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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think it's unfair to view a house when you've got no intention of buying it?

120 replies

NotActuallyAMum · 17/05/2013 13:51

I'm prepared to be told IABU as I seem to be in the minority here

A colleague has just said she's going to look at a house near us tomorrow, we were all quite surprised as they've never got any money as it is and this house is much bigger than the one they currently live in. Another colleague said they were surprised they were considering moving and she said "Oh we're not, we just want a nosy". I said that was a bit unfair on the people who are selling it as it's getting their hopes up that they might sell but everyone else seems to be of the opinion that "there's no harm in looking"

I am aware that it's cock all to do with me what she does Grin just wondered what other people think

May be a while before I'm back, am still at work...

OP posts:
kmdwestyorks · 17/05/2013 15:50

my sister had a viewing, cancelled plans, stayed home, cleaned, did all her stuff.

viewers viewed, then admitted they'd already put an offer in on house over road at £25,000 less as they couldn't afford hers and then had cheek to stand there telling sister all abut their decorting plans now they'd seen her house and the potential for their new home.

now that's nosy with knobs on!

MummytoMog · 17/05/2013 15:55

We sold our first flat direct to a social housing organisation - got a good £20k less than the market value but we didn't have to fix the many many broken things, the knackered fences, the death trap central heating, do a HIP, tidy up for viewings or pay estate agents fees and made us basically cash buyers. Every experience I've had of estate agents has been bad. We may never move again ;)

thewarmestowl · 17/05/2013 15:56

It's fair game if it's open viewing / a show home. It's bad form if they've specifically made an appointment. That said, we made and appointment to view a house that we'd looked at online for months but couldn't really afford, just to put it out of our heads (and I felt quite guilty about doing it). Somehow we did manage to afford it, and still love living in it 4 years down the line. It really depends what she means by "too expensive" - is it just a bit over budget, or in a completely different league?

NapaCab · 17/05/2013 15:56

YANBU

If it's an open house scenario where you turn up any time between e.g. 2-4pm on a Sunday afternoon then it's not so bad as at least you're not wasting the owners' time but if it's an appointment they've made then that's ridiculous.

StuntGirl · 17/05/2013 15:57

She's being rude and inconsiderate. If she wants a nosy she can look on Right Move, it's what I do for multimillion pound properties Grin

mamalovebird · 17/05/2013 16:00

We know a couple that do this, just to be nosy but aren't in any position to buy anywhere. Just strikes me as a bit weird really and time wasting.

We've recently had an offer accepted on a house and did look at lots of different styles and ages of houses to compare the space and layout but all were in our price range and all that we'd happily bid for had we like them enough.

DiscoDonkey · 17/05/2013 16:01

Someone did this when we were selling our old house, just to add insult to injury it was a neighbour who just wanted to come round to take photo's of our extension. Why couldn't he have just knocked on the feckin door and say could I look at your extension please. Knob.

Bumpotato · 17/05/2013 16:06

My mother spent 1.5 hrs showing a couple her house one sunny Sunday afternoon. At the end of the viewing they told her they weren't buying but always viewed the houses that came up for sale on her street.

Decoy · 17/05/2013 16:07

"always viewed the houses that came up for sale on her street"

Shock I'd have been really cross! I'd probably have put a flyer through everyone's door saying don't let this couple view your house!

Picoo · 17/05/2013 16:11

I can't understand why people would view houses without wanting to buy. There are hundreds of programmes on tv which allow you to see into other people's homes and if that won't do you most of them are online with pictures! Time wasting idiots

ipswitch · 17/05/2013 16:48

YANBU
I have a colleague who does this for "fun" at weekends and I have told her what I think about it. She didnt get it.
Horrible for the poor folk with their house on the market.

lljkk · 17/05/2013 17:00

mmmm, I dunno. I think it's okay if it's generally an open house. Not on if they've set a special visit time just for the viewing.

The worst is when you walk into a house & within 10 seconds you know you;d never want it, but continue to look around in order not to appear rude!! I think I will be more honest in future about that, at least save some time.

SirChenjin · 17/05/2013 17:06

But can't you tell that you don't want it from the squillion or so photos on the schedule? Or from the dimensions of the house on the schedule? Or from the area and street as you drive up and down? Confused

MadBusLady · 17/05/2013 17:22

No. Houses rarely turn out to be better than I expect, but I have definitely walked into one that was great on paper and thought "Nah." I knew the layout and the room sizes, I knew what needed doing, I like a doer-upper, and the area was fine. I'd worked out the orientation so I knew it faced the right way. I am very good at reading particulars. But something about it just didn't appeal - I couldn't say what, I just wasn't going from room to room thinking "Yeah, this could be great!"

The OP is right about casual viewers, but I think it's going a bit far to expect serious buyers to not change their minds between seeing the house on paper and seeing it in real life. Confused

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 17/05/2013 17:28

There is a part of me that loves looking at other people's houses and decor, but I satisfy that need by looking at property porn on Rightmove. I wouldn't view a house I had no intention of buying - it is unfair on the sellers.

Not only will they get their hopes up, but they might have spent ages tidying up or cancelled other arrangements to be there for the viewing.

Show houses on new developments are fair game, though.

SirChenjin · 17/05/2013 17:31

I think that's fair enough MadBusLady, but when people view a house and then say the price is wrong, or the garden is too small, or they didn't want a kitchen off the living room or something that's absolutely obvious from the schedule then it's very frustrating (all of the above happened to us at one time or another)

pleasestoptalking · 17/05/2013 17:42

YABU. I wouldn't view a house just to fill my time but I would view a house I think I would be unlikely to buy to get a sense of the market and what is available in that price bracket.

We moved into an area that we didn't know at all and we viewed basically pretty much anything that came on the market in that area in a certain bracket.

On the other hand we were selling our house when our two children were just over a year old and I remember the hell of trying to keep the house tidy and keep the children entertained away from the house when we had viewings. It wouldn't bother me at all if people who had no intention of buying the house came to view it. I figure it's to be expected.

ChocsAwayInMyGob · 17/05/2013 17:45

When we were selling our house we had a viewer whose house wasn't even on the market. The market was very sluggish at the time, so i was slightly pissed since she clearly wasn't in a position to buy.

She then wanted a second viewing a few weeks later even though her house still wasn't on the market and she wasn't moving. I told the estate she couldn't come and I refused. It took me nearly four hours to get the house perfect every time we had a viewing.

Showhomes and open days are fair enough though.

Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 17/05/2013 17:47

Yanbu. We live in a small house with two children and getting tidied up ready takes sodding hours. Time I don't really have between travelling to school on the buses and work and dds commitments at a weekend. I'd be soooo pissed off at wasting all that time.

gordyslovesheep · 17/05/2013 17:50

I am currently selling - I wont show to people who aren't on the market

you don't need to view a house to 'get a feel for the area' - before I'd even book a viewing I would drive buy and look at the road etc

It doesn't take me long to get the house viewable but it is a pain and one I wont go through unless there's a chance of a sale

she is BU

ChocsAwayInMyGob · 17/05/2013 17:54

I agree gordy. I was always annoyed if people didn't even have their house for sale. I mean, they couldn't buy my house even they really loved it! It's a waste of everyone's time.

tallulah · 17/05/2013 17:59

We had an elderly lady and her middle aged son do this to us Angry. They spent ages looking around, asked loads of questions, then it turned out it's what they do at weekends for fun Shock.

MadBusLady it's not the same situation at all to walk in and realise you don't like it. If you are actually looking for somewhere to live, that's what you do. It's looking in the full knowledge that you aren't going to be moving. There are plenty of brand new showhomes available to cure noseyness, without putting people out.

HollyBerryBush · 17/05/2013 18:00

We had friends who, when starting out and no cash, used house viewing as cheap Sunday afternoons out .

Having our house on the market we had a young couple arrive well after the toddlers bedtime - stayed 10 mins for a rushed look round - I asked what was wrong and they said "oh we're not buying, we just want to see what's on the market"

I was very stabby after that episode

we won't mention the Chinese woman who didn't like the kitchen and asked if we could replace it, and move the patio and take 20K off the price Hmm - we are talking back in the day when a 3 bed semi was only 80K to start with

diddl · 17/05/2013 18:06

Yanbu-can't she just look online?

everlong · 17/05/2013 18:12

This reply has been deleted

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