Vendors moved furniture between viewings

DaftyDuck

I have a good friend who is an experienced surveyor.

He has often told me that there is little more obvious, when entering a property, than furniture that has been moved to cover defects such as damp, Dodgy electrics, failing plaster, whatever. Not only is there the "feel" that nobody would put the sofa against that wall, or a bookcase preventing a door from fully opening, but you can often see marks in the carpet where they were.

Nothing makes him survey a roof better (from the outside) than clean, undusty boxes right by the loft hatch preventing access.... A recently moved sofa onto an exterior wall guarantees a good probing with the damp meter.....

But, in the LP's case, I agree! They polished the home for photos and viewings, and have now relaxed to slob level like before.

Smodlet

DinoFan wrote: »

How comes?

How do you know when exchange will happen, especially this far in advance? That's how "comes".

Morganarla

So, people who still own their home - moved round furniture. Furniture that they own, in a property that they own. How very dare they! *gasps* :doh:

DinoFan

Smodlet wrote: »

How do you know when exchange will happen, especially this far in advance? That's how "comes".

Oh see, sorry should have made it clear that is when the solicitors have told us we will be all ready for exchange. Neither of us have a chain

DinoFan

Morganarla wrote: »

So, people who still own their home - moved round furniture. Furniture that they own, in a property that they own. How very dare they! *gasps* :doh:

I feel like some people are getting wrong end of the stick here. I already stated I move furniture all the time so I get people will do that. We are FTB and just wanted to see if any of this was a sign of them having previously been trying to hide something or trying to hide something now.


Buying a home is stressful for me (as I am sure it is most people) and I want to make sure nothing is going to go wrong where I can help it. I am especially nervous as we have a baby.


I guess only way we will know is by having a good look when we go back for another viewing or just by asking them.

Smodlet

Go back. Take your time. With and only with the vendors' permission, take pics. Breathe (not being patronising, speaking from experience) Go around again, not forgetting the outside. Trust your instincts. If it feels right, it probably is.

Don't expect any house to have no issues whatsoever. Even if you built one yourself, it would still have things which needed to be fixed once it was done.

Please don't hesitate to come back and ask anything you want at any time. And please forgive the cynicism/lack of patience.

All the best.

kazwookie

You are not buying the furniture, so don't worry about it.

Just make sure you check the walls/ sockets etc when you next go back

(one thing about house buying in this country I hate is 'staged' house, I personally think all house should be viewed empty, but this in practical terms is not possible)

Mahsroh

DinoFan wrote: »

We are FTB and just wanted to see if any of this was a sign of them having previously been trying to hide something or trying to hie something now.

Someone has already alluded to this, but surely what's happened is the opposite to this? People are likely to move furniture to hide big marks on the wall, or stains on the carpets etc. The fact that the furniture was in two different locations on your two visits reduces the risk of this happening!

pinklady21

For goodness sake make sure that the next time you view, that BOTH of you go TOGETHER!!
And be prepared for the vendors to be even more nervous - third viewings sometimes mean the buyer is not sure, and the upshot is that they withdraw their interest in the property.
BTW I would never even consider looking at a house without my OH. It is going to be our future home, possibly for many years, and I simply wouldn't even think of viewing it alone, or him viewing without me!

Interestingly, as sellers, anytime that we have had viewing couples who come separately, none have ever proceeded to offer and the excuse they give is always - "oh my wife / husband didn't like it....."
If you are worried about furniture being moved, just ask the vendors.
Best of luck.

franklee

Maybe they have been decluttering and cleaning the house, moved the big items to clean behind them and didn't want to be bothered putting them back for such a short time. Better do that now than leave till the last minute.

You could mention it casually on viewing if you want, see what they say. It should be obvious where the large items were long term, less faded carpet and walls for example. The carpet isn't going to look as good when the rooms are empty anyway. Ours was a patchwork of darker areas where furniture or rugs were and lighter trodden down exposed areas. Once the room is furnished again it doesn't show so much.