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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have found this a bit awkward?

132 replies

GarthAlgar · 22/08/2015 16:00

I got the keys to my first house yesterday. The people who I bought it off were very house proud and you could tell they loved the colour scheme in the house, the carpets etc. I got up at 7 today and have spent the day stripping wallpaper and went to b&q to get paint. I also cut the carpet downstairs because it's hideous and I was hoping there'd be lovely flagstones under because it's an old cottage (and there was Smile).

Anyway at about 2pm a car pulled up outside and the old owners got out Shock. Said they'd come round in case I had any questions about the boiler etc even though they told me everything on the phone yesterday. They came into the living room and there was a really long horrible silence whilst they surveyed all the walls with wallpaper ripped off and the carpet that I'd slashed with a Stanley knife. He then went upstairs to show me something on the boiler and saw that I'd painted the walls in the bedroom and ripped off the horrible boudoir wallpaper. He made some comment about me making my mark very quickly.

Aibu to think they put me in a bit of an awkward situation?! I still felt like it was their house a bit Blush

OP posts:
Bohemond · 22/08/2015 19:45

My family home will sadly be knocked down and replaced with some ghastly McMansion (swanky part of Surrey). My parents are still there at the moment but I don't think any of us will ever go back when it goes.

Garrick · 22/08/2015 19:59

Karaoke, perhaps he literally meant "What have you done with my door" - if it's still in a skip I'll take it back?

It's quite funny to see so many people going "Nutters! They should accept that houses move on", when so many people also get sniffy about modernisers disrespecting a property's period style. It's all history. When does old-fashioned become period, I wonder Grin

Pigeonpost · 22/08/2015 20:01

They sound like nosey fuckers with bad taste. Fancy just turning up!!

silveroldie2 · 22/08/2015 20:16

I lived for 26 years in my London flat. I would HATE to go back and see what they have done.

gabsdot45 · 22/08/2015 20:18

We're friends with the woman we bought our house from. Any time she's here she raves about how much nicer it is now than when she lived here.

Booboostwo · 22/08/2015 20:23

We bought a house that needed a lot of work done to it. The sale went through at a time when the couple's grown up DD was on a gap year abroad so when she came back she asked if she could come say goodbye to her family home. Unfortunately we were in the middle of the works, walls being torn down, kitchen demolished, etc and she burst into tears. I felt absolutely awful!

honeyroar · 22/08/2015 20:50

My parents divorced and sold our farmhouse that they'd lived in for 30 years. The buyers came round to ask for one final detail before they agreed to the purchase. Once my parents had agreed the Big I Am that bought it turned to his wife, in front of my parents, and said, ok darling I've bought it for you, now you've just got to make it beautiful. It did need doing up, but zero out of ten for tact. To make things worse, my dad moved into the barn just across the road, so had to sit and watch the updating, even being dragged round to be shown what they'd bought, and pass skips of his old house bits on the drive. Initially he found it difficult, but they've changed things so much now it doesn't feel like we ever lived there. We got used to their showing off after a while.

However to march round to your old house and invite yourself in leaves you set up for a shock really! Best to look forward and concentrate on your next house.

WhatWas · 22/08/2015 20:50

You got the keys yesterday and managed to do all that before 2 Shock

Original poster
GarthAlgar · 22/08/2015 21:05

I think the thing is honey that the sale of their house fell through so they've gone to live with friends temporarily and probably feel a bit in 'limbo'.

You should have seen me What I was like a woman possessed. My face was BRIGHT RED and my hair a halo of frizz from hours of steaming wallpaper off. Glad I didn't meet the new neighbours, I bet I looked a picture Grin

OP posts:
PegsPigs · 22/08/2015 21:06

Through having DDs the same age I'm now friends with the people who sold us our house. She likes the feature fireplace and he was glad when we got rid of the blue carpet! Shoddy electrics though...

Congrats on the new place and make it your own.

ValancyJane · 22/08/2015 21:15

I'd bloody love the previous owner to come and knock at our door, I have many choice words for him regarding the electrics, the many leaks he had concealed, the issues with the central heating... He would probably be outraged by our changes (it had a Mediterranean theme before, think peach everywhere) and bright red carpets everywhere.

TheySayIamparanoid · 22/08/2015 21:37

If it's a proper marble fireplace, before you take a hammer to it,
google how much you could sell it for!

MummaV · 22/08/2015 21:52

My DM owns our house technically although we pay the mortgage for her. I grew up here but when me and DH moved in last November we ripped the place apart, redecorated most rooms and replaced all the carpets etc.
DM came to see it over Xmas and was shocked at what we had done to 'her home' despite her not actually living here for the past 10 years and renting it to slobby smelly tenants (the carpets definitely couldn't have stayed they stank of cat piss and the walls were covered in crayon).
We have got rid of the 90s patterned wallpaper and modernised the whole house. After a few months she's grown to like it and has jokingly asked to move back in as it's nicer than her place.

I do feel sorry for all of you with crazy old home owners. Once its sold its sold, move on.

AnneElliott · 22/08/2015 21:54

The dad of the old owner came to pick up some bits they'd left, and was mighty annoyed to find we were putting a wall back up. Apparently it cost a lot to take it downWink

Original poster
GarthAlgar · 22/08/2015 22:00

Ooh I will do TheySay. The dream is to save up for a little wood burning stove but they're so expensive so I'll have to have to white marble monstrosity for a few years. What makes it extra terrible is that they've installed it about a foot high from the floor and it has a large marble lip that comes out which is just floating above the skirting board Shock

OP posts:
Fuckitfay · 22/08/2015 22:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
GarthAlgar · 22/08/2015 22:16

Fuckit that must have been quite hard redecorating knowing your aunt had handmade the curtains and had probably taken great joy in her home. I love how the older generation can't throw anything out, my mum brought my gran round to see it this morning and she was horrified that I was chucking the scabby old houseplant they'd left and took it home with her Confused

OP posts:
Dampfloor · 22/08/2015 23:12

This thread has made me look at the original particulars of our house.

Every room is different except the kitchen which was newly fitted just before we bought it.

I'm going to move the toaster and microwave to where the former owners had it as it will work better Grin

But if they wanted to pop round to have a look, I'd recommend they didn't for their own sake.

I'd have a bit to say about the dry rot, fucking awful plumbing and every other problem we've had that they covered up Angry

ouryve · 22/08/2015 23:14

Cheeky buggers.

Been in our house 12 years today and I still haven't finished getting the hallway to how I want it!

Chickychickyparmparm · 23/08/2015 01:41

My mum was horrified that the people who bought their former home(my childhood home) cut down so many trees. She cried and said she wouldn't have sold it to them if she'd known what they'd do.

It did look ghastly but I've never been sentimental about houses so I couldn't get too upset.

HellKitty · 23/08/2015 01:57

Other people's decor gets me down. We're renting so right now we're living in a pale green, elephant knicker curtained 80's dream. BUT we've made an offer on a house, it's white everywhere - even the carpets Confused and we're already fantasising about getting some colour in and ripping the carpets up.

Bogeyface · 23/08/2015 02:18

What is "elephant knicker curtained"?! I think I may have missed a memo!

Bogeyface · 23/08/2015 02:19

And I hope you get the White House hell :)

HellKitty · 23/08/2015 03:01

Those big and fancy pouffy Austrian blinds that are purely for decoration! They don't actually close. I had to explain to DP what elephant knicker blinds were as I assume people can read my mind Confused

Bogeyface · 23/08/2015 03:04

I think I know what you mean, although Elephant Knicker is a new one on me!

www.ultimateblindsltd.co.uk/austrian.html

First pic? Basically a peplum with upper class aspirations?!