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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think this is weird when viewing a house?

192 replies

lemoncurd20 · 27/05/2015 17:36

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?

OP posts:
JassyRadlett · 27/05/2015 19:51

I suppose I don't trust anyone to be honest! Why would a vendor say 'yeah, the traffic is a total bitch, it's the reason we're moving'?

Mind you, our agents were armed with massive amounts of info on our house, and at least half the places we viewed the agents were able to answer all our questions - and on the obscure ones we got answers the next day. They probably have to work a bit harder than when they're making the vendors do the house selling!

blondiep14 · 27/05/2015 19:53

We're currently selling and the agents sometimes accompany people, in which case I just let them get on with it. The vast majority I've had to show around tho. I don't like it but have tried to be informative and let them have space as well. Tricky balance, especially if I haven't managed to Palm off the kids Grin

nocoolnamesleft · 27/05/2015 20:16

When I bought my current house, I looked at 21 properties in 3 days (I was moving a long way!). I can only think of a couple of properties where the owner wasn't there. It was very much the norm that they were present.

PrimalLass · 27/05/2015 20:19

Until recently we haven't really had estate agents in Scotland. So I've never viewed a house and not been shown around by the owners.

DixieNormas · 27/05/2015 20:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

gatlinout · 27/05/2015 20:22

DH and I were actually interviewed by an older couple when we went to look at their house. They made us sit down with them in the lounge and wanted to know what we did for a living etc.

That was really awkward. Not least because it turned out we didn't like the house anyway.

Then the estate agent escorted us to our car and explained that the couple would be moving into sheltered accommodation but not for another 8 months so we'd have to go into rented once we'd sold our house Confused Confused

gatlinout · 27/05/2015 20:25

btw it's not normal here for the vendor to be in when you view.

We viewed about 30 houses and that was the only one where the owners were in.

We've always gone out when we've had viewings so we can hide the dog and kids in the back of the car

PurpleCrazyHorse · 27/05/2015 20:35

We sold our own house so therefore had to do the viewings, I planned the route (through our tiny house) so they ended up in the garden so I could come inside and give them some space to chat.

We were also able to explain that although we were planning our new purchase to coincide with the sale, that we didn't have to and could move out if necessary. It clinched the sale, we only had the one viewing (12 hours after the house went on the market) and accepted £500 less than the asking price.

TBH I quite like the vendor to be there as you can usually ask about neighbours and find out really why they're leaving. Getting them talking usually gets you a load of info. Plus having DD with us on occasion included her getting a really lovely book (vendor's son is an award winning author, shame he didn't want to sell his house in the end!) and also an ice cream from a lovely old lady.

I think you just need to embrace it and go with some suitable vendor questions to ask to make the most of them being there.

DoristheCamel · 27/05/2015 20:38

Normal. I do get that it can be awkward. I have more vision than dh so want to say whilst he is stood in the actual room ....let's take out that vile fireplace/replace the hideous carpet etc. But I also think the vendor is best placed to answer questions like what time does the sun hit the back garden,what is the water pressure like, how much noise do you get from the community centre on the corner and all that kind of stuff. The best estate agent can't answer those.

I tend to show people around then go and peg the washing out or get out their way for a few minutes at the end so they can slash off our lack of style!

Wibblewobble100 · 27/05/2015 20:40

Not sure if it's a regional thing, but I have viewed lots of properties and only ever seen an agent when the sellers no longer lived there. Usually it's just the sellers, no agents in my experience

threenotfour · 27/05/2015 20:45

It's very normal .... and very awkward. Not a lot you can do about it but ask questions and don't worry about being too polite in terms of staying an hour if it's just not for you after seeing the kitchen. Most sellers would rather you were honest in a kind way and said no thanks to viewing upstairs if you have decided after seeing the garden that you won't be buying it. Honesty saves everyone a lot of time.

mistbecomingrain · 27/05/2015 20:45

I'm in Ireland and never had the owners present -just the estate agent. I would have found it really weird to have the owners there.

The estate agent let us look around the houses by ourselves - but they were in the house. We could talk honestly about the house then.

The owners always seem to have removed anything personal from view.

BoulevardOfBrokenSleep · 27/05/2015 20:47

Aprilday "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."

Are you in London or something? This is way above the effort any EA we've ever had has put in...!

Reading this thread has reminded me:
We bought house no.2 without ever seeing the second bedroom, because there was a toddler asleep in it on both viewings, and;
We bought our current house without properly seeing the master bedroom, because the current owner was ill in it on both viewings. Still, it was OK.

Lweji · 27/05/2015 20:50

I'd really take advantage of it to ask questions. Normal people tend to be more, let's say, honest and less evasive than estate agents.

var123 · 27/05/2015 20:55

I went to see a flat once in the depths of a recession with my BF of the time. The owner showed us around. It wasn't right and we knew that before we'd got through the front door.

However, we'd made an appointment and the wife had seen us, so it seemed like a good idea to just go in and show a polite interest for a couple of minutes. We were doing our best to say positive things when the husband suddenly accused us of nosiness by looking around his home!

At least it gave us an excuse to leave but we would not have bought it even if it had been perfect. So, he shot himself in the foot. I wonder if he's still trying to sell today?!

ceeveebee · 27/05/2015 21:11

In London it's unusual for the vendor to be there - I've probably viewed 25 houses over the past few years and never once had the vendor been there, and when we sold out flat we weren't there for the open day either. Have often had friends who are selling their houses ask if they can come over as they need to leave the house for a viewing. But when I lived in Manchester the vendor was always present. Is it a regional thing? Perhaps because the London agents get such a big fee (as % of the price?)

FryOneFatManic · 27/05/2015 21:23

We did a mix when selling our previous house. Small EA so not many agents to take buyers around houses then, so some they did, some I did, depending on availability.

The people who eventually bought our house went on one of my tours, and apparently were impressed with my matter of fact information and also that I told them to feel free in thinking aloud in things they might change, as if they bought, it wouldn't be our house anyway so it wouldn't bother me if they changed anything.

That was 8 years ago, and they sold up and moved on themselves recently, so I had a look online at the details. They'd made a nice job on the house, actually. Grin

The funny thing was that this particular viewing took place about an hour after I caught DS (aged 2.5 years) using a marker pen around the bathroom........... Shock I managed to clean up the evidence/damage with minutes to spare Grin

987flowers · 27/05/2015 21:29

I found it odd when the owners weren't there as felt they were hiding something by not being there! I also felt I could sell my house much better than an estate agent!

Cheby · 27/05/2015 21:43

We have just sold in London, where its normal for agents to do viewings when the owner is out, and bought up north, where the agent just makes an appointment and we were shown round all the houses by the owners. We were looking for 6 months, saw 2-3 houses most weekends, multiple areas, multiple agents, all viewings done by the owners.

I like it better when the owners are there; you can ask them about the area, the neighbours, local services etc. they quite often give away more than an agent would; I've found owners more willing to be honest about flaws or problems that an agent would gloss over. 99% of vendors would show us round then wander off somewhere for a bit and let us look round on our own afterwards. Never had anyone hovering or making me uncomfortable.

When we sold ours we happened to be in for that viewing, and it was the couple we spoke to and were able to sell the area and amenities to who were the ones who bought it. We had a v high service charge and we were able to explain in person why thats was, I have a feeling the agents didn't do a great job of explaining it for us.

lechie · 27/05/2015 22:20

Agreed Boulevard - in the past questions I have either asked / been asked in viewings have included:

When did you have the kitchen fitted?
What company did you use to fit it?
How many children live on your street?
What schools do the children in the road / immediate area go to?
What brand of laminate is the flooring?
Which of your neighbours have got loft or garage conversions?
What improvements have the neighbours made to their houses?
Where do you get your TV signal from?
Where's the closest shop/pub?

Yet in selling my houses, I have never been asked to write such information out on estate agents' forms - so unless estate agents are psychic I don't know how they could ever answer such random questions!

MidniteScribbler · 28/05/2015 00:46

I've never been shown around by an owner, and I wouldn't find it acceptable. It's just not the done thing over here. Even when I go to an open home and the owner is sitting there, I would never buy the place without a second viewing where the owner is not present. I pay a fortune for real estate agents to do their job, and I expect them to do it. I don't want to negotiate with a buyer, I want it to be an impartial business transaction.

RingforJeeves · 28/05/2015 02:11

Wow, where I'm from staying during a viewing is very odd behavior. I've viewed well over 200 houses and I've only encountered one owner, and it put me right off. I couldn't focus on the house because they just kept pointing out (hideous) features and kept harping on about the amazing local schools which wasn't remotely relevant to me (and if it had of been I never would have considered the area, the schools were actually some of the worst in the country). I took the house straight off my list because I didn't want to have to deal with them again.

Agents do it too (though good ones will be able to size you up and sell the place accordingly), but with an agent you can stop them talking up the features with 'obviously we'll have to gut the place' and not cause offense. I usually take very descriptive notes about what I'd have to tear down and remove/replace, including all the little things that start to add up, as I go around the house. It would be hard to write 'tobacco stained wallpaper', 'kitchen practically biological weapon', 'carpet stinks', 'all light fittings need replacing due to severe ugliness', 'whoever painted must have been colorblind', 'extension clearly done by someone who'd never lifted a hammer before in their life' with an owner peering over your shoulder.

Wishful80smontage · 28/05/2015 02:22

I viewed a Rented house that the owner was now selling - showed round first time by the people who were renting it /who obviously didn't want anyone to buy it and pointed out every flaw possibly.
So for second viewing - we asked if the agent could show us round instead. - I wrongly assumed the house would be empty (not sure why now) but the house was jan packed - the people renting we're having a family dinner- mega awkward!
We didn't buy it in end but it did sell not long after.

Mehitabel6 · 28/05/2015 06:45

You wouldn't buy my house then, MidniteScribbler, because I do the showing around. It would be highly inconvenient to keep going out. It is nothing to do with negotiation- that goes through the agent afterwards. I merely do the tour. Since it is my house, I pay the agent, I get to do it my way. Agents are never as good as the owner- they haven't lived in the house.

Silvercatowner · 28/05/2015 06:54

I would want to meet the owner of the house. So much depends on good will and lack of obstructive behaviour further down the process, and a friendly owner, committed to the sale, may make things go smoother.