To think this is weird when viewing a house?

[lemoncurd20]

We are potential FTBs and viewed our first house today.

The owner was there... aibu to think this is weird?

It was really awkward... or is it normal?

As a buyer I've never been shown a house by an agent, always the homeowner.

As a seller I've always done the viewings myself. The agents never offered to do it. They just phoned to say Mr X was coming round at time Y

Pretty normal IME you usually have to pay extra for an agent to do the viewings and know the house best, when selling my house I did the tour, pointed stuff out then left viewers to wander around. If they don't do that I'd just say 'thanks, would you mind If we take a look ourselves now to imagine how it would work for us'. You absolutely need the space to do that.

We have had about 50/50, both buying & selling.

But I have been put off a few properties because the owners were right weirdos.

I think I prefer viewing a house with the agent, tbh.

We've just sold our house and out of 20 odd viewings, the agent conducted all but one. surely that's an integral part of what we as sellers pay them for?

Out of the houses we viewed, it was about 50/50 between agents and vendors conducting the viewings. I much prefer it when it's the agent so I can have a proper nose around and don't have to moderate my reaction to hideous decor.

vvviola I had something similar but the people stayed in the flat to be really hostile rather than glaring from across the road. Now I wonder whether they were tenants. They didn't have to worry, I knew as soon as I pulled up I didn't want to live there.

A Sloaney girl showed me round her flat in South Kensington that was nice but absolutely filthy to health hazard standards. That was okay, I'd have just used gallons of bleach and Flash before I moved in if I'd have wanted it. The problem was the shortish lease. The funny thing was she behaved as if she was far above me when she was a skank who I suspected to be the type who sniffed the gusset of her knickers and said: 'Yah. Will do for another day if I turn them inside out.'

Some people are nice though. I remember the couple who showed me round their gorgeous rooftop flat in Marylebone. They were lovely. Their cat was lovely. I remember they said she'd never set foot on the pavement. She just walked the roofs.

I so could see myself living there. Sadly, I couldn't afford it

Really, you think it's odd?

When we've sold houses we've always been there, when they viewers wanted to look by themselves I would go to the kitchen and do stuff to get out of their way.

It doesn't really matter if you like it or not- if you want to see the house then you will have to see it with whichever way the owner does it. Either way is normal.

When we last sold, I preferred it if the agent showed them round, but as I was SAHM with six month old twins I was nearly always there anyway. I used to offer the viewers and agent a then loiter in the kitchen while they looked at the sitting room and the sitting room when they wanted to look at the kitchen. I was pretty upfront and said that when I was looking around a house I always like to check inside cupboards and they were to feel free but not judge me on the ridiculous amount of tinned cat food in there (I'd stashed up when it was crazy price cheap)! This made everyone laugh and eased the atmosphere.

IME estate agents have always wanted us to be in and it is really horrible from the sellers' point of view, too. And, yes, sometimes they basically tell you they are coming round in half an hour with a viewer. I remember rushing out to buy fresh flowers and then the viewer stayed less than one minute! When we sold our house the viewers seemed nice enough, the lady used to smile and sort of do fake giggling at my dc, and then blancked us in the street after we sold, wouldn't forward letters and stuff that were accidentally delivered by a confused relative after the lengthy postal redirection ended, etc. Whole thing is awkward and exhausting!

We are in Scotland and usually you have to pay to have an agent view it for you and it can really add up to a lot. So, typical scenario is you show the person round then leave them to have a wander. Seems to work fine!

Totally normal. We went on a zillion viewings before finding this house and it was about 50-50. Open days were usually done by the agent and evening viewings by the owner.

The weirdest ever viewing was when the agent showed us around but the tenant was still in. He actually followed us around growling! We didn't put an offer in for that one...

Pretty normal, but we always tried to be out. As did most sellers tbh, I rarely saw an owner when we looked.

The owners/renters have been out on every viewing I have ever done on a property (20+ viewings). Perhaps I've been lucky - agree with OP would feel awkward and inhibited if the owner was following me around. Always done viewings Mon-Fri 9-5; perhaps that is the key.

I've never had an agent show a potential buyer around, we have always done it ourselves. I honestly would hate an agent showing someone my home whilst I'm not there.

When I sold my house I did all the viewings (out of choice because I knew the property far better than the agent because I'd renovated it), but what I did was show them around, answer any questions, open cupboards to show storage space, then tell them they were welcome to walk around again on their own if they wanted to discuss anything they felt uncomfortable discussing in front of me.

I have always shown people around houses I have sold. Probably 6 in total now. There's only been one time when an estate agent accompanied the buyers - and the first question the would be buyers asked was 'how much is the ground rent and the maintenance charges' (obviously a flat). I'd gone into the other room and was called in by the agent who didn't know the answer. Then she faffed about with regard to the hot water tank saying it was the boiler and controlled the central heating - the buyer pointed out that it said it was storage heater heating, so she called me in again and I explained that it was actually just the water heating tank - I was all electric so no 'central heating' as such but the storage heaters were on timers so it was nice and cosy when I got home or woke up in the morning. After that the buyers gave up and asked me to show them round! Sold the flat for the full asking price. I've never let an agent show would be buyers round since. Most buyers want to know what the electric/gas bills are, where the local shops are, how far to the station, what are the neighbours like. I, like a few other posters, have always shown people round, answered questions then told them to feel free to wander and open anything they want to.

But then I've never been shy of asking an owner if I can open a cupboard - if I am going to buy I want to see what it's like. I also ask if they would mind me turning on a bathroom tap and flushing the loo (ever since we discovered the noisiest plumbing on the planet in my ex and I's first house - every time you flushed the bloody loo shook!) If they say no I assume they are hiding something. I told prospective buyers to feel free to do the same with ours - it just shows we had nothing to hide.

I've never had an estate agent show me round and, to be honest, I prefer to meet the owners - I want to find out that the neighbours are an elderly couple or a couple with kids or whatever and I want to know what the average bills are (is the house leaking heat??) Estate agents wouldn't know the answers to that.

Many years ago I viewed a house, the agent said he couldn't make it but the vendor was going to show us around.

When we got there it was actually the vendor's son, who had some sort of learning disability. He was a lovely lad but overly honest; he was telling us "this is where the roof fell in but dad patched it up", "the garden is OK but we keep getting broken into so dad says we need a better lock for the gate" and "this is the room where we cook dinner. It's a bit smelly as dad is a rubbish cook and burns everything"

We didn't offer on the house but we did feed back to the agent that the vendor might not want to let his son show prospective buyers around!!

I much prefer it when the owner is there - you can get honest answers rather than estate agent sales pitch.

I did most of the viewings for our last house, which was a townhouse. I showed peoe round and then at the top of the house said that I would leave them to come down by themselves so they could have a look without me and if be in the kitchen if they had any questions.

I do think having both the agent and the owner is a bit much.

Why the need to comment on what you would do if you moved in? I very much doubt the estate agent cares.

Where I am, we are lucky and agents earn their fee.They arrange that owners leave the house for them to show.What do we pay estate agents for, if not to sell the house?
It's not just internet adverts and brochures and assisting through the selling process ! I shudder at the thought of an addittional fee for showing a house.It should be an essential part of their service.
A good agent has done their prep, has asked the owner about schools, neighbours, the area,the boiler service contract,whether the loft is boarded, all the questions that posters have said they'd be in a unique postion to know.Yes you are ! So the Agent gets this background as well as knowing the housing market and being able to answer questions on why your property represents value to this viewer compared to other houses.
They should also know what the viewers want, it may not be what you see as the prime attribute of your house.Your fab mature garden is their tree hazard ..your reservations about the proximity and parking hassles of the local school are their easy walk to school . It can be uncomfortable viewing with an anxious owner, who may distract you from what you regard of prime importance by pointing out something you find irrelevant.
And as posters have said, a first tour accompanied and a "have a look round yourselves and I'll meet you back in the lounge " gives them the chance to really LOOk at how the house functions and how it would work for them.
If you are landed with an owners guided tour,as a previous poster has said, ask if you can have a look round yourselves so you can "take a bit of time picture yourselves living there."That should appeal to them and help them leave you be.
Take your time, you'd stand discussing a car purchase in a showroom , so take time buying something as expensive as a house.
Good luck !

When we were ftb we were shown around by the owner, tbh I brought my mum for a second viewing and to measure up after our offer was accepted and we exchanged mobile numbers - which was great when we got near completion and each solicitor/agent was waiting for stuff - it was easier to communicate with each other and just sort it out rather than the games that agents and solicitors seem to play (eg our bank had told our solicitor that they needed some documentation which our solicitor was waiting for but no reply from their agents - a couple of texts later vendor took round documentation and got them to send it straight away).

I have sold a number of houses and have always shown round prospective buyers. I can only recall two or three houses i have viewed ( and i have viewed many) where an agent showed us around. These houses were already empty.