What has been your worst viewing experience?

Slinky

janaltus wrote: »

Some 27 years after moving in I got my OH, who is Italian, to translate some of the graffiti which graced the walls. It wasn't polite!

You lived with Italian graffiti on your walls for 27 years?

cazpost

My late husband was disabled,so we had very specific requirements when it came to house hunting. The EA was a lovely lady, who arranged for us to see a selection of places all in one afternoon. First we met her at 'the Cat Ladies' ,a loony old lady with a million elderly cats, then we went to a house that had been repossessed. This was boarded up with metal shutters etc. Unfortunately hubby tripped getting through the door, and we spent ten minutes trying to get him back up! When we did we found that the previous occupants had turned the garage into a bedroom,ie it had a bed and a carpet. No windows or anything though! Also the lounge was covered in broken glass where the baliffs had had to break in . Next was a house which had been owned by elderly people, where she warned us to 'not mind the smell'. This had a 'Conservatory' on the back which was literally the size of a telephone box, with one plastic garden chair in it. Then she took us to another empty house, this was actually very nice,once we'd hacked our way through the jungle outside. By this time I needed the loo, so she said it would be ok to use it. When I flushed the loo the most alarming noises started up, as there was obviously air in the pipes, but I have never seen anyone go into such a panic as she thought we had broken something! Her face was a picture as hubby calmly turned the tap on and the noise abated. The final house she sent us to,saying she didnt need to come as the owners were there . The lady was disabled so hubby and her sat in the lounge comparing illnesses,doctors,tablets etc, while the man spent an hour and a half showing me the entire house and garden in minute detail,telling me about every plant,shelf,nail etc he had put in. He had spent a lot of time and effort on this house and was justifiably proud of it. However,he clearly had no desire to move, as he told me so every few minutes, saying it was her idea to move and he knew it would be a mistake etc etc etc .No wonder the EA didnt want to come,she'd obviously had to listen to him before! Funnily enough we didnt buy any of those houses .

cheap_charlie

I learned several years ago of the perils of Saturday morning viewings.

The first one was at a house where the couple were divorcing. Wife had had a party the night before and hadn't cleaned up afterwards so the kitchen was full of unwashed pots and pans and the dining room had a table which hadn't been cleared up before the participants left.

The couple had three teenage children, one of whom had mercifully spent the previous night elsewhere, meaning we were able to view a bedroom which didn't contain a sleeping teenager.

The husband, who had arranged the viewing, was furious about what the wife had done so the entire viewing was very tense, but the wife, who was clearly still inebriated from the night before, was cheerfully gregarious.

Needless to say we didn't buy that one, and nor did we buy a large Victorian house in Chiswick we viewed because the vendors refused to wake their sleeping teenagers up meaning we couldn't actually view three bedrooms...at all.

bennett2kuk

We were looking around choosing houses after renting for a year together. We saw a house reasonably priced but in a less affluent area of town than we were hoping for, but this house was bigger than we could normally afford, really nice garden just lo0oked really nice from the pictures.
We get there and a little old lady answers the door all nice, she shows us in but tells us to sit down as she has to tell us something first.
Turns out this old lady next door neighbour was the girlfriend of a well known drug dealing, in and out of prison hardcase.
The old lady had complained about the parties and arguments to the point where this girl next door started putting her windows out and generally harassing her 24 hours a day. She had pulldown security gates installed over the windows which we hadn't initially spotted outside, neither did we notice the cameras installed all around the outside AND inside of the house to film the girl if she was attacking the house or attempting a break in.
We looked around the house and had we been able to pick it up and put it down somewhere else we may have been interested, however needless to say we didn't go back for a second viewing.

At least she was honest.

jamieukonline

We once viewed a whole lot of properties in one day. We turned up at one and it looked like it need a tidy on the outside, but that did not prepare us for the inside at all. The EA turned up and showed us around and couldn't think of anything to say. The place was filthy, wires sticking out of the walls, no cupboard in the kitchen, just a manky sink. The whole place need work. Yet it wasn't for sale, it was for rent and was not going to be renovated for the new tenants!

Doooford

A friend of mine went to a house they really liked the look of. Just as the conversation got on to price and availability there was a thump and a scream from the next room.
The husband went through to find his wife had slipped over and fallen on to their new kitten and killed it outright. Everyone stood in traumatised silence for a minute or two and my friends left discreetly to leave the couple to console each other and because they didn't really know what the protocol was for such situations.
They never went back.

CCP

I don't usually post on this thread but for once I have something to share:

A couple of years ago I was viewing rental properties and looked at a very nice old cottage late one evening. I phoned the LA the next morning to say I was interested and was told that the owner - the current tenant's father - wanted to interview potential tenants before agreeing to anything. That seemed quite reasonable to me, even when the owner insisted on holding the interview in the middle of the shop that was his main business (better than meeting a stranger in private, I thought).

His opening question was "why is a woman of your age not married yet?", then "are you planning to settle down and have babies rather than working?". :eek::eek::eek: I can't remember the rest of the interview - I was too busy trying not to lose my temper - but I do remember the mortified expression on the LA's face when I told him afterwards what had happened! :rotfl:

Needless to say I didn't go ahead with renting the nice little cottage...

janaltus

Quote:
Originally Posted by janaltus

Some 27 years after moving in I got my OH, who is Italian, to translate some of the graffiti which graced the walls. It wasn't polite!

Slinky wrote: »

You lived with Italian graffiti on your walls for 27 years?

Sorry " ... which had graced the walls." I took photos before redecorating! I also discovered mild Italian erotica (circa 1960s) hidden under loose floorboards. Tee hee!

KiKi

I moved into my current flat 5 years ago, and it's beautiful. I fell in love with it the moment I walked in.

However, I suspect the tenants of the previous owner didn't want to leave. Although the seemed amenable to viewings, one of the ladies left dirty knickers all over her bed, along with a box of scattered, unwrapped tampons...and some used panty liners.

Lovely.

mute_posting

About six years ago my parents needed to move, we'd already collected a stack of particulars from various EAs at the weekend and by Tuesday morning had narrowed down a list of properties to view.

The first couple couldn't be viewed that day or were already under offer, so we made an appointment to view a 4 bed detached at 10:15 that morning, with the vendor doing the viewing.

As at the time myself and my younger brother would be moving with them, we all went to view together. As it was only about 10am when we arrived we had a drive around the little estate (probably 30 houses total) to check out the surroundings, see if people had extended etc... We parked up on the road outside the house and at just before 10:15 went and knocked on the door.

A quite timid woman answered and invited us in and was making polite conversation when her husband joined us complaining we were 2 minutes early!

He dispatched the wife upstairs to fetch his sweater from the bedroom, when she returned he with it he started:

"you stupid woman, I asked for my sweater and you have brought a cardigan, what use is this to me?"

Into the (large) lounge, which had all the furniture arranged around the edge of the room except 1 single chair and a small table at the side, dead centre in the room. On the table were magazines stacked with military precision and remote controls for TV / video wrapped in plastic bags (I think the chair may have had fitted plastic covers too?) It was such a large room but with no focal point and so politely we commented that a fireplace central on the larger wall would probably suit. The wife agreed enthusiastically with this saying that number 3 up the road had done just such a thing. This enraged the husband -

"You stupid woman! Why would you need a fire when the house has central heating, and why would you put it on that wall there, why not that one over there?!?!"

Next onto the kitchen, an original 80's design from when the house was built but showing it's age... The wife comments that if they weren't moving it would probably be updated, but they thought it probably best to let the purchaser replace it to their style. This enraged the old man again,

"You stupid woman, what is wrong with the kitchen? Why would we replace it if we stayed here?"

By this point the wife has retreated to the lounge sobbing..

Through to the garage (full of junk) and we observed that it looked like a double unlike some of the others on the development, to which the old man calms down a bit

"Ah well, we were the first on the estate so we got the choice of plot and design"

Talking amongst ourselves we mention that there is probably room for all our cars between the garage and the driveway - this enraged him again.

"We don't like people leaving cars on the drive here at South Acre - cars should be stored in the garage when not being used"

Sheepishly we moved onto the utility, overlooking the rear garden,

"MIND THE TELESCOPE!!!!!!!!! Oh great! now look what you have done!"

We must have looked a little puzzled looking at each other when he offered

"You brushed past it and your coat touched it - you've knocked it off position!"

Being quite cramped in, my (hard of hearing) dad opened the back door to step out onto the patio (the old man was blocking the other doorway)..

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?! DON'T STEP ON THE GRASS, OMG! YOU'VE GONE AND STEPPED ON THE GRASS, DID YOU NOT SEE THE GRASS IS WET?"

By this point we've heard and seen enough, but by now the old man is driving us back through the house and upstairs, very dated throughout.

The old man is beaming with pride again when he shows us bedroom 4

"We have an upstairs lounge, you don't see these often in modern houses, but in times gone by it was quite common for people to have an upstairs lounge, my wife like to sit up here to do her sewing and read her magazines"

back to angry

"OH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THE STATE OF THESE MAGAZINES!"

(as he lines them up with the military precision of the ones downstairs)

We are muttering under our breath now, no she comes up here to get away from you, you stupid old fool!

Back onto the landing and we observe the landing window is obscure glazed and politely enquire if that is to prevent being overlooked by the neighbours?

"WE'RE NOT OVERLOOKED! WE WERE THE FIRST ONES ON THIS ESTATE AND HAD THE CHOICE OF THE BEST PLOT"

Making polite chit-chat we mentioned that the glass could probably be replaced as there would be a lovely view of the nearby hills..

Off the old man rushes to the window and sticks his face right up-to it..

"Well, if you put your face up close, like this, you can SEE the hills!"

By this time I'm suppressing a laughter fit (along with my mother and brother) and starting to loose control so grab the car keys from my dad and run outside to the car, with my mother making apologies for me, "it'll be his asthma" (that I don't have) followed soon after by the rest of the family.

By the time we were all back in the car, we had tears of laughter streaming down our faces and it was over 5 minutes before we were able to compose ourselves to call the EA to tell them the house will never sell whilst the old man is conducting the viewings - apparently we weren't the first to provide that feedback!

Suffice to say, it was on the market for a loooooong time.