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Original poster

Have you ever bought a house when it wasn’t “show home tidy” for a viewing?

105 replies

Boatshoes · 29/07/2023 04:49

I’m selling my home (it was a new build when I bought it) and have my first viewing today. I’ve been up since 3.30am making sure it looks all nice and tidy and clean (viewing is taking place after I go work at 7am). I have a few more viewings lined up next week when my DC and DH are here (they were away overnight). My question is, have you ever viewed a house that wasn’t 100% neat and photo ready and bought it / sold it? We are generally a tidy house but now there is the pressure to keep it nice! The houses we have viewed so far (3!) have been lovely and tidy - I’ve not yet seen one with a cereal box on the counter or a child’s toy out of place!

OP posts:
Poppins2016 · 29/07/2023 05:04

I'll be interested to see the answers. We recently tried to sell our home and I spent many wasted hours making it look perfect (two very small children so it's not a show home)!

We bought our current home after viewing when it was tidy and then going for a second viewing when we were told it would be more "lived in". It wasn't an issue for me, but I think I have more imagination than some viewers do!

I would say, however, that it would be worth trying to minimise any clutter/potential storage issues if that's a problem for you, so I'd prioritise tidy(ish) over spotlessly clean. Nobody is ever going to closely scrutinise your cleaning skills when viewing your house for ten minutes!

A relative sold their house to a first time viewer who came when the house was a mess due to packing for a camping trip. 😁

junebirthdaygirl · 29/07/2023 05:08

Any house we viewed l decided on location, size of rooms and light. Generally the feeling l got when l walked around. Maybe if it was messy l would have been put off but it wouldn't have been the defining thing. We ended up selling a house to someone who randomly called when they saw the sign with no input from estate agent. It just happened to be exactly what he was looking for.
I find these days because of video on all selling sites there is huge pressure on the seller to have the house show house ready. We will be selling soon and l find that pressure massive.
Hope you get a sale soon.

GameOverBoys · 29/07/2023 05:10

All the houses I’ve ever bought have been doer uppers so they’ve always been in a bad way. It did put me off, when viewing properties if they were messy but if it’s the right house I wouldn’t let it stop me.

WandaWonder · 29/07/2023 05:25

I don't trust show homes I wonder what is being hidden, normal homes mean I can imagine the way I live in them

ParisP · 29/07/2023 05:28

Never bought a tidy finished house. Always projects

Mble · 29/07/2023 05:56

Lots of houses that we looked around had tenants in and they don’t bother to tidy up much for viewings. We bought one that wasn’t particularly tidy. Having said that, smell is a real problem. Houses that smelt badly of cat litter, dog or unwashed human, were almost impossible to imagine living in. One was really tidy but had dog poo in the garden which the estate agent trod in. That was very yucky and off putting.

Original poster
Boatshoes · 29/07/2023 05:58

Thanks all - I think my DH would be happy with a project house so mess probably wouldn’t matter to him, but every house we have seen so far has just been so neatly presented! I decluttered ours before we went on the market (putting excess furniture into storage etc), so it is all thinned out. I think, for me, having to make sure DH and I don’t leave dishes on the side in the morning will be a bit of a pain, especially with young DC and with us both working.

OP posts:
Original poster
Boatshoes · 29/07/2023 05:59

@Mble totally agree - I have a dog and I’ve been making sure all of his offerings have been picked up. I’ve opened all the windows as well, as I’m worried in case I’ve gone nose blind and he can be smelt, if not necessarily seen!

OP posts:
Crazycatlady83 · 29/07/2023 06:09

Our first house was previously owned by a child minder. There was toys everywhere (we didn't have children at that point) Literally every inch of the entire house, in all the inbuilt cupboards, under the stairs - I've never seen anything quite like it!!

The owner was also there and making the most vile smelling dinner I've ever smelt! Put me right off! But it didn't put DH off and he convinced me to go back for a second viewing, and then we brought it!

We did renovate the entire place which I think helped, we knew it all didn't really matter!

Popcornshovel · 29/07/2023 06:10

I’ve just bought a house that didn’t even have the windows and blinds open 😂 if I’m being honest how the home is presented to me doesn’t matter. I have a good imagination I just don’t want to see that the home is lacking storage and I hate to see a laundry basket full with no lid 😂 however when it came to me selling my home I didn’t want a thing out of place 😂 but I definitely prefer to see a home lived on 🥰

bagforlifeamnesty · 29/07/2023 06:20

Yes we bought one house that hadn’t been touched for 40 years (Reno project) and one that was structurally sound but was an absolute shit tip, filthy, piss stained carpets, smoke stains up the walls, dirty nappies out everywhere. But no one else wanted it so we got a bargain.

GloriousSludge · 29/07/2023 06:30

Yes. Bought a cluttered, untidy house. It doesn’t bother me, I just look at the ceiling to see what clear floor space would look like.

But I had a tick list of features and was planning to offer on any house in the right streets that ticked the list. I’m not a buyer who needs to fall in love with a house.

hippygirllucky · 29/07/2023 06:30

I spent 5 hours cleaning ahead of all the viewings when we were selling! It was exhausting! Did the job though.

I've only ever bought clean houses. I know that's shallow of me. We have viewed messy houses but often that goes along with gouges in the wall we'd have to fill, water marks on the ceiling that have not been repainted and other signs of neglect that would make me question whether I'm up to the task. All small fixes but a handful of small fixes for us would mean a lot longer before the place would feel home.

But I suppose the answers here suggest that it depends on whether the buyer is looking for a project to invest in or a quick move-in, like me!

YukoandHiro · 29/07/2023 06:32

If it's a family home size people with kids totally understand how difficult it is to keep all toys totally clear from view. Can you make sure they're all neatly piled up in one room eg a DC bedroom?

Fartooold · 29/07/2023 06:39

Our house was up for sale a few years ago. I was scrupulous aboutit looking perfect for viewings, but we got a knock on the door early one Sunday morning....

Saturday night, teenage sons had had friends around - need I say more?
The place was a tip 🙄

I tried to say it wasn't really convenient, but they lived miles away and had been in the area viewing properties and had just seen ours walking by.

They bought it, and were a dream to deal with from start to finish.

RuthTopp · 29/07/2023 06:42

Both houses we've bought were completely empty on viewing so I guess you couldn't call them show tidy , both quite grubby though !

Edwardandtubbs · 29/07/2023 06:47

I've commented on this board before that the house I currently live in was disgusting when we viewed it. It was January and the owner didn't have the heating on (later found out he'd run out of oil) so it stank of damp. The toilet had been mounted on an MDF pedestal that, unsurprisingly had become soaked with piss so that stank too. DH opened the cupboard where the boiler was and the cupboard door fell off the wall. The place was generally cluttered, tired and dirty.

I was put off especially by the smells but in the end it was our top pick because of the location and potential. The shitness was reflected in the price and we couldn't have afforded it otherwise.

So really I think it depends on how much competition you have from other sellers - is your house one of 20 similar ones or are people getting a rare gem? Good luck!

xPeaceXx · 29/07/2023 06:52

I did, I bought this tiny 3 bedroom house from a reluctant landlord who'd moved in with her boyfriend and then rented it out to renters, who'd snuck in far more people than were agreed initially. There were TWO families in this tiny house.

But the house when I looked around it, omg, in the room that is mine now there was a pile of barbies in one corner and also a bong and 400 duty free cigarettes. I remember thinking, wow, they are deliberate trying to make this place look depressing.

Last night's take away remains were on the bedroom floor, there were empty heineken bottles in the bathroomConfused

There were two fridges in the kitchen there was a small wardrobe at the top of the stairs. It was so cluttered.

But i'm not stupid. I know roughly what size a small terraced house is. Sometimes you work with the space and the light and the furniture and make the most of it, and this was the opposite.

Needapadlockonmyfridge · 29/07/2023 06:53

Yes, more than once. I don't mind at all if it isn't tidy.

One though I got for far less than market value I had to pick my way through piles of washing, toys etc to see round it - it was difficult to find any clear floor..... it was a huge mess and I think it put people off.

1984Winston · 29/07/2023 06:58

When we viewed our house it was a state, couldn't even get in one room due to all the junk. It was being sold due to a marriage break up so the woman who was still here was in no rush for it to be sold. However it was in the ideal location for us and priced cheaply for the area due to that fact it needed work doing to it so we bought it anyway and I pinch myself we live in such a nice place!

WaitingForSunnyDays · 29/07/2023 06:59

I'm definitely not bothered by the state of a house when I view it, but unfortunately reading this site and watching TV shows it appears loads of people have zero imagination for what a house could be. I can kind of understand with decoration, that some can't face moving into a project, but to discount a house because of a few toys or cereal boxes, or the bed wasn't made that day seems like madness to me!

scrivette · 29/07/2023 06:59

Yes, the house we bought was a bit untidy, not the cleanest and needed a new kitchen and bathroom. We weren't looking for a renovation either. It smelt of smoke (and the owners smelt of gin!) but we could see through all that as the house and location were nice.

xPeaceXx · 29/07/2023 07:00

@GloriousSludge yes, for my budget, I knew I didn't have the luxury of walking in to a house and feeling LOVE.

It's been up to me over the last five years to bit by bit by bit make changes. The cost of the house itself cleared me out so it's been a slow process, but I've got rid of what I disliked, re-plastered and painted. I'm leaving the kitchen 'til last as then I'll know how much I can afford to spend.

Anothernamethesamegame · 29/07/2023 07:01

Is your house one people will likely buy to do up or is it in fairly good condition and likely to be someone just moving in and keeping as is?

If the later I do think mess matters. No necessarily to me, but I do think some buyers will be put off. Thing is when a house you view is very tidy and organised, it looks more inviting and you imagine it’ll look that way when you live there.

I don’t think you need to break your back but I do think having it tidier might make it desires to more people.

could you maybe only do viewings on specified days so you only have to have it tidy then? So blocks of viewings on one day rather than here and there?

LSSG · 29/07/2023 07:04

We're currently trying to buy a house that is the opposite of show home tidy. It's in a right old state, in fact, but has lots of potential. Will need serious cleaning, painting throughout and most floors done before moving in.

Wouldn't personally do it for a new build though, I'd expect that to be pristine.

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