Buyer looking through windows.

[ObtuseMoose]

Our house is set to close in early January. This morning, our buyer turned up with four other people to look through the windows. That's not on, is it? This is still our home and having people looking in is just creepy.
Urgh, selling a house is a frickin nightmare.

Well clearly it isn't on. Speak to your agent and have them relay the message that you'd appreciate them not doing it again.

Cut them some slack. They may just be genuinely excited and not considered the potential offence caused. I wouldn't want to alienate a buyer.

Perhaps tell the EA that you'd welcome them coming back for a follow up viewing at an agreed time.

Really? You don't think grown adults should know you don't look through the windows of someone else's home?
They've viewed the house three times and brought various people with them each time so I think that's enough tbh.

Cut them some slack? What if the OP had been in a compromising position, or had darted downstairs in just her knickers to get something, like I do all the time.

Bang out of order CFers.

No that's invasive AF.

It's annoying, but I would just write it off as their being excited. Good luck with your move.

Ok, fair enough. We didn't know that they had already viewed three times. And the "degree' of looking though the window wasn't mentioned. Was it tongue against the window pane or from the street?

We are buyers completing early January - we've just exchanged and are SO excited! I keep going over the rightmove listing to imagine the rooms how I'd like them etc. because that is what normal people do. I wouldn't even dream of peering through the windows! It's the vendors' home until the day we get the keys!

Honestly, people are mental.

Are you the buyer?!

Yes exactly this. I did once drive into the cul de sac. To show my granny who wouldn't comprehend it online and she lives far away do wouldn't have a chance to see it but I never left the car and was there less than a minute. I felt that was a little OTT but I know the house was empty so a little different.

No not on at all. I'd have confronted them and ask what are they going? That viewings are by appointment only, plus it's Sunday school very likely to be at home. Ring the agent tomorrow and tell them to talk to them about it.
As for some PPs - doing a drive by is totally different than getting out of the car and peering in windows!

That's what I'm doing with the house we're buying not going round and pressing my face against the windows!

That's definitely intrusive, but for the sake of getting the sale through, I'd probably leave it this time. If they do it again, go out and ask them to please wait until completion as you still live there and won't be moving out before then.

Did they literally press their faces against your windows or just stood outside looking in?

Faces against the window, our house is directly on the street, with no pavement in front so you can get right up to it.

I hope you got up and closed the curtains/blinds in front of them - how rude they were!

Absolutely not okay.

I didn't even do a drive-by from the day my offer was accepted in early May to moving in in mid September. A drive-by would have been hard to do discretely as the house is in a small cul-de-sac anyway.

I'd certainly never have dared do what these people did!

The house next door to us (attached) sold over the summer and we had people with their nose up against our kitchen window and also opening the back garden door and commenting ‘oh good, it’s clean.’ ! This was always weekdays during the day when I suppose they presume we’d be at work. I was shocked!

We had this when selling ours recently. Not the buyer but some random person actually came onto our front patio and put their face right up to the window. It scared my children. When I went outside and said "Can I help you?" she hurried away and pretended she couldn't hear me! Totally unacceptable.

Forty odd years ago when we bought our first house and were excited and didn't really understand how it worked, we took the PILs to see it - just to see the outside. We parked in a pub car park opposite and looked from there - just to see what it was like. I think MIL walked up the street a bit (on the opposite side) but I stopped her when she wanted to cross the road - even then, green as I was, I knew it was too much. Then I saw the poor guy in the bay window frantically plumping up cushions and I realised we should have just driven past a couple of times. MIL was all for knocking on the door, but we wouldn't let her. I wouldn't dream of turning up these days unannounced. Pressing their faces up to the windows is a gross impertinence and I would definitely be letting the Estate Agents know.

Our buyers turned up unannounced with a ladder to inspect the roof. I was in bed with covid, and the ladder just appeared at my bedroom window.

It's very intrusive but for the sake of the sale, I would let it go. Once they exchange, you can tell them to stay away until they get the keys! We took my PILs on a drive by of our first house but made the mistake of stopping the car. They got out and then FIL let himself into the back garden via a side gate for a good look around! I had stayed in the car and had to sprint after him and tell him, very forcefully, to get out of the place WE DIDN'T OWN! We hadn't exchanged and I was terrified we would lose the house over their behaviour. Thankfully, the vendors were not home.

I’d think it was a bit cheeky but I wouldn’t get outraged about it. If the house was in a decent state and I wasn’t busy, I’d probably invite them in for a cup of tea.

I'd not be pleased and I would contact estate agents to please let your buyers know that whilst it's understandable that they're excited, it's inappropriate for them to turn up at the house looking through the windows. My mum had it done to her years ago, it caused so much stress.