personal items around.

marjproops · 17/03/2013 18:24

Id put the personal stuff away, packed in boxes anyway if youre moving soon. id never leave anything valuable around.

just put away what you dont need, ive heard (sorry to scare you here) that some people arent even looking for a place to live, theyre just casing the joint with an idea to burgle.

someone I know is wanting to sell their house and they have expansive collectables everywhere. ive told them to pack them and mark the boxes as 'books' or something.

TigerseyeMum · 17/03/2013 19:29

It can take months to sell a house, you can't pack your life into boxes. I'd possibly look in fitted cupboards but not freestanding ones. And if I was looking round a house with its owner I'd have the courtesy to say 'do you mind if I look in here?' I wouldn't just open and close cupboards or drawers.

And viewers who go round and blank you like youre not even there are just baffling. It's like manners don't exist when poking about in someone's home.

Shr0edinger · 17/03/2013 19:33

I will be opening wardrobes and cupboards if i am considering buying a house. the naivety , thinking that that's unreasonable! if u buy a house u want to know what state it's in. i test showers too.

harrogatehussy · 17/03/2013 19:44

When I was selling, I just asked people to leave halfway through the viewing if they were really rude or obnoxious, or blanked me. Sod them.

Pixel · 17/03/2013 20:37

Dh and I went to run a pub years ago. When I opened the built-in wardrobe to unpack some stuff I was surprised to see there was a door in the back, fitted with a hefty hasp but no padlock. There was a whole secret room there! I've no idea what it was used for but I can't imagine it was anything good. (I was quite disappointed it wasn't Narnia ).

RenterNomad · 17/03/2013 20:48

I thought that about the wifi router, too, malovitt.

marjproops · 17/03/2013 20:54

pixel have you ever read 'flowers in the attic'? thats what the secret room sounded like!

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