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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to think feedback after viewing a house is pointless

108 replies

saymyusername · 02/08/2018 14:42

Seriously, what's going to please a seller, other than "I'll take it and pay what you're asking."

Am happy to be corrected with examples of feedback you thought was worthwhile.

OP posts:
NonaGrey · 02/08/2018 19:09

Of course it is personal to tell someone their home stinks. Well, it is where I'm from.

The thing is Peng people who live with a damp smell continually often stop noticing it. So a viewer passing on that info to the EA isn’t mentioning it to be rude, they are trying to be helpful.

It’s also something that can be fixed, sometimes quite simply.

If you want to sell a house you can choose to put aside your outrage at the comments, assess how reasonable they are and decide what to do about them.

A lovely friend of mine loved her tangerine walls. Loved them.

Every viewer hated them and she was furious. But furious and insulted didn’t help her sell her house.

Eventually she got over it and painted the walls. It sold the next week.

Months of needless EA fees and stress because she chose to be insulted rather than practical.

GreenMeerkat · 02/08/2018 19:10

I get annoyed when viewing houses and the estate agent asks for feedback when most of the time all i have to say is 'I just don't like it'. I can usually tell if I can potentially live in a house after maybe 2 minutes of being inside, if I don't like it I don't bother looking hard enough at it to give constructive feedback to the sellers.

Pengggwn · 02/08/2018 19:11

NonaGrey

There is no fury. I just think there is a difference in politeness terms between "I found the strong colours too much" and "vile tangerine horror".

NonaGrey · 02/08/2018 19:11

Feelings happen, you don't decide on them.

I’m not sure I agree with that.

Pengggwn · 02/08/2018 19:11

ThePrioryGhost

I can control my outward response, not my thought process.

ScrumpyCrack · 02/08/2018 19:14

Why does every thread end like this nowadays?

Onwhitehorses · 02/08/2018 19:15

I think it could be useful in certain circumstances, although it hasnt been for us. We're selling through an online agent and get feedback that way. It's been nice to know that every viewer has given us 5 stars for presentation. However, it's entirely pointless to be told that you wont be buying our house because it doesnt have a 'double garage and a large workshop'. Bearing in mind it's a cottage and there was no mention of either in the details, it shouldn't really have come as a surprise Grin

NonaGrey · 02/08/2018 19:17

End like what Scrumpy?

People are debating, no one is being rude.

OliviaBenson · 02/08/2018 19:17

@BarbarianMum did you not call the RSPCA? Poor dog Sad

GreatDuckCookery6211 · 02/08/2018 19:19

I used to hate the feedback.

" they think your house is beautiful but one of the bedrooms is too small " they knew the size before they wasted my time.

" they don't want to live on a main road after all " FFS.

BarbarianMum · 02/08/2018 19:24

No, I didnt Olivia Sad I didnt think they'd take any notice based on a half an hour snapshot. If I had my time again I would though.

Pengggwn · 02/08/2018 19:25

NonaGrey

Fair enough. If I change it to I don't decide on them? I can't speak for you.

Roselind · 02/08/2018 19:26

It has always had me baffled. Are you really going to alter anything in your house in the light of the feedback? And who is to say the answer is honest, rather than polite? Last time we sold a house I just found it irritating to be given "feedback" - waste of my time and the estate agent's (it was a country cottage and very much a one off house and was either what you wanted, or not, in terms of style and location).
If there are errors in the listing on rightmove or wherever I guess might be helpful but would have thought most people would read over the proposed listing first anyway to make sure the estate agent got it right.

Disquieted1 · 02/08/2018 19:30

IME it's a complete waste of time.
It's either stuff like -"There was no conservatory" er... Didn't you read the particulars? Or:
"I didn't like the wallpaper in the front room." er...so you make a 200K decision based on the colour of the wallpaper? What a dunderhead.

Most viewers can't really articulate why a property is not for them and make up a reason when pressed.

mrsp2009 · 02/08/2018 19:36

The feedback we received when we were selling was mainly that the box room was a bit small (yes that’s why it’s a box room Hmm ) and there was only parking for 1 car on the drive.
It’s quite frustrating as a seller as these were things we couldn’t change and also things which the buyer would have been aware of from the description and measurements.
I think sometimes buyers might just not like a property but feel put on the spot to give feedback when asked.

NonaGrey · 02/08/2018 19:39

Roselind people change stuff on the back of feedback all the time!

Paint walls, declutter, tidy up gardens, put in brighter lightbulbs, take out personal photos, clean or change carpets etc.

All pretty normal stuff.

Peng you should give it a go, it’s very freeing. Smile

Pengggwn · 02/08/2018 19:45

NonaGrey

Again, that suggests I can help it, that I decide how to feel. I don't.

chickendrumsticks123 · 02/08/2018 19:47

Haven't read all comments but this is my experience

Went to view a house. Person showing us round didn't seem interested and even said they weren't really looking for somewhere else to live which we found odd. Didn't really pay much attention to the house after that

Estate agent rang and asked about the viewing.

Us: seller doesn't seem interested in selling.
Estate agent: you're kidding right, he wants to get rid
Us: (shocked)
Estate agent: who showed you round
Us: man (no one else in house)

After some talking it turns out the guy who showed us round was the tenant and he didn't want to move and it appeared he had been putting people off for months (house had been on market about 4 months)

We went for another viewing and decided to buy the house.

So from my point of view the feedback was the only reason we could buy the house

NonaGrey · 02/08/2018 19:48

Peng I was just suggesting that you could give it a wee try as a mental exercise.

Feel free to ignore me.

BackforGood · 02/08/2018 20:00

GreatDuckCookery

Many of us find it quite difficult to 'visualise' how big a room is, from measurements. This is often not helped by some Estate Agents taking really odd photos, and trying to "give the impression of space" or whatever.
I really think, when selling a house, you have to understand that most people don't buy houses regularly. It is a HUGE amount of money to be committing. It took me 2 years from when I looked at my first house (flat) to when I had an offer accepted on my first home - you can;t equate this with buying a pair of shoes or something, it is a MASSIVE amount of money and a lot of stress. IMO you would be daft if you didn't have a look at a lot of places before buying your first property. Even once you move up the chain, it is still a huge thing for most of us. I looked at far fewer that time, but still needed to have compared many within my price range. Then again the third time.

Trust me, I know it is a pain when you are trying to sell - last time I had 3dc under 6, was WOTH and caring for a disabled parent as well as being recently bereaved two times over. (I like to add stress into my life Wink), but I still understood that I would have to present the house as well as I could, for many people who wouldn't buy it. You just have to get on with it, until you find the ones who do buy it.

Even now, several decades and 3 house purchase into my life, I would like to move again. I fully intend to look at many houses within this next price bracket, to get a really good 'feel' for prices, for what is available, and to make sure the next house is 'the one'.

If I am asked for feedback, I will be honest.
I will definitely be asking for feedback on any viewings of my home.

OftenHangry · 02/08/2018 20:15

I was fobbed off by EA once after giving feedback that we were not interested due to the crack in exterior wall I mentioned when we were there. He actually said that everyone keeps mentioning it but it's no big deal.
You could put fingers in that crack and it was visible from the inside too.....

I don't know who was delusional. EA or vendor.

Agree with many here about photos EAs put up. They really don't usually show reality. We had to walk away from 3 houses because they were TINY irl.

Bluntness100 · 02/08/2018 22:38

Estate agents pics can be very deceiving, you really need to look at floor plans, rooms sizes and total square footage. I don't get thr whole make the room look bigger thing, it simply means you walk in and see rhe reality and walk out again. This house we bought nearly four years ago and it has a video, and i recall saying to my husband at least we know it looks like that as they can't doctor that video.

Photos also often get brightened up and everything looks in much better condition that it is. You walk in and clearly can see rhe walls are marked or dirty, things are basically worn down, but the pics make it look fab.

And what's even worse is deluded sellers swoon over these pics thinking how great does my house look. Not at all thinking, fuck when people see rhe real thing they are going to be horribly disappointed.

I guess this is a divisive subject. Some of us want to know, and won't take it personally, at that point it's a house for sale not our home, our eye is on the next one. For others, it's their home, and if you say something negative they will be offended.

I find being offended odd, because it's still being said or thought by the agent or those who viewed. All that happens is the agent doesn't tell you what people really think of it and why they aren't buying. So I'd rather know, warts and all, I don't need someone to pretend to me or hide it from me, I get others feel differently though. But ultimately uou can't stop people thinking or saying these things, all you can do is make sure you don't find out. And I simply can't see rhe benefit of that if you've got to sell to buy the next house you now want more.

GnomeDePlume · 02/08/2018 23:33

Feelings of light and space in a room can be emotional rather than logical. Dark curtains and carpet may make a room feel smaller than it is.

A room which is set up as an office may not feel like it could be used as a bedroom. Take the desk out and put a

GnomeDePlume · 02/08/2018 23:36

Sorry

... take the desk out and put a bed in. Now that room is a bedroom

Bluelady · 03/08/2018 07:06

The point about EA pictures is a very valid one. We went to see a house recently which we thought from the pictures was going to be immaculate. We went in to find in reality it needed a new kitchen and bathroom, complete redecoration and all the carpets were worn out. As it was right at the top of our budget, it was a complete waste of our time and the EA's.

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