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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To hope whoever buys it is the neighbour from hell?

97 replies

MrsTiffin · 23/02/2021 21:20

We viewed a house today I was really excited about. Really quirky, loads of potential and the vendor was looking to sell it to a young family so was all looking good.

Next thing the next door neighbour (house is a big old semi attached to his) started burning things in his garden in a bin right next to the fence. So much smoke in the garden and just made it all a bit unpleasant. Had our young DD with us too (5 months) who they clearly would have seen.

The estate agent told us that this has happened every time someone came to view, back story is that the guy who owns next door wanted to buy it, but vendor wants it to go to a family to renovate for themselves. So he's clearly trying to make it as uncomfortable as possible for anyone viewing.

I'm gutted because the house is great, but obviously not going to make an offer, AIBU to hope whoever buys it will be the neighbour from hell for him?

OP posts:

JustLyra · 23/02/2021 23:16

This happened in MIL’s street. A neighbour wanted to buy the house for their son and DIL so they turned into the neighbours from hell for every viewing, then once they thought the sellers were desperate they put in a really low offer.

Original poster

MrsTiffin · 23/02/2021 23:29

@yoyo1234 I don't want to say as it could be outing, but along the lines of member of professional body and highly thought of

OP posts:

yoyo1234 · 23/02/2021 23:33

Okay! My money's on doctor!

Devlesko · 23/02/2021 23:34

[quote MrsTiffin]@yoyo1234 I don't want to say as it could be outing, but along the lines of member of professional body and highly thought of[/quote]
If you are certain of his standing, then you've nothing to lose.
He certainly won't want any trouble, maybe the vendors are worse than him so can't report him.
Sounds like they've really pissed him off, no excuse for his behaviour, though.

yoyo1234 · 23/02/2021 23:35

Hope you find a home you are happy in.

yoyo1234 · 23/02/2021 23:38

There aren't many professions I respect .

TheBouquets · 23/02/2021 23:43

I wonder what people like that hope to achieve with such carry on. I have a similar horrible neighbour and if I sell I will be hoping for a professional boxer with 8 kids.
There must be a mental problem with people who go out of their way to annoy others

yoyo1234 · 24/02/2021 00:01

I think they just want it at a cheap price and will use an agressive approach ( 3 professions spring to mind- none deserve respect).

LemonSwan · 24/02/2021 00:13

No offence to doctors but I bought a house of 2 doctors. It was shocking! On the day to swap homes they refused to leave. Throughout the sale they had pretended they couldnt speak english and on that day when I knocked on the door you would not believe that torrent of legal language that came out their mouth. It was just jaw dropping. Wanted to do up their new house first. Took us a week of living in the most expensive hotel we could find, eating out for breakfast lunch and dinner and ringing them daily with their new updated bill :O Incredible.

JammyDozen · 24/02/2021 00:16

I don’t find it that strange that the neighbours might choose not to sell to a certain buyer or type of buyers. There may or may not be previous history with this neighbour, but it’s possible he put in a low offer, was rejected and is now causing trouble. Apparently there used to be a lot of shared houses in my road and at the time a neighbour bought her vendor clearly told them he was holding out not to sell to a landlord.

I wouldn’t want my house to be turned into an HMO either. While I’ve got my price, I would certainly take a relatively lower offer to sell to someone who would keep the house as a family home. I’ve seen how landlords keep shared houses and it’s not what I’d want for this one.

What’s really going on is academic for the op, though, as she’s rightly walking away!

WorraLiberty · 24/02/2021 00:20

@Kollin

next door wanted to buy it, but vendor wants it to go to a family to renovate for themselves.

If I put my house up for sale you can bet your arse I'd sell it to whoever was the highest bidder and not hold out on someone who actually wanted it?! Bloody strange.

Exactly this!

I'm not sure who is weirder here

The sellers or the neighbour?

yoyo1234 · 24/02/2021 00:25

I only thought doctor because of the "but along the lines of member of professional body and highly thought of". The 3 professions that first came to mind I do not think of as falling in that category.

2ndtimemum2 · 24/02/2021 00:28

Op when I bought my house i did actually speak to the neighbours just to get a feel for the neighbourhood. If you do like the house I would knock on his door and have a chat then you'll have your answer once and for all!!

scoutingfornarwhals · 24/02/2021 00:30

Why doesn't the vendor just sell it to him? He's being ridiculous, a buyer is a buyer, he obviously doesn't really need to sell and isn't bothered about living next to this person. Nobody else will buy it.

FredaFlintstone · 24/02/2021 00:34

Yabu purely for believing the story about the neighbour. As if...they're having you on.

Personally I'd go back, alone, and knock the neighbours door. And be friendly but ask if they'd like to tell you why they don't want the house to sell because you're putting an offer in tomorrow...that is more likely to get some truth!

ktp100 · 24/02/2021 00:36

I wouldn't let this put me off making an offer if the house was perfect for us.

The neighbour is clearly a bell end but I don' like talking to neighbours anyway so would be happy to just ignore them and crack on.

As previous posts said, they're not the only people on the street. Ask other neighbours.

MiddlesexGirl · 24/02/2021 00:40

If I didn't like a potential buyer then I wouldn't sell to them. Wouldn't matter how much they offered.

SilverBirchWithout · 24/02/2021 00:49

Something about the estate agents story doesn’t sound right to me.
Firstly I’ve never heard of a vendor picking and choosing who they sell to in this way - there’s more to it than that. Secondly why would the agent tell you about the mad neighbour, surely they would just move along from the bonfire next door mumbling about how unfortunate.

Nope something more is going on here.

SilverBirchWithout · 24/02/2021 00:50

You might actually get it cheaper because of idiot neighbour, worth putting in a very low offer if you love the house.

WorraLiberty · 24/02/2021 00:52

@FredaFlintstone

Yabu purely for believing the story about the neighbour. As if...they're having you on.

I agree with this actually

The Estate Agents are probably spinning a yarn here and I'd also like to hear the neighbour's side to it.

vendor wants it to go to a family to renovate for themselves. So he's clearly trying to make it as uncomfortable as possible for anyone viewing.

Surely no-one's that controlling and involved when they're simply trying to flog their house.

SilverBirchWithout · 24/02/2021 00:55

I wonder whether the neighbour is a disgruntled family member who thought they should have inherited the house - I’d love to know the back story.

WorraLiberty · 24/02/2021 00:56

@SilverBirchWithout

Something about the estate agents story doesn’t sound right to me. Firstly I’ve never heard of a vendor picking and choosing who they sell to in this way - there’s more to it than that. Secondly why would the agent tell you about the mad neighbour, surely they would just move along from the bonfire next door mumbling about how unfortunate.

Nope something more is going on here.

Yep that's what I'm thinking too.

Although I remember over 26 years ago when I was house hunting, a seller told me and DH that she'd already had an offer but she refused to sell to Nigerians because if she did, "I wouldn't be welcome to come back and visit my neighbours." Needless to say, we dropped that one like a hot cake

But 'wanting to sell to a family to renovate for themselves' sounds far too airy fairy to me.

oakleaffy · 24/02/2021 01:02

@Proudboomer

I wouldn’t believe a word that the estate agent says. No one really cares who they sell their house to if they are willing to offer want the seller wants. It is much more likely that there is some sort of neighbor dispute that the seller is trying to hide. In any event I would back away.

Yes! This , a thousand times this.

Anyone selling a house wants it sold..at the best possible price.

""Oh I only want to sell to people under 30 as a do-er-upper ''is nutsoid.
Chances are the neighbour is ghastly.

Avoid with a capital A.

FredaFlintstone · 24/02/2021 01:12

I can imagine having a preference over who bought my house in some situations...two equal offers on the table, one a family and one a BTL landlord. Sure.

But no one would turn down a reasonable offer when there was only one on the table especially if it was someone selling a relatives house so presumably no emotional attachment etc.

GammyLeg · 24/02/2021 01:15

"Firstly I’ve never heard of a vendor picking and choosing who they sell to in this way - there’s more to it than that."

I've seen this done quite a few times. Where I live, the market is very heated and it's hard for young people to buy their first home. So vendors will sometimes ask for first time buyers. It doesn't mean they accept a lower price, they get the market rate, they just choose their buyer.

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