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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Taking children to a house viewing?

136 replies

Bubblegumfan · 19/01/2018 15:15

In your opinion lovely mumsnetters? As either the buyer or seller, is it ok to take young children along to view a house for sale?

OP posts:
omnishambles · 19/01/2018 16:22

Yes although the very last do-er upper we saw dd was flicking the lights on and the whole place needed rewiring. I had to launch myself at her like an absolute screechy loon. So maybe avoid that.

StripyApple · 19/01/2018 16:25

But also remember that young children don’t understand the whole process. When dc saw a house they absolutely loved, they just couldn’t get their heads rounD the fact that we might not actually move there. And it all depended on th3 god awful nightmare of a chain

Draylon · 19/01/2018 16:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ZoopDragon · 19/01/2018 16:39

Yes we take our toddler. Just keep under close control, make sure they don't touch things or climb on beds and don't give them a snack while you're viewing.

tentative3 · 19/01/2018 16:44

I once found my two cosied up in the owners bed!

He also ran into a bedroom and dived on the bed which unfortunately was loads of boxes stacked up with sheets and a duvet and fell apart

Neither of these would amuse me. Did the kids in the bed have their shoes on?

Our buyers brought their kids but had obviously decided who would be in charge of the kids, and who would be in charge of looking at certain details - they only wanted one viewing but it was a very in-depth one. The kids were pretty well behaved, especially given their ages, they were a bit young to understand about the cat, but they didn't chase her per se, just followed her around. It did end up with both kids, me, and the mum on our stomachs on the carpet looking under the sofa at the cat which was awkward given that I'd hastily shoved some stuff under there (nothing awful)!

I don't think there is anything wrong with taking children, but they need to be aware of what's expected of them and they need to be supervised, it's not fair to sellers otherwise, who will likely feel they have to put up with behaviour they might not ordinarily, for fear of losing a sale.

ToadOfSadness · 19/01/2018 16:44

I dread selling because of previous experiences.

1.Woman was chatting for hours upstairs and her daughter used the toilet which was fine, except it was a pull flush, not a push one and they broke it.

  1. Small girl with parents who ignored her and left me to keep an eye on her or have the house trashed. I was working on some intricate designs and she kept picking things up and slamming them back down, deliberately trying to break them, and actually trying to break them with her hands.
  2. Couple with small child running about all over the place, grabbed my laptop and started banging away on the keyboard, opening drawers and taking things out. No-one seemed to be able to restrain him and the couple were wandering about all over the place. I had no way of keeping an eye on anything.
  3. Unruly girl with father, also into everything and he wanted to talk about the house while she was ransacking my bedroom and ripping things off the wall. After they left I discovered broken items.

Out of all of the families that viewed with their children there was only one that kept an eye on them and sent them outside to play with their Heelies and stopped them using the kitchen floor.

I think in future I will shut the children in the garage on arrival, it is bad enough showing timewasters around without having the house trashed by them as well.

Please consider whether they will be unruly or give them something to play with.

lostherenow · 19/01/2018 16:56

We took my 2 year old to the house we ended up buying which meant I missed a few fairly key details (I was also pregnant so only DH did the second viewing and he is very unobservant).

However we almost certainly only got the house as DS1 was cute and lady selling was more accepting of a low offer from a young family.

MiaowMix · 19/01/2018 17:01

It's totally fine as long as they're on reins or whatever (JOKE) - under control at least.

When I was buying, I went to one house viewing, the owner's 3/4 year old daughter stomped in wearing a pair of pants and a face like a wet weekend and announced:
"Daddy I don't like THOSE PEOPLE" about me and DH.

We didn't buy the house Wink Grin

Want2bSupermum · 19/01/2018 17:01

When we sold our previous home our realtor asked if it was ok for the DC of buyers to play in the playroom. I set up a table with some playdoh and coloring books with crayons. Our realtor said it was brilliant because buyers saw how the house worked. We had three offers at the open house and 24hrs later there was a bidding war with best and final offers.

m0therofdragons · 19/01/2018 17:13

We took dc to all but arranged childcare for second viewing as we planned to make an offer so long as we were happy. Nobody openly had an issue.

For people viewing our home we paid the extra for the agent to do the viewings and went out (although only had to be out 1.5hours the first weekend as we sold to the first viewer).

GreatDuckCookery6211 · 19/01/2018 17:15

Ha! There was a thread a while ago on the subject and everyone said a big fat NO!

Randomlywondering · 19/01/2018 17:18

I'm quite sure my children helped us seal the deal. DTwins were 2 weeks old and dinky when we viewed the house. The owner was besotted with them. We found ourselves bidding against another couple and our offer of 1k less got the house

gamerwidow · 19/01/2018 17:22

I wouldn’t take my daughter to an initial viewing in case she fell in love with a house that was unsuitable and I’d have to deal with the fallout. I’d take her to a second viewing though.

SnowGoArea · 19/01/2018 17:32

I took mine on several because there was no alternative. I prepped them repeatedly in advance. It was hard to concentrate on the house and keep them sufficiently well behaved, but doable.

The two worst things that happened were 1) Ds putting a (clean) hand against a bedroom window in order to look out and the vendor shrieking and running over with a cloth to polish the glass. The house was beyond immaculate.

  1. Dd announcing she needed a poo and having to use their bathroom with me hissing that this needed to be the quickest poo EVER Blush
DontCallMeCharlotte · 19/01/2018 18:31

I always encourage children on viewings ever since the small daughter of a couple viewing our house spotted our wedding photo and said "ooh! She looks like a princess!".

RhodaBorrocks · 19/01/2018 18:41

DS was 5 the last time I took him to view somewhere (our current place). He was very well behaved, asked questions, wanted to see the garden and never left my side (he's shy). He charmed the estate agent completely, the owners weren't in.

If he was at all unruly I wouldn't take him places, or would give him a seen wearing to be on his best behaviour, but I rarely have to worry - I think I can be more badly behaved than he is at times!

If kids are kept under control I would have no concerns. It's good for them to take part in choosing their homes.

SugarMiceInTheRain · 19/01/2018 18:46

We took ours. Well, we only had one at the time, who was a hyperactive handful (undiagnosed asd). He was so taken by the cabin beds in the children's rooms that the owners said they'd be happy to include those in the sale! Grin

Gizlotsmum · 19/01/2018 18:47

We had to take ours ( no childcare options close enough) but would have taken them for a second viewing anyway as will be their home too!

MisstoMrs · 19/01/2018 18:55

I think it’s fine so long as they are supervised and consequently well behaved. But then that applies to adults as well as kids. We had one family who sent their kids to run around the garden then ‘supervised’ them walking muddy shoes all over our cream carpets, permanently staining them. We then had a couple where the husband asked to use the loo, locked himself in there for 15 mins, and broke the loo, didn’t mention it, just left. We only had one loo at the time and I was pregnant. Not ideal.

HildaSnibbs · 19/01/2018 18:55

We took ours to second viewing of the house we ended up buying - I took my eye off the then-4yo for approx 30 seconds while talking to the elderly seller and when I turned round she was in the hallway, holding a golf umbrella aloft, poised ready to smash the opaque glass round the front door “because I can’t see out”... Luckily the seller didn’t see... So, er, my advice would be to supervise them closely and possibly handcuff them to you Grin

Original poster
Bubblegumfan · 19/01/2018 19:16

They will both will suitably threatened and bribed beforehand. Worst case scenario is the youngest gets Hangry (hungry and angry) so will keep snacks in the car for him. Thank you everyone!

OP posts:
happymummy12345 · 19/01/2018 19:21

We had no choice but to take our baby (in a Pram) to house viewings, both when it was halfway across the country, and local. It was fine.

katienana · 19/01/2018 19:23

We had to take ours to a few, as no childcare. But they were supervised all of the time. My 5 year old announced he was looking for any cracks in the walls! Always good to have an extra pair of eyes!

Valerrie · 19/01/2018 19:25

Yes, it will be their home too.

AntoniaCaenis · 19/01/2018 19:27

We are just about to start house hunting with DCs 4 and 2, so I'm reading this thread with interest! I'm glad the consensus is that's it's ok because like most people we've got little option for weekend childcare.

I can't get over the horror stories of behaviour though. I wouldn't let mine behave like that anywhere never mind in a strangers home! Might have to try and leave the DCs behind for any full days of first viewings as I doubt we can concentrate properly while trying to keep hold of them both