Viewings, an uncomfortable experience

pineapple

missile wrote: »

As long as you are business like, I do not see a problem. You can often glean useful info from the seller.

Yes indeed. When I bought my last house, the owners had already vacated and I missed a lot. The agents sent round some part time pensioner (sorry pensioners) to represent them and he couldn't answer the most basic questions about the property.
It can be a little awkward though. The worst is if you dislike it from the off but you have to go though the motions. Even worse if the seller is stuck to you like glue. I usually try to find something positive to say without going overboard.
IMO the best sellers give you a quick tour then leave you to your own devices.

lb364

I have to agree, I've found it uncomfortable to look around people's houses. The worst ones have to be: when the couple were still living together but getting divorced (and started bickering in front of us), the one where he'd already moved out, the walls were absolutely black with cigarette smoke and they followed us around talking over each other and the one where the person had died and we were left in the house alone with his belongings from the last few decades.

I do like to meet the vendors though, they mention little things estate agents don't. What the neighbours are like, the best route to the station etc.

dawyldthing

missile wrote: »

As long as you are business like, I do not see a problem. You can often glean useful info from the seller.

What bugs me most, are those who come to look with no serious intent or cannot afford the asking price.

i've had those looks when viewing, but looks can be deceiving and people may look like they haven't got much money but they may have it, you just don't know

Better_Days

There are a lot of reasons that properties are put on the market, relationship break up being one of them. Last year we went to look at a house and the vendor was fast asleep in bed (it was in the afternoon). Agent had told husband about the viewing but he hadn't bothered to tell his wife. Only found this out afterwards, and initially we though the wife had just forgotten about the viewing.

Relationship breakup can also mean the asking price is a tad unrealistic as the vendors need to get 2 properties from the sale of one.

When we were looking for our first house we viewed a property where a father lived with his children. Garden full of rubble, wall paper peeling off the walls, kitchen worktop and sink full of takeaway cartons. On entering one of the bedrooms the viewer was confronted with a full size poster of ahem, well endowed naked lady:eek:

Looking at the boot room of a property recently the vendor looked around and said 'well I suppose we should remove all the cobwebs and clean the floor'. Well yes, but when viewing houses you have to accept that different people live differently, even if they are trying to sell their house:)

On balance I prefer the vendor to be present as they are much more likely to know useful info like the age of the boiler.

devotee

The only uncomfortable viewings I've had of lived in properties - the owners were pig dirty.

So seeing them there was like omg now I can put a face on a dirty person!

Normal lived in conditions were fine. How does your house look to other people?

*Beki*

From a rental point of view, we've looked round some really tiny properties and with the current tenants, the agent and my boyf and I, it was really quite cramped! We viewed one where I'm sure they had asked the current tenants to be out to make the property look larger! :eek: I like to be able to discuss what I think with my partner too and often feel a little awkward about saying negative things with current tenants/owners there...

Bluemeanie_2

I don't understand why vendors do not make more of an effort when selling their houses. Putting aside all the usual advice of decluttering etc. Can they not get their family to go out? One house I went to see were sitting at their dining room table eating their dinner. We felt like we were seriously intruding. Also you would think they would wash the pots! I'm in line to put my house on the market in two years (once I have enough equity to put down on next house, bought at 95% LTv then went into neg equity, but that is another discussion) and I have already started thinking abbout doing the small jobs to make the house more sellable.

Bluemeanie_2

I plan on showing the viewer around. Then leaving them for 10 - 15 minutes alone to look around. I hated not being able to stand and discuss things with my BoyF. Plus with the vendor stood in the way, a mall kitchen or room just seemed ever tinier!

phoebe1989seb

When looking to buy our first flat we viewed a couple of 'odd' ones.....the first (a semi-basement) the owners showed us into the master bedroom only to find ladies undies (didn't look like clean laundry either ) on the floor by the bed and at the second flat the female owner was obviously not expecting us as she opened the door in her nightie

By the time we moved on to buying our 4th property (a private sale of a detached Victorian house currently arranged as four self-contained flats) the vendor was unable to gain access to the ground floor flat as the tenant had either changed the lock or else wedged something up against the door - can't remember which now - but we still went on to buy the house, although by the day of exchange/completion we had never seen the inside of the downstairs..........which was probably a good job as the tenant had left it in an appalling state - the (yellow!!!) bath was a delightful shade of brown and he had splattered noodles and other elements of his meals all over the back of a door next to the oven :eek: Even that wouldn't have put us off though as the house was amazing and eventually we restored it into a brilliant 6 bed family home which was unrecognisable from how we first saw it

jimpix12

I understand where the OP is coming from. It's like anything - if the vendor can't be bothered to clean up, what else have they avoided doing?

First impressions count... a lot. The sanctimonious attitude of a few posters here is quite telling. Stop lounging on the sofa during the day with your hands down your trousers when you have guests round, you'd be more likely to sell your home... (this happened to me).