House viewing tales

[Henrietta75]

Bought and sold 2 homes over 15 years:

Couple with a grown up daughter I’m showing round, the mother disappears. Mother reappears after 10 mins (assumed she was in first bedroom still as we’ve moved to second), moved to third bedroom and daughter disappears, come out of bedroom and see daughter emerging from bathroom with flushing noise. Not a word. They both used the loo without asking. How rude!

Viewer booked in for tues 1pm, Dh gets leave off work and waits - viewer doesn’t turn up. Complain to EA, EA sends screenshot of text to viewer confirming time and date, the viewer turns up weds 1pm with no one home and starts banging on the door (according to retired neighbour). Then sits in the car for 1 hour on the drive before giving up and leaving.

Couple having been shown around property then proceed to demand what is the “bottom price” and are not leaving until they get an answer.

Showing another pair around and the man starts to open kitchen cupboards....gets into the bedrooms and starts to open free standing wardrobes and chest of drawers....!

Asked another viewee to remove shoes AFTER he insisted on seeing garden first and traipsed all on the grass in the mud and he refused.

Different EA, different property, asked to lop £25k off our price so he could get the deal done quick. DH says ok, with one condition, find us a house in ‘x’ area where we wish to move to that’s priced similarly as ours and ask the owner to lop £25k off too.

And the best for last - sold the house and buyer wants wants to exchange and complete in 3 days. Due to circumstances I said not possible, the buyers then create HUGE sob story that they’re going to be chucked out of rented accommodation....blah..little kids...pets...etc. So gargantuan effort to do it in 5 days and move in with in-laws temporarily....they then move into empty property 2 weeks later.

[ememem84]

The estate agent we used to sell our flat initially were shockers. Lied about viewings happening (I had suspicions that they had and sat in the car in the car park until I saw agent arrive - different one to the one we usually met with- and then went in pretending I was part of the open viewing. Spoke to the agent asked about how many others had turned up he said none. (Id taken all pics of myself down) usual agent phoned to tell me that they’d had so many viewings and four offers. Which was strange as I’d not seen anyone else go in....

They also tried to show the property without giving us notice. I had suspicions that they’d been doing this but no proof. But I chose to work from home on a particular day (as had seen via Facebook that the agent had arranged a viewing ) stayed in and the agent was clearly shocked to see me working. The people were very apologetic. He was angry I hadn’t given him my schedule and was angry I was angry.

We removed the flat from the market.

Agent we used to eventually sell was great. We used them to buy our now house too. Not so amazing with the buying process as the house belonged to a. Friend of theirs. And agent kept calling insisting the vendors would pull out if we didn’t stop being difficult (dh noticed a hole in the roof which we asked about and wanted a roofer to give us a quote for before we went through court - no intention of dropping the price or insisting the work was done by the vendors but just wanted an idea so we could get the work done ASAP), advised that drains had been surveyed but wouldn’t provide evidence of this, similarly wouldn’t provide evidence that the windows were all only 6m old (no guarantees or anything as they weren’t given them by the window company). They didn’t look new. And if they were 4 panels had blown so shouldn’t have done that within 6m.

They kept threatening to pull the sale if we didn’t just accept the answers they were giving. We told them to go ahead because we were cash buyers had said we’d complete by x date and they needed our money to buy their next place. They had moved to a rental and needed to not be paying mortgage and rent. We knew it’d take at least 8 weeks for a new sale to complete. We were 4 days away.

Eventually we got things sorted although our lawyers did have to be very pushy for the things we’d asked for. Nothing unreasonable. Just things the survey had picked up. According to the vendors a survey is just a formality and a piece of paper. No one takes them seriously....

[8misskitty8]

Male viewer came and in each room calculated how many beds he could fit in, including the floored but windowless attic.
He then said he would be buying the house for £100,000 (house was on at £140,000). I told him any offers need to be legally done through our solicitor but the answer would be no.
He then got up close to me and growled at Dh ‘get your woman told, I am taking this house. I’ll wait outside while you do it’
He then left. Me and Dh were stunned for a few moments then I opened the front door and he was still there. I loudly told him to get off MY property or I would call the police. He asked Dh if he allowed me to speak to people like that. Dh just said ‘yes’

[FruitPastillesaregood]

Oh God 8 misskitty that made my blood run cold. What a horrible horrible man.

[8misskitty8]

There was nothing special about the house it was a 2 bed mid terrace.
We suspected from what other things he said as he viewed that he was going to move either workers Into the house or he had a large family.
Got the impression woman are inferior as far as he was concerned and didn’t expect me to take charge.
Needless to say he didn’t contact our solicitor/estate agent.

[Tumbleweed101]

We were renting during the housing boom around year 2000. We'd had to move a couple times because of owners selling properties under us and there was less protection for tenants back then.

The viewing I remember most clearly was the one where I'd given birth about three days previously and was in bed with my newborn, trying to sleep and feed, with my 2yo running about half dressed (August). The place was a complete mess, I was a complete mess and you could see that the EA and viewer were as uncomfortable as we were. We'd already been given notice by the landlord - the date was the same as my due date! (baby came early). We moved out when baby was about two weeks old, which was fun with a newborn and toddler as we had to do all the moving ourselves with a 'man with a van'.

[UnderperformingSeal]

@catfeets
am waiting until we sign the contract as knowing my shitty luck, one of them will read it and pull out.
We're still scraping our jaws off the floor about the stunt they pulled last week!

Fair enough, I don't want to jinx your sale, but my breath is well and truly bated now

[Oddballz]

@OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow what did he say when you went mental? Why had he done that?! It was legally yours at that point!

[YesIDoLoveCrisps]

Went to view a house. The teenage boys room was full of topless lady posters. The estate agent was saying things like ‘and this room had a large window’ but we were all thinking tits tits tits. The teenage boy was sat there on his bed looking like

[crazycatgal]

We made an appointment to view a house with a local estate agent. We turned up (at the correct house) and knocked on the door, a man opened the door and we explained why we were there and he didn't have a clue what we were talking about.

We rang the estate agent who said that actually they hadn't been able to get hold of the owner for 3 months. I don't know why the hell they'd arranged a viewing for us and what was going on with the owner but we did find it funny afterwards.

This particular estate agents is now out of business.

[OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow]

@Oddballz, he just smirked and shrugged. God knows why he waNted access, it was just an empty house.
This sort of falls into this thread. We lived in a row of terraces, house two doors away was empty. Thus was when you could just go and get the keys from the ea and have a snoop. So I was at home and there was a huge box from an electronic company (Think small company on Tottenham Court Road)come for that house. Hmmm. I opened the box to look for delivery note. Top end video equipment all on credit. I rang the company and said the Property was empty. Guy panicked, got the manager, he panicked. They called later and arranged collection. Couple of days later some blokes came and wanted the box. I said it had been returned as the house was empty. They threatened to put my windows in. Luckily shithouse sized ndn appeared. Called ea and they changed locks. Blokes appeared again trying keys, but I’d called police and they got collared. I was shitting myself.

[jackparlabane]

There was the incredibly crowded flat where the tenant said he hadn't been warned by the agent (agent said she had - she was more sober so I believe her), piles of books and shelves floor to ceiling round all the walls, furniture crammed in the middle of the rooms. Clean and fairly tidy, though. Guy then says it's clearly not got enough storage space so we don't want to see his flatmate's bedroom.

Agent says we might as well as we're here, and the other bedroom is bigger.
The other tenant and someone else were desperately trying to hide under the duvet, mid-shag. It took forever for the dutiful agent to realise and stop telling us about the potential. I've never laughed so much!

Saw another nearby flat, cheaper and more spacious, thought about offering. Block with 4 flats upstairs, 3 downstairs. As we came out, a woman came out of next door to smoke, and we asked her what it was like living there.
Ten minute tirade about everyone in the block, with multiple racist and homophobic comments, and when she'd finished the cigarette we realised we could smell her body odour from six feet away.
We didn't buy that one and she would yell abuse every time she saw me for the five years I lived across the road (I didn't really care).

Ended up with a purchase cancelled on day of exchange, so local agents all rallied round and one called to say another flat in the block could be available if DH and I could decide that day. DH zoomed round, I went hours later after work.

It was very nice apart from a huge fake-stone fireplace coated with laods of shiny varnish. I made some polite comment like 'that's interesting', and Mr Owner said yes, your husband said "that'll have to come out" and there's me having built that thirty years ago with my own fair hands! I'm cringing, when Mrs Owner confirmed that my husband was quite right, it was hideous, we were clearly a sensible young couple and they hoped we'd be very happy in the flat, having told a BTL chap to bugger off earlier that day.

On completion the money didn't come through forever, but at 6pm Mr Owner tossed us the keys and said "don't worry, we know where you live!" and let us move in. If only all sellers were so lovely...

[Tappering]

I made some polite comment like 'that's interesting', and Mr Owner said yes, your husband said "that'll have to come out" and there's me having built that thirty years ago with my own fair hands!

Lolling at this. The former owner of our house pops round every so often to collect post, which mysteriously - despite him swearing a redirection is in place - still turns up here. He's lovely though and has a cuppa and a natter and we show him what we've done with the place (big reno job). One particular visit was shortly after we'd made a change to the front of the house. After a few minutes of pleasantries he mentioned it. I explained why we'd done it and he just shook his head and said 'Such a shame. It's ruined the look of the house now'!! I couldn't stop laughing when I told DH later. I didn't take offence as he lived here for a long time and is still very emotionally attached to the place - we didn't realise when we bought it that the house would come with free visits from the former owner thrown in

PS - like the username. I love Chris Brookmyre!

[Caesious]

I used to work in an estate agents office as an administrator in my late teens and was regaled with many tales of strange goings on. The worst however was a vendor in her 80s calling who had gone out for a walk while our new junior negotiator had shown a couple around and they’d asked to have a few minutes to talk privately in the kitchen. She had waited in the living room and then left with them shortly after without going back into the kitchen.
The poor vendor had returned home to find faeces in her sink and on the rug and had phoned the office absolutely distraught, crying down the phone to me. I called the couple to get some feedback and to ask what they’d been doing in the kitchen and in a very offhand manner, the lady told me that her husbands colostomy bag had needed emptying and it would have been too late by the time they got home. I’ve no idea why it couldn’t have been done in the bathroom! Needless to say, we didn’t go on to sell the property and were disinstructed. Our negotiator got an absolute bollocking about leaving people alone and was given a warning (I didn’t really feel it was warranted given that she’d been told she would be given full training with a mentor yet was sent out on viewings alone within two weeks!).

Our office was close to the bus station too and we used to get all manner of odd people coming in. One guy used to frequent a nearby pub so was often drunk and thought we were an extension of the station. He regularly came in, sat down and lit a cigarette or ate his McDonald’s. He used to get really angry if I asked him to leave and I was often on my own in the office so actually had to phone the police a few times.

We also used to get a lady come in every few weeks with a pram full of teddies and dolls who would tell us that she wanted to buy a house with an extra bedroom for her cat. She definitely appeared to be mentally unwell but our manager used to have us take all her information each time just in case she was a mystery shopper! We must have spent at least 40 minutes at a time with her but I think it was probably kinder than sending her away.
Aside from that, our manager was a serial shagger despite being married and used to bring his conquests into the office and disappear upstairs into one of the empty offices with them for hours at a time! Once his wife came into the office to meet him for lunch and I had to go upstairs and get him. Turns out that the woman he was sleeping with was their neighbour who was good friends with his wife and she hid in our stationery cupboard until they had gone!
He was generally a dick anyway, I helped an elderly lady who fell in the snow outside out office and broke her nose and potentially her elbow. She was bleeding everywhere so I brought her inside in the warm, phoned an ambulance and looked after her. When he got back, I got told off for there being some spots of blood on the carpet. He ate his words when she put her house on the market with us a couple of months later because she’d been so impressed with my kindness!
Also phoned the non emergency police because there was a guy outside acting really oddly and kept stepping on and off the pavement into the very busy road and almost causing accidents. Didn’t want to go out to him because he seemed like he was on something. The police station wasn’t far away and soon enough a car arrived and then an ambulance was called. Turns out that he’d been having an epileptic incident and had temporarily lost his sight so couldn’t see to cross the road and was so disoriented that he couldn’t ask anyone for help. I felt so guilty for making assumptions and not going to help him but he actually found out who had called helped and brought some flowers into the office for me a couple of days later to say thank you.

I do miss working in that office, it was amazing for people watching because it was bang smack in the city centre and there was always something going on. Forgot how often I was on the phone to the emergency services until I wrote this post though!

[detachablehoof]

One house we looked round, we were greeted at the front door by the owner who asked us "are you going to knock it down?"
Slightly premature question given that we hadn't yet viewed it, never mind offered

She later said that if we were going to demolish the house she wanted to take a particular shiny red bathroom cabinet with her.

[Squeakymarymouse]

Seriously @Toucantweet they didn't even apologise? I can't tell you how much I'd be grovelling if that had been me!

[JacobReesMogadishu]

One house I went to view when I knocked on the door 5 mins before my appt time the owner flung the door open and started screaming abuse at me. Turns out there was someone who had DNAd a viewing slot 30 mins before me and he thought I was the 25 min late person!

Another time I was looking at a house and a cat strolled in and did the smelliest poo in the middle of the room, not in a litter tray. On a cream carpet! Stunk the house out. I retched and left.

Funniest house was the one with twin toilets in the bathroom. Literally 2 toilets side by side in the same room. I could just picture me and dh sat side by side having a poo at the same time.

[Elbels]

There was the flat where they were in the process of converting the loft and that seemed to entail boarding it over and seemingly letting it out to an Eastern European group of people who were sitting up there smoking. The owner just ignored them and carried on as if they didn't exist when showing us round.

The flat where the EA wasn't expecting the owner to be in, who turned out to be an English man with a much younger Asian wife and a teenage daughter. They all just sat in silence as we looked around and it was such a strange vibe.

The bathroom my partner couldn't stand straight up in if he had wanted to have.a shower which was over the bath, the EA seemed surprised when we called that out as a factor for not making an offer.

The place we finally bought was disgusting and like nothing we'd planned on but we love it now.

[ClaudiaWankleman]

I was told by another poster, just this week, that it was perfectly normal wherever she/ he came from, to hire a private investigator to dig up any dirt on the neighbours before you buy the house.

I can't imagine feeling it was appropriate to hire someone to sit in a car outside a house for a week, noting the behaviour of potential neighbours.