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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to find these house buyers and estate agent rude?

55 replies

Echocave · 08/08/2014 16:25

Ok, firstly I admit I am a bit oversensitive but am quite annoyed about something that's just happened. I bet I'm being unreasonable but hear me out.

We are selling our house. Due to complete in 4 weeks' time. I'm happy to be moving but still feel quite attached to this house at the moment.

We agreed our buyers could come round at a set time today to measure up. I'm not quite sure what the rush is but anyway. I made clear in email to agent the time was due to babies' naps ie a string hint there'd be someone in.

At the agreed time, I had just got kids up from nap and there was a noise in the lock. The estate agent let the couple in. I called down from upstairs that I was waiting for a knock and was a bit surprised. I was smiling and trying to be nice but felt a bit irritated she hadn't even knocked first. Estate agent (why do they always let themselves down?!) didn't even say sorry properly.

Buyers then come in and start measuring everything. Weird but ok. The man is measuring fridge door when I come into kitchen. Doesn't even look up to say hi.

I told estate agent the blokes already got a letter for him here (seems to have put his address as ours on utility bills already).

Woman doesn't even say hello either or goodbye.

I know this is a real first World problem but AIBU to think all three of them were rude?

OP posts:
RiverTam · 08/08/2014 16:30

yes, they were, and I would make that point to your agent - in my experience, agents quite often seem to forget who their client is. And they are being very cheeky to have given the address out - I would be tempted to return it to sender on that, though that might be cutting off your nose to spite your face!

Original poster
Echocave · 08/08/2014 16:33

They are our agent! They got commission on exchange. The buyers don't pay them. Argh. I need to get over it.

Must say I'm baffled about the post thing.

OP posts:
JustSpeakSense · 08/08/2014 16:35

No, you definitely are NBU! Very cheeky & rude!

kentishgirl · 08/08/2014 16:48

I would have a word with the agent about them setting up utility agreements - it's not their house until completion. And reiterate that the house is still yours, you are paying their fee, and they need to follow your instructions not the buyers ref visits etc. They shouldn't have just let themselves in.

And I agree the buyers were rude to not say hello, but hey ho, some people are and best thing is just to get the sale all done and forget about them.

RiverTam · 08/08/2014 16:51

exactly. The number of times when I was selling my flat (I went through 2 agents and it fell through 4 times) that I had to remind my agent that I was paying them to act in my interests.

Basically, once you get this close the agent is terrified of the sale falling through (and them losing their commission, and having to do the work again) that they start to bend over backwards to help the buyer, regardless of what their client, the seller, wants.

StillStayingClassySanDiego · 08/08/2014 16:54

Very very rude from them!

Set up a utility bill at your address already, cheeky buggers!

Have a moan to EA.

SauvignonBlanche · 08/08/2014 16:56

You should have a word with the EA.

parakeet · 08/08/2014 16:56

Tell the estate agent you want your key back - no need for them to have it now.

SauvignonBlanche · 08/08/2014 16:58

Maybe return the mail with 'not known at this address'.

Coffeethrowtrampbitch · 08/08/2014 16:58

I am amazed they acted like that. My EA tore my face off when I asked for a second viewing to measure up, told me it wasn't done. We are in Scotland and I had won at sealed bids, and the house was unoccupied, so perhaps as i couldnt not have completed they couldn't be bothered.

Very bad manners on the part of the buyers though, take the light bulbs with you when you leave Grin

NadiaWadia · 08/08/2014 17:01

Yes they were rude, and quite odd, but maybe they just have no social skills. Did they speak to you when they initially viewed?

I can see why you were annoyed, but maybe you should just bit your lip, because after all the sale is going ahead, and that's what you want.

eyebags63 · 08/08/2014 17:05

They are using your address already... WHAT? YANBU!

They sound incredibly rude and entitled, I would be tempted to refuse to sell to them after that performance.

hoboken · 08/08/2014 17:07

I used to live in a lovely, leafy small town in Kent. An EA came to assess our house (4 bed, detached in a quiet, tree lined street with houses in differing sizes and styles).

He said, with a sneer, 'Quite nice Mrs Hob but it's not Wildernesse is it?'
Outs the town - that's probably the most desirable area and with the greatest snob appeal. My response was, 'I am so glad, who wants to live in the wilderness - the ghetto has no appeal at all!

He rang me later and was amazed when we refused to hire his company!

combust22 · 08/08/2014 17:07

Ye very rude, but I would never give an Estate Agent keys. I have just sold my house and preffered to control the viewings myself.

Nomama · 08/08/2014 17:08

Oooh! Our sellers had a letter in my name before we moved in... buildings insurance got here before we did Smile

Maybe the utility bill is because they have moved out of their house, staying with friends/family, and it is the final bill for their old house.... it can't be anything for OPs house yet.

Do have a word with the agent, they do forget to knock, we were walked into a couple of houses when the owners were in.... be blunt, you may not get the message through otherwise, they go into 'selling' mode once they have buyers with them, you are trying to get over many years of training Smile

hamptoncourt · 08/08/2014 17:35

They are not legally entitled to put the gas or electric bills in their names until they have completed by the way............

What if the sale fell through? what meter reading have they used to open their account?

I would look into this a bit more if I were you OP.

And YANBU, they were all rude and I would have asked the EA for his keys back.

Original poster
Echocave · 08/08/2014 17:43

Yes I think the bill thing is weird. Forwarded post- no problem but putting name to our address for water company does seem weird. But if he wants to pay for the last month that's his bloody problem.

OP posts:
Tallalime · 08/08/2014 17:53

They were rude. YANBU

But Blush we are buying a house at the moment, it needs complete renovation inside and the sellers (children of previous owner) have been really good and let us traipse round with plumbers/electricians etc. One of them did send us their quote, addressed to us, at the new house. It was an oversight - obviously he'd met us there so did it without thinking. So now they know how much the plumbing is going to cost us Grin

Not sure that applies to a utility bill though.

rubybleu · 08/08/2014 17:55

Having just 2 weeks ago completed, I'd bet it was his final water bill for his current flat. We had 2 weeks between completion and exchange so I duly let water, council tax and Virgin Media know, and there were letters latest awaiting us on completion as they send final statements to your

Given that they're legally obliged to buy the house after exchange I don't think it's particularly cheeky.

I was fed up to the back teeth with our vendor as we were buying a right to buy flat (a Victorian conversion in a nice bit of London) so she was making a killing but kept pleading poor all the time and trying to get us to pay her sale expenses on the basis she'd deduct them from the purchase price, but we were very polite to her on our measuring up. YANBU if they didn't even engage in basic social niceties.

TunipTheUnconquerable · 08/08/2014 18:05

I've just moved. When I was trying to get ds2 a reception place at school in the new town I rang up the education authority and they told me to just put the new address in my application, even though we weren't there at that point.

Original poster
Echocave · 08/08/2014 18:11

Will he not be using water for the last month of his occupation in current flat? I don't think so - They live round the corner and have a buyer of their own (who held up the whole chain - but that's another story) so I'd be surprised if they were leaving before completion.

On the exchange point - you can breach the contract by withdrawing and losing your deposit so although technically you have contracted to buy, you are 'obliged' in the sense that it's all done and dusted. No one owns anything until receiving funds and transferring the property into their name.

Tbh, if they had asked if it was ok to have an item of post addressed to them here, I would have agreed as it's useful to have proof of address as soon as you move (for e.g changing driving licence etc). But it's the not asking that's rude.

Dd2 has just posseted all over the carpet. I am sorely tempted not to clear it up [childish].

OP posts:
Original poster
Echocave · 08/08/2014 18:12

Sorry, you are not obliged in the sense that it's all done and dusted.

OP posts:
Terrierterror · 08/08/2014 18:16

They do sound rude but I'm not surprised they wanted to come and measure up. If you're buying white goods/checking if your current stuff will fit and getting curtains and blinds made you need to know!

Original poster
Echocave · 08/08/2014 18:16

On Tunip, good point. But they are a childless couple who live round the corner and we're talking about a water bill.

OP posts:
ThatsNotWhatISaid · 08/08/2014 18:21

The EA was very rude and the new owners sounded rude too.

I don't mind new buyers coming round to measure up. I've done it myself and it's incredibly helpful. I've always been super thankful though. I would never risk pissing people off, afterall they are the ones who may or may not clean the house before you move in.

OP, if I were you I would see this as a good thing as I would now not be as worried about leaving the house as pristine as I might otherwise have done. You can let the grass and weeds grow and you don't have to go the extra mile with the cleaning....