First viewing tomorrow! do people open kitchen cupboards and fitted wardrobes?!

[passmethewineplease]

So first viewing tomorrow, was just wondering if people do the above?

I'm nervous and it's not even our house really, it's the in laws.

Any tips?

[RCheshire]

I find the 'rude' comments very odd indeed. The last two places I've sold has seen buyers open and examine built-in bedroom, under-stairs and kitchen cupboards and it is perfectly sensible. Who would buy a car without opening the boot? This is a very English attitude - to be coy about thoroughly examining the most expensive purchase most will make.

[museumum]

When I'm looking at a property to buy I am not in any way thinking of it as the person's home, it wouldn't even occur to me to judge mess or junk or clutter... I am purely and 100% focussed on working out how the space would work for us and whether this is the place we want to live for the next goodness knows how long... any serious buyer would be the same. You only get a short amount of time to take in a huge amount of information about the property.
If I look in the hall cupboard I wouldn't even see your stuff, I would be thinking, would our coats and shoes fit in here?

[allmycats]

I do not think it rude to open fitted kitchen/batheroom/bedroom cupboards and drawers, how do you know they are servicable if you don't.
When I was younger I was well pissed off when I did not do this and the drawer fronts had been bodged back and and fell off, the drawer bottoms were falling through and some of the doors fell off the hinges. You need to be sure that what you are buying is in good working order.

[Pinkfrocks]

Looking at electrics, sockets, water pressure testing etc and all of that is different. People expect that. Also everything like damp etc is looked at in a survey. Opening cupboards where people keep personal possessions is not quite the same. I've never viewed a house yet where it wasn't possible to deduce the size of a cupboard from the outside - though yes, I'd ask to see under the stairs to see how deep that was.
The analogy with a car boot is not quite the same thing. You can change kitchen units you can't change a boot. A car boot might show rust- a kitchen may show damp but the survey would show that.

[Pinkfrocks]

I'm amazed TBH that some people buy or not buy a house on such incidentals as drawer bottoms and size of cupboards. These are all things that can be changed and usually lived with meanwhile- it's location and the general repair of the house that counts, not tiny issues like drawer handles.

[dottyaboutstripes]

Rude?! When you're spending half a million pounds?! Wth?!

[bloodyteenagers]

If a seller is annoyed about opening cupboards. not looking at the sellers crap, but the space, then either they have something to hide or they are really not ready to sell up.
The space, not talking about furniture that you are taking, but walls and everything built in, will become the viewers property if they proceed. A lot of people walk around looking at potential issues and mentally calculating how much to rectify. The initial calculations will be a basis of whether to go back for another viewing or walk away.
Then you have another type of buyer who doesn't care about how much everything costs to rectify.
Others will use their mental calculations to help negotiate a cheaper price.

[RCheshire]

Of course you can replace cupboards, wardrobes, kitchen units etc. But surely you would want to know whether you need to?

[exexpat]

I would definitely open built-in cupboards and wardrobes, not only to check size and layout but because they can hide a lot of damp, particularly in bedroom alcoves on outside walls or near chimneys. I also check if kitchen drawers run smoothly, try taps to see if the water flow is OK and generally have a good poke around.

I've even been known to have a look behind pictures on the wall if they seem oddly positioned (i.e. put there to try to hide something). I would not be bothered about seeing mess or clutter in cupboards, I try to look beyond that to the bits that are actually included in the sale.

I think if you are looking round a house to see if you want to spend £500k+ on it you are entitled to do so. It's not like you are a guest, when poking round the cupboards etc would be rude.

[exexpat]

(if you are bothered by this, it shows why it is a good idea not to be in the house when agents show people round - I never even met the people I bought my current house from)

[ShadowStar]

All the built in wardrobes in my house are built into alcoves. This means that you can't easily tell how deep all of them are without opening them and looking inside.

I'd consider it rude if a normal visitor or guest opened our wardrobes / cupboards to see how big they were, but if we had our house on the market, then I wouldn't consider it rude for a potential buyer to want to look inside so they could properly assess the size.

Houses are major investments, after all. It's perfectly reasonable for a buyer to want to see what they're going to be paying for.

[specialsubject]

the buyer doesn't care about all your stuff, that leaves with you. But opening cupboards reveals dodgy plumbing, damp etc etc.

there is no 'rude' when spending as much as you do on a house.

[Marcipex]

I do, I'm not looking at your stuff, I'm looking for damp.

[MuscatBouschet]

I never have, but I have a very laid back approach to buying houses. Didn't view the first flat at all and viewed my current house for no more than 15 mins. Quality of cupboards wouldn't influence my decision to purchase. I can understand why you'd want to see the boiler but damp etc best assessed by a survey.

[museumum]

People have a different idea of what constitutes a cupboard to me.
Yes kitchen units which hand on walls can be replaced (though a new kitchen is a big job)
But you can't replace cupboards. They are the size they are unless you start moving walks around!!

[bookishandblondish]

But why would I spend money on a survey if I can eliminate by looking for free?

[Pinkfrocks]

well, FWIW, we have never had anyone look inside cupboards or wardrobes. Ever.

I have never looked either even when viewing a 400 yr old cottage some time back- now worth around £500K.

Still can't quite see how much value it would knock off a house if the wardrobes weren't up to size for you- or god forbid you needed to re-hang a dodgy door cupboard, or the kitchen needed replacing.
Most houses are priced accordingly- ie old kitchen, expect an offer below asking price unless the price reflects it already.

And MNs seem obsessed with damp!

[Pinkfrocks]

bookish- a survey is most usually compulsory if you want a mortgage.

[exexpat]

You'd probably be obsessed with damp if you'd had to deal with it. I've spent several thousand pounds dealing with it so far this year, plus new roof currently underway at cost of £10k plus.

If I could tell by looking in cupboards/wardrobes that there was a major damp problem, it would save me the expense and hassle of a survey - I'd just carry on looking.

[bloodyteenagers]

Yes because everyone wastes money on surveys when they might be interested in a house.
Generally people look around first. So they don't then have to spend money on something they could see, for you know, free. If they can see that's there's already thousands of pounds worth of work, they have a chance to walk away, without wasting time and money.
Not all houses are priced according to the state, because some sellers live in cloud cuckoo land and want an unrealistic price. They see their neighbours house went for x so their must be worth it. Failing to take into consideration their neighbour looked after the place, did a refit, extension or whatever.

[passmethewineplease]

Well MN you'll be pleased to know that I've got DP to empty and declutter the cupboards. My back is killing already, thanks pregnancy!

I can understand them opening the built in wardrobe and not to worried about that, it feels weird seeing the house online, I feel like someone has come in and photographed our private space.

[echt]

If it's part of the sale, then surely you look? I wouldn't dream of opening a free-standing wardrobe, but would open a fitted one, after all, I'm the one who might buy it.

[RCheshire]

As you say, it's part of what you are buying so why wouldn't toy inspect it? I often think people buy houses with far too little inspection (e.g. people who never test water pressure) but this is the first time I have ever come across the view that some could consider it rude.
OP, don't worry about cupboard being empty or tidy. No potential buyer will worry about that. We've all chucked everything into cupboards/the car for viewings