Annoying things people do when viewing

[IamwhoIsayIam]

We are trying to purchase but my husband drives me nuts everytime we view somewhere! He walks round knocking on the walls, saying "hhmm solid" and points out tiny areas of damp and insists I take photos of everything! He knows nothing about houses, it is the equivalent of being a tyre kicker.

To cheer me up what is the most annoying things house viewers do? Vendor or viewer perspective!

When we were selling we had a couple asking to view who had already exchanged on a house in a totally different area of the city. They wanted to come right at the kids' bedtime, and "just wondered what houses in our area were like"!

Not reading details, not showing up, showing up with agent with no warning when in the bath!

One of the most annoying things is that you are so desperate to sell your house and move that you put up with anything as long as you think they might buy the bloody place.

A couple who looked around and loved it and gave lots of compliments and then as they were walking through the door said they couldn’t afford it 😡

I can totally understand looking in fitted furniture, but we had some viewers who had obviously looked through free standing furniture, which was not included in the sale.

We also had someone who put a wound dressing into one of the kitchen cupboards.

The estate agent, thankfully, did our viewings.

When I sold last time. I had built a new house in the garden that I was (going to be) living in.

The excuses were many and weird and I think it was mostly because they were put off to find I was living next door - but they would find any other excuse rather than admit it.

The sale fell through twice. Which was a total pain and I suspect the first one was because they had talked about what it would be like me living next door. The second one fell through cos the guy - said he would buy cash - then his business hit trouble. Although it was a real pain (and very expensive) the sale being put back 9 months overall (I had a mortgage on the new build that was being paid off from the older house) I am really pleased I have the neighbours I now have rather than the others.

I don't care what they do with the house - so long as they look after it. Even though I lived there 20 years and it was originally built in 1950 for my grandparents, it's theirs now. They have had advantages from me being next door. When their boiler went out I knew, without looking, how to refill it (Combi and the pressure had dropped). I've sorted out various other minor issues too. I can explain exactly what wires go wear and why for example. And look out for it when they are away - I know that's just being a good neighbour but they went away within 2 weeks of moving in.

I suppose it helps that I don't have any windows facing theirs so we only see each other when I'm coming or going.

Coming to view when they haven’t even seen the particulars, let alone a floor plan (because the wretched EA has urged them to) and then saying, ‘Oh, we really wanted bigger bedrooms/a bigger kitchen.’ etc.

I once ended up telling the EA not to waste everybody’s time by bringing such people to view.

Anyone trying to workout if they are the annoying buyer?

DH takes a tape measure to work out if the furniture will fit. It's to do with door swing, radiators, unmarked stair cut outs, boiler cupboards. So the third bedroom looks bigger looks bigger on the plan.

I had a viewer who tested showers, ran the large bath to see if the jacuzzi it worked ( it was the 90s) - all fair enough it was all part of the sale - but then looking in bedside cabinets and chest of drawers🤷🏻‍♀️even his wife told him he was out of order..
That said, made an appointment to view our first house; it was quite last minute but when we saw the bedroom it was clear we had interrupted some marathon fun fest complete with toys etc. I mean she could have just not answered the phone...

When they don't turn up.
When one of them has persuaded their partner who has no intention of moving to 'just go and have a look' they are like petulant teenagers being forced to go to see grandparents.
When they stand there for half an hour after the viewing boring you to death about their kid at uni, new job, holiday and other drivel.

Said they wanted to live in a house with hardly any stairs as they viewed my three storey house.

But as stated above - the ones who do not turn up are just the worst.

It annoys me too people looking inside wardrobes, medicine cabinets etc. I had one potential buyer looking in my medicine cabinet and free standing unit in the bathroom - even after I told him these were not included in the sale.

As for fitted wardrobes, I personally don’t think it’s appropriate on first viewing. Just where do you think we have hidden all our stuff?

iTunes waters are so annoying when you have spent ages tidying and cleaning, disrupting your day and your whole family. Last time we were selling had some people view for total of 7 minutes - large 5 bedroom house and garden. This so angered my husband as EA was meant to be vetting people, only those in a position to buy (and verified funds or verified house under offer). Still had many time wasters.

I would say I did try showers (turned them in) doing a second viewing as it was a Victorian house so I wanted an idea of what extra costs we would have/work to do. I found out that the shower in the main bathroom was ornamental. Ornamental!!! Who puts a shower head on the wall above a bath to just look nice? Complete with shower screen!

At same second viewing, our DC and theirs were playing In the garden. During their chatting their D.C. told ours how happy they’d be to move because the people behind had lots of parties late at night with such loud music that they couldn’t sleep. Also, they threw bottles of cigarette butts over the fence all the time and they’d had to go out before we arrived to clean up any from the night before. We were seriously considering buying the house before that second viewing.

We are on the market at the moment. So far our worst have been: the man who broke our cellar door and then nobody told us until we got home and phoned to ask why the door was broken.
The buyer that offered 20k below a 107k asking price because he would want to put new furniture in and he didn't like the colour of the bathroom and the neighbours who live across the road who didn't have the money but strung us along for 2 weeks (think having solicitors papers drawn up and everything).
We have 2 more viewers feedback due today (they viewed yesterday) but I haven't got high hopes, everyone seems to want something totally modern and tailored to them.

Some people look in kitchen cupboards or wardrobes or bathroom cabinets....I mean how rude

Kitchen cupboards, not rude at all, nor wardrobes if they're built in. For a start you want to know if the doors will wobble or fall off if you touch them...

I had one extremely rude buyer turn up one evening. As she actually walked into the house she said 'I can tell you now that I can hear the sound of the road from here and could never buy this. But.....I'll look around anyway as I've come all this way'
It was the most uncomfortable viewing I'd ever done, she actually grunted in each room almost in disgust. Beautiful, rural cottage which got full asking price the next week

The ones who really want a 5 bed detached and look down their noses at your house because it hasn’t got 5 bedrooms. But their budget will only but them a 2 bed terrace.

The ones who view on a Sunday and get upset that you haven’t provided them with afternoon tea and then tell you that it is their weekly outing and every other house seller has made them afternoon tea.

The ones who tell you they have done their research and would never buy your house as the road is going to be widened. Then show you plans that show a strip in blue running the length of the road.

Did have to burst the guys bubble as the strip was where the telephone/electrics ran to service the road.

The dodgy couple of guys who when we got down to the kitchen one said the other wanted the loo and was annoyed when I directed him to the downstairs bathroom off the kitchen. Actually asked if he could use the upstairs bathroom instead. There wasn’t one.

The ones that gush about the beautiful furnishings,

The ones that are derisory about the furnishings.

The ones who bring their parents

The ones that follow Feng Shui.

The ones that are 3 sheets to the wind

The ghost hunters

And many many more

I know I might get flamed for this, but I didn't want potential buyers to take photos of my home. At least, not full view pictures of my home interior. If they saw something that concerned them, for example the wood of the windowsill, then it would be ok to take an individual picture of that but I didnt want a stranger to take their own photos of my stuff and share them with God knows who. Before the house was listed as for sale, a photographer came and did lots of photos and a video, that should be sufficient.