What has been your worst viewing experience?

southernsun

We have just exchanged contracts on the sale of our 2 bed flat and purchase of a 3 bed end of terrace.

We viewed several properties and had a few odd/funny experiences.

On the one we decided to purchase the EA (lady in her late 50's) was showing us upstairs and didn't see the small step into the third bedroom and fell flat on her face, we just managed to keep a straight face but before we had a chance to ask if she was ok she got up, went to the window and started talking about the great views without even acknowledging her trip.

We viewed another nice house and when we informed them we were interested in another property too and told them which one the EA went into great detail how the owners of that property were getting divorced and the woman had a bit of a reputation and had nearly caused the EA and her husband to divorce over accusations made by her. Was all a little unprofessional and too much info really.

The strangest experience though came when we viewed a property where the owner was away. All was going well and we liked the downstairs and outside areas and the first bedroom was great. The shock came when we opened the second bedroom door and the room contained 6 lads (aged around mid twenties) all smoking and drinking watching an adult movie. The EA quickly closed the door and moved us along to the third bedroom and had an even bigger shock when a half dressed girl sheepishly jumped up off another lad who quickly covered himself up with a duvet. Safe to say that neither the owner had failed to tell his tenant(s) we were coming or the estate agents that someone would be in.

Although it was good fun looking round most of the housed we are so glad to finally be moving two weeks today.

pinkteapot

We viewed a house where the owner was clearly lying through her teeth.

What the EA had said: She lived in the house with her sons and was selling as her husband had died and it was too hard to keep living there.

What was obviously going on: She didn't live there anymore and hadn't for some time, and it was rented out to students. Though quite possibly she had lost her husband and subsequently moved out.

This is based on:

• We knocked on the door and were let in by a young guy who obviously wasn't expecting us. We asked for Mrs X and he said "She's not here today". She arrived a couple of minutes later.
• There were three separate piles of post on the kitchen worktop, each addressed to a different person (different surnames).
• The master bedroom wasn't lived in and hadn't been lived in for some time. The other bedrooms were all occupied by messy students.
• A bedroom door was closed and we said we wanted to have a look inside. She asked if we needed to (?!?!) and when we said yes, claimed that her "son" might not want us to. We said "well, if we're buying the house, we need to see all the bedrooms". She sighed, knocked on the door and sheepishly asked if we could come in.

She also didn't want to actually sell I don't think. Not sure if she'd just got new tenants in or what but (1) she told us the house opposite was a student let and often noisy and (2) after hearing we commute by train to work, said the train service from that town was unreliable. :rotfl:

trfcgirl06

This has been so interesting reading this thread!

My husband and I went to view a property we were interested in renting a couple of years ago. It was on my lunch break from work and was near where I work so we walked to the viewing. The LA was 10 minutes lates so I rang the office and they said the LA was stuck in traffic and would be another 10 minutes. I was a bit antsy about getting back to work, but we decied to wait. As we were waiting outside the house a car speeded up to us and abruptly stopped in the middle of the road. A woman launched out of the car and went marching into the back door of the house opposite. A couple of minutes later she reappeared with a man and they were arguing and he was screaming at her. He was shouting, "YOU DON'T LOOK AFTER THIS CAR! YOU DON'T DESERVE IT' She marched back into the house, and he knocked on one of the neighbour's doors shouting, "WILL YOU HELP ME WITH THIS IS? IT'S A JOKE! SHE TAKES THE EFFING PEE!" The neighbour then helped him (what looked like to me) test the air pressure of the tyres. The woman came out of the house again, the bloke shouted at her "THE PRESSURE IS AT 33! IT'S MEANT TO BE AT 32. YOU'RE SUCH AN INCONSIDERATE B---! IT'S DANGEROUS AND YOU'RE PUTTING OTHER ROAD USERS AT RISK. I HOPE YOU CRASH AND DIE!" She told him to "Eff off", got back in the car and started to drive off. The bloke then hugged the bonnet of the car, and screamed "NO! YOU SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO HAVE THIS CAR YOU'RE A B----" The neighbour then ushered him off the bonnet and the woman drove off. The bloke then had a go at the neighbour and went in to his house.

It was so surreal, we had nowhere to hide and were right in front of the whole episode!

We rang the LA and said not to bother coming.

Uk_Lover

We went to look at a house a few year back to do up which was empty.
It was a bit of a state but we knew this in advance. We got there and the EA let us in. Looked around the front room, ok not nice but once gutted will be fine. EA took us to the back room/kitchen and it look ok but it had no carpets, again no problem as we were gutting.
There was a hideous rug on the floor which we all joked about. My mate who was with me lifted the rug and there was a huge stain on the floorboards.
So we asked the EA what it was, apparently it was where the previous owner had died and took 4 months to find him :eek: !!
You have never seen 2 grown men move so fast out of the house !!
no we didn't buy it !!

planningforthefuture

During a recent viewing we observed that the cellar actually had dripping water coming out of the ceiling and had wet the whole of the floor. The estate agent said.... “It’s only a little puddle”. :rotfl:

Slinky

I was showing some people round a very untidy house, I just knew things weren't going well when we got to the bathroom to find an unflushed 'log' in the toilet.

Another house had been reposessed by the bank and I showed at least 2 lots of people around when there were bodies of 2 dead crows in the lounge that had fallen down the chimney. We had a hell of a problem trying to convince somebody at the bank they should pay for it to be cleaned as we'd never shift it otherwise.

hellokitty08

I just remembered a near viewing that I could add. As I work for a letting agency I had near miss one day.

We had a property to rent that the owener had just moved out of, however he forgot to empty his fish tank, which was one of those ones that was built in to the wall.

Needless to say all the fish had died and one of my colleague had to do a viewing at the property. We informed the owner, who then went round to "fish" them out.

God only knows what was on his mind, but he then forgot to take the bag of fish carcuses with him and I was asked to go round and remove it from the house.

Luckily for me I had a really busy day and no viewings at that house to I couldnt make it. Sadly I am sure one of my colleague had to do it.

Callie22

We once went to look at a rental where there had obviously been a very serious flood - I'm talking a black, mouldy tide mark about two feet high, all over the ground floor, all of the flooring ruined and all of the tiles lifting. It smelt vile. The letting agent tried his very best to show us the house without mentioning it at all. Eventually, after squishing through the house we very politely broached the subject, and asked the agent if there'd been a flood. He eventually admitted that there might have been a 'bit of a water problem' from the pond in the field behind the house, but that it hadn't happed 'again' for a couple of weeks and although the landlord couldn't afford to sort the problem, it would 'probably be ok for six months or so'. Needless to say we didn't take the house.

winterwhite11

and the estate agent and I were accompanied around the house on our viewing by a child telling us 'get out, get out' continuously!!!!


lol:rotfl:
how old was the child about

caeler

Fab thread!

I viewed a rental which was full of furniture and belongings but really messy and looked like it had been abandoned, lots of dust, etc. I was then told the landlord's mother had died (and then pointed out where in the house) and they hadn't removed her belongings yet! I did actually take the place and when I eventually moved out I did offer the EA the opportunity to take new pictures as the place looked so much better with my stuff in place. They declined so I imagine they'd take photo's of the place empty in order to re-let. They didn't, it's being sold now with tenants in place using those same photo's!!