Would this put you off buying a house? (And what can I do about it)

[Cucucachu]

We are trying to sell our house. I think it has a lot going for it, we’ve worked really hard on it and it’s marketed as “immaculately presented”. There’s new extension, new boiler, new bathroom, new kitchen, in a desirable location. End of terrace.

Our neighbour is nice enough but smokes weed pretty constantly. Its stinks. He smokes mostly on his terrace behind so if any of the back windows are open, or being in the garden/on the street you can smell it a lot of the time.

if you came to a viewing and the neighbour was obviously smoking weed would it put you off in this case?

and WIBU for us to give him a heads up about when viewings are , maybe ask if he would mind not smoking it outside during that time?

he is generally very nice and we have no issues apart from this - I don’t want to piss him off by insinuating he stinks and might hold us back selling our house

It wouldn’t bother me.

As a cigarette smoker, I wouldn’t mind my neighbours asking me not to smoke anywhere near their windows while they had viewings.

Ignore that poster. Our house is our DDs first home, where I went into labour, where we brought her home. Where we bought because we knew she was coming. Our old house is where I found out she was coming, and where I spent the majority of the pregnancy waddling around the place, and the village with the dog.

I think very fondly of both places because of the connection to her. And our lives in general.

Wouldn't bother me at all, but I also smoke weed lol

It would put me off entirely. Our previous house had a 20 something daughter who took up smoking weed, meant we couldn’t open the adjoining bedroom window as the smell would waft in.

I do really feel for you in this OP, but unfortunately I too would not touch with a bargepole but hope that you are able to find a buyer who's opinions differ - after all we are not all the same are we.

Yes
Totally...

Normally I would say it would put me off too...but apparently I can't smell weed. I can hunt down a cigarette smoker from a mile away and huff in all that deliciousness but can also walk through alleyways with no thought whilst DH and DC have covered their faces and heaving 😬

EDIT - Can you ask him to move to the bottom of the garden to smoke instead of by the house?

Outlier but I wouldn't care. 1 weed smoker? Better than a yapping dog.
And I don't use drugs at all so I'm not saying this because my neighbours would say the same!!

Ugh no, if I smelt it when I turned up I wouldn't even continue with the viewing

A lovely neighbour 3 doors up moved out last year and has been replaced by a fucking weed smoker. My garden regularly smells of it.

Tempted to burn their house down but suppose I mustn't

If the house and area were right, it wouldn't put me off. I don't smoke weed myself but the smell doesn't bother me massively. I do agree with those that have mentioned having a word with him though - hopefully he'll be reasonable and just move to smoking at the bottom of the garden or something.

I'd rather live next door to somebody who smoked weed than next to somebody who was regularly getting coked up or drunk and causing a nuisance with noise/aggression...

Also understand why you're sentimental about leaving the home - sounds like you've put a lot of work into making it your home and have had some great memories there. But if its time to move on, I'd be looking forward to all the new possibilities!

I'm really sorry, OP, but I think it would put a lot of people off. Buying a home is the biggest financial investment/risk most people will make in their lives, and having a heavy pot smoker next door would be off putting for most: it stinks and you don't want it wafting into your own home, plus you don't want children exposed to it.

Would 100% put me off and think anyone with children would be very annoyed, as others have said I would definitely call by at different times before buying a property

I know many people that would think this was a bonus . Considering how prevalent it is I’m sure you will find someone who doesn’t care .

It would put me off , like a pp I wouldn’t even come in if I smelt it before the viewing began - to me it’s a horrible smell .

It wouldn't put me off given that you don't seem to be able to walk down any street in the UK without smelling weed at some point.

I take the point that more deprived areas will likely be worse for it, but it doesn't mean it isn't everywhere.

Thinking about folk I know who smoke weed, a colleague of mine does. Master's degree, 'naice' family, owns 5 houses, teaches in further education.

A well-educated middle aged guy I know, Computer Programmer, works for NHS.

Someone who works in the labs dealing with samples of tissue.
Someone who is quite high up in the NHS-her son deals it from her house!

I am not saying It's a fantastic thing to do, but it isn't just the realm of criminals, scumbags and low-lives.

I’d be straight out of there and wouldn’t even consider buying.

I don't like the smell, but I survived for three years in a part of London where you'd be hard out to find a street that didn't smell of weed and it was fine. If you think there's dealing going on, that's another matter. But otherwise, I don't know if it would put me off the house if I loved the house and/or the area. I would ask him to smoke away from the houses if you get on with him - he probably doesn't realise it's coming in through your windows. But otherwise, I'd market the house and see what happens. Disclose to buyers what your solicitor tells you you have to disclose.

The reality is that anyone's neighbour could sell up or rent to a pothead or worse at any time. There are no guarantees. I'd take a nice easy going neighbour who has a joint every evening over a clean-living neighbour who complains about everything or blocks me in my drive or steals bits of my garden any day of the week!

It wouldn’t actually put me off I don’t like the smell of it but a couple of my neighbours smoke it and I wouldn’t move because of that, but most people here it would put off so you’re only option is to have a word with the guy and explain that people have said they would buy it but that smell is putting them off, say it’s never bothered you and no offence but please if I give you a heads up can you not smoke while viewings are happening.
If you’re polite I don’t see why he wouldn’t.

Don’t be ridiculous.

It would put me off, not because i object to weed smoking, but because the smell makes me gag

Yes a definite deal breaker for me too. If you asked him to not smoke whilst viewing in progress I would consider that to be very sneaky as well. Someone has to live with that stench, anti social things like that should be declared imo.

I wouldn’t even consider it, tbh.

Living with someone else’s weed stink 24/7 would ruin my life.

Same here. Like others have said, we would drive and walk by at other times to work out if there are any problems like this.

Definitely, hate the smell if weed; a barking dog will put me off too.

It would be a hard no for me and I don’t know what you could do. Is he a tenant or owner?