Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
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:
miffybun73 · 17/05/2013 18:19

YANBU, how odd.

ParadiseChick · 17/05/2013 18:21

Does no one do scheduled meetings any more?

When we sold 4 years ago the norm was Thursday 6 to 9 and Sundays 2 to 4. Some don't do the Thursday but pretty much all do the Sunday.

TheDoctrineOfSnatch · 17/05/2013 18:32

But sometimes you don't know whether a bad feature will be outweighed by other good features. I would have liked a dining room but the house we looked at with one had a bad upstairs, so we went for a house without. Aren't most people balancing up good and bad points then telling the agent something vague like "kitchen needed modernising" just for something to say?

Looking when you aren't buying is weird, though.

EatenByZombies · 17/05/2013 18:49

Well, isn't it the same as people going into shops and browsing without buying? I mean, it's the same principle. Why is it bad to do this with houses and not shops/market stalls etc?

Biscuit
BrienneOfTarth · 17/05/2013 19:04

totally agree its rude but it's probably not as widespread as all that. Not everyone who gives silly feedback like that is being intentionally nosey.

When we were selling, whenever we had feedback we were given some reason they didn't like it which they could have got from the online details ("only 2 bedrooms"; "on a busy road"; "no offstreet parking"; "no second toilet") which was very frustrating.

However, once we had a buyer and were starting to look much more earnestly to find a place we found that (i) estate agents regularly badgered us to come and see a place that didn't quite meet our criteria, presumably because they have a viewings-per-week target, and sometimes we would not be firm enough to refuse and it would be obvious how very unsuitable it was anyway and (ii) when we gave feedback to the agents, if we just didn't fall in love with the place we would say something like the above, meaning "if we loved it, we could put up with X/Y/Z so we'd be willing to consider something with this, but given that we don't love it, X/Y/Z is an issue that makes it not a contender."

TheDoctrineOfSnatch · 17/05/2013 19:07

Exactly Brienne!

shewhowines · 17/05/2013 19:08

I would like to look round loads of houses to be nosey. I wouldn't actually do it though. That IBU.

pigletmania · 17/05/2013 19:09

Yanbu at all, very inconsiderate and rude

shewhowines · 17/05/2013 19:13

I agree that you should look at houses that you probably think won't be suitable - if you are actually going to buy a house.

It's like trying on clothes. You should get out of your comfort zone occassionally, because sometimes things are actually better than you think they will be and you end up buying/falling in love with something, you would have thought you would hate..

LadyBigtoes · 17/05/2013 19:16

Weeeeell I have done it. Not to nosy at big houses (though I would love to, I realise that's not nice) but to get a feel for what you get for what price and to check out what "needs modernising" really means and so on. When we were looking anyway. I would never SAY anything to that effect though!

As a seller, I wouldn't mind that much - lots of people viewing makes it look like there's lots of interest which is good surely?

TeWiSavesTheDay · 17/05/2013 19:16

Yes, I know what you mean Brienne, there are things you overlook in the plan but when you are standing there you know will actually not work for you. I just remembered the conservatory with the hole in the floor and the dipped roof! Obviously that was not on the specs...

We had a couple of houses that DH and I just didn't agree on as well, was very hard to give feedback for those.

MotherShipton · 17/05/2013 19:24

Don't get me started........ We've currently got our house on the market. I work full time and out of the house at 7:30 am back at tea time, have 3 teenagers and I'm finding it really stressful getting the house ready for a viewing.

We had 2 viewings booked for bank holiday mon (thought that was encroaching on my family time but we want to sell the house so). We even came back early on the Sunday from a weekend away to prepare the house. One cancelled 15 mins before and the other didn't turn up. We could have stayed the extra day.
One couple turned up for a viewing and asked if I minded if their friends came in too. WTF.
I scour rightmove looking for the perfect house but feel uncomfortable about viewing in person as we're not yet in a position to put in an offer and buy.
YANBU

sukysue · 17/05/2013 19:48

I was going to buy my house and another one was for sale. Ours needed a new b/room and kitchen so we went in to view theirs and look at their layout of kitchen . It was invaluable to us we rejigged our kitch and b/room and our ensuite and master b/room after seeing the other house so nooooooooo yanbu!

pingusmumtoo · 17/05/2013 19:50

YANBU - our lovely home that we rent is currently up for sale with two estate agents and I've just planted up hanging baskets and pots and weeded gardens front and back, steam cleaned my floors and will continue cleaning and tidying when my DS is in bed shortly.
We moved here as it is next door to my DS best friend (and my friend too) and were promised a long term let - but before first year was up the house was on the market.
Whilst I am devastated we will have to move I understand the landlords reasons and am happy to help as much as I can but I'd be bloody furious if people were just coming for a nose
The estate agents have booked every viewing for times I've asked them not to and I'm dreading the point when DS realises what is actually going on as he loves this house (he is 4) - nothing suitable for us to move to yet
Hey ho - if we win the lottery we'll buy it - I hate moving!

ChewingOnLifesGristle · 17/05/2013 19:53

Yanbu. Same goes for people who put their house on the market with no intention of selling. Time wastersHmm

sybilwibble · 17/05/2013 20:03

it's fine to look at lots in the area you're considering, maybe a few over your budget, a few under in order to get a bigger picture , but if you're not even planning it move it's just rude.

Though I spend hours nosey-ing around expensive houses out of my league - isn't that what the inter-web is for? You don't need to put anyone else to any trouble, so you!? Far nicer to do it from an armchair with a pinterest account and a glass of wine, if you ask me

cakebar · 17/05/2013 20:16

YANBU - time wasters should not book appointments to view. As a seller I would let anyone view though. We viewed our current home without our home on the market. We had been toying with the idea of moving but were unsure and viewed to get an idea of whether we should or not, we were not viewing 'just' to be nosy. It's not a particularly impressive house but we could both see ourselves living here and just liked it. One week later, house on market. Two weeks later our house was under offer and we had offered on this house and had it accepted. This was post crash btw.

DoJo · 17/05/2013 20:24

I don't think it's particularly unreasonable - if people are selling then they need to be open to people looking, and if they don't offer because they aren't able to secure a mortgage, don't like the house or weren't really in the market to buy it doesn't make that much difference. I do agree that 4 viewings in a year probably means your asking price is too high - we've just put ours on the market and agreed to drop the price in a week if there's no interest - life's too short to pin all your hopes on every single smidgen of interest for a year or more.

Springforward · 17/05/2013 20:34

YANBU. Selling is stressful enough without timewasters.

When we were looking we were refused a couple of viewings until we were proceedable. This seemed fair enough to us, too.

Decoy · 17/05/2013 20:37

Why is it bad to do this with houses and not shops/market stalls etc?

Shop staff and market stall owners are at work, not at home.

FrequentFlyerRandomDent · 17/05/2013 20:41

Very interesting.

I sympathise about true time wasters but I am surprised people at saying that they would not let someone see their property if the viewers' home is not already on the market.

They may plan to rent our their other property, may be cash buyers or have other circumstances.

I must confess that I am thinking of my own family here. Five in a 2 bed flat. I am on the look out for a suitable home. I would not be impressed if I was told I can only view a place if my flat is on the market first.

cerealqueen · 17/05/2013 21:51

If they are going to an open day - no harm done, but seems excessive, why not just peruse on-line?

If they have an appointment, it is out of order.

cerealqueen · 17/05/2013 21:54

pingusmumtoo You are doing a lot to help the sale, I've never gone to that trouble.

I hope your hard work pays dividends and you find somewhere lovely to live!

DaisyBug · 17/05/2013 22:04

I have actually done this and then ended up making a purchase! I also once interviewed for a job I had no intention of taking and then, to my surprise, took it! (Huge mistake but that's another story).

HorryIsUpduffed · 17/05/2013 22:06

I hated it when people came to view our ground floor flat, and after I had spent ages de-toddlering it and arranged inconveniently shipping out said toddler for the viewing, then working very hard showing people round, only to be told "we told the agents we don't want ground floor".

Swipe left for the next trending thread