Selling house, just had a random woman at our door?

[LoobyLou1976]

Hi, posting for advice.
We are selling our house, there is the usual for sale sign in the garden as well as a large skip full of stuff we are getting rid of.
Was just sitting in the living room and spotted a random middle aged woman walking about my front garden. I opened the front door and she claimed that her son has booked a viewing with my estate agent and that he sent her over to 'check out' the garden because he has some dogs and they wanted to see if it was big enough? She then said that they wanted to see the house and that they were available to view it ? I said I cannot accept any viewings that are not booked through the estate agent and that they would have to confirm with me, she wasn't very happy and wandered off!
Is it just me or is it incredibly rude just to invite yourself to wander about someone's garden even if the house IS up for sale? I phoned the estate agent who have zero knowledge of this woman. Bit freaked out now.
Wondered if maybe I caught her eyeing up the skip contents and she made up a cover story?

She may be genuine.
My Dsis sold her last house to a random neighbour's DD, the last knocked on her door as her DD lived in the UK. They went through the right channels it was a hassle free sale.

Lady knocked.

I sold a house last year that I had withdrawn from the market as I fell out with the scummy estate agent. A couple had seen it on the internet for sale, and happened to call by when I was outside gardening, which was a rare occasion as I had already moved out. I showed them around...and did a deal to sell the house to them for £30k more than the estate agent had valued it for. I then sweated it out until completion day and didn't even have to pay agent commission. That house would have still been up for sale now I guess as the market is very slow where I am. I thank my lucky stars, but if you really want to sell then keep an open mind that not every stranger knocking at your door is a skip diver, robber etc...if opportunity knocks, grab it.

Also skip divers are great, they free up more space in your skip.
People who fill it up are less great.

I've seen the reverse question posted here more than once i.e. someone really wants to live on a particular street/has seen their dream house etc. and people encourage them to write a letter and post to the occupants, expressing an interest. I too had a letter like this from someone - I lived in a flat in an "up and coming" area at the time and I think he was just writing to several people in the area on the off chance they were considering selling (he was in a good position to buy with funds ready etc.) It can be a good tactic in a sought after area if you can get a viewing in before others...

It's not great to have someone snooping around your garden of course but she could well be genuine.

Given some of the threads on here about MILs she may be the. - -interfering- - proactive mother of someone who’s booked to view your house.

We are doing up our old house to sell but its not on the market and DH has been approached and asked if we are planning to sell, guy gave his card and said to call him when we do. When DH goes down to do work quite a few times the EA has been just outside our house and asks him about when we plan to sell - DH says its accidental but I suspect he's being stalked. It might be genuine though not polite to walk round someone's garden.

I wonder if her son knows.

DH has a relative who thinks if there's a 'for sale' sign outside, he has open invitation to snoop walk around the property without invitation or an appointment.
In our neighbourhood, people watch out for skips to dump their unwanted crap in. I haven't heard of anyone removing contents or paying for it.

I think it's rude, but it always surprises me how in fancy home magazines, you always seem to get right chancers who took this approach. I was reading one the other day where a bloke seemed genuinely surprised that none of the notes (plural) he'd put through an elderly couple's letterbox, asking if they'd sell him their house, got any reply.

I could just picture said elderly couple's reaction.

Back in the 90s, we had our house up for sale, but no for sale sign outside.
I had a day off work and was having a nap on the sofa late afternoon (because I could) and noticed some people climbing over our back wall to get into the garden.
They came right up to the windows at the back and tried to look in.
I had hidden myself behind the sofa because I was a bit scared and this was a rough part of town.
But they never tried the door handle.
Never knew if they were burglars or someone thinking of buying.

Our neighbours sold their house that way, it saved them a fortune in Estate Agents' fees.

This is how I sold my house someone knocking on the door.

What is it about, 'For Sale' signs ? Does I do funny things to people ?

I think the “for sale” sign removes some right to privacy in many peoples minds and your home becomes fair game.

This^

There's a sort of, 'well you are leaving anyway' attitude. They forget/don't care that it's still private property.

I have done similar before to have a look at the outside of the house and the surrounding area, to see if it's worth arranging a proper viewing. Would never actually go into the garden or driveway though, just look from the road. So YANBU for thinking she was a bit intrusive and rude.

when I was house hunting I would always go & have a look around outside before booking a viewing - mainly to see the area & see if the house had adequate parking etc

Yikes! Either she's a house tourist or looking to nick something from your skip. Yes, house tourists do exist - nosy people who want to have a look around other people's houses. My guess is that she was rummaging through your skip, and you caught her out.

You did the right thing.

I think the “for sale” sign removes some right to privacy in many peoples minds and your home becomes fair game

There's a sort of, 'well you are leaving anyway' attitude. They forget/don't care that it's still private property
Isn't that the point. When you are selling anything it attracts interest. I think most people have disconnected with it as their personal home as they've made the decision to leave.

Its a shame people think we have to use agents, wouldn't it be much easier and cheaper to put your own sign outside and do your own viewings. I've met some really bad agents who are looking to get about £5k in commission for not really doing very much.

I was reading one the other day where a bloke seemed genuinely surprised that none of the notes (plural) he'd put through an elderly couple's letterbox, asking if they'd sell him their house, got any reply.

2 sides of A4 in fountain pen is our most impressive note received.

This happened to me after I bought my house. It was an excellent price and the agent failed to remove it from Rightmove or take down the sign, so loads of people were parking on the drive, peering in the windows and nosing around the garden etc. Several became extremely angry when I told them to go away because it was sold.

@LoobyLou1976 I wouldn't be too happy if someone knocked on my door (if I was selling my house,) to be honest. I have had a house for sale before, and you get people from round the corner looking, saying they know someone who is interested, just so they can have a bloody nose.

I would be saying a firm NO.

@LoobyLou1976 . I wouldn't be too happy if someone knocked on my door (if I was selling my house,) to be honest. I have had a house for sale before, and you get people from round the corner looking, saying they know someone who is interested, just so they can have a bloody nose.

I would be saying a firm NO.

@LoobyLou1976

Must admit, it is strange to just knock on someone's door rather than go through the estate agent. But people do!

I wouldn't worry if it IS someone trying to take stuff from your skip... When we moved house last (several years go,) we had a 'mini' skip (because it was sooooo expensive for a 'midi and a 'large.')

We filled it up within about an hour, and we were miffed because we had loads of stuff/rubbish left! Like we needed another 2 bloody mini skips worth.

Cue the travelling folk! Tap, tap, tap on our door. 'May we take some of the stuff out of your skip?' I said 'knock yourself out mate!'

They virtually emptied it. I thought it was just tat in there (old broken toys, gadgets, ornaments, and old pictures/picture frames, pieces of chipboard and wood, and a couple of broken electrical items, as well as old knackered clothes and shoes not fit for the charity shop.)

Because of that, we were able to fill the mini skip again, (as they emptied out 65-70% of what was in there.)

Then they came back a couple of days later, knocked on our door and asked again if they could have a mooch through our skip. We said yes. A couple of days later, they took a load more stuff out of it again... (for a third time.) Sooooo we had room for even more stuff.

By the time the skip folk came to get it, it was only half full!