What are your worst or weirdest experiences from a vendor hosting the viewings?

Mr.Generous

Excellent thread

Doing viewings myself for a rental, very high demand (as now) so landlord has choice of tenant. 8 viewings at half hr slots, as I show number 3 out number 4 is waiting outside.

Number 4 is on her phone on facetime to someone. I introduce myself and ask is she there to see the house. She pauses a second to look me up and down, then without a word to me carries on her facetime conversation and walks past me into the property. I normally show 'em round and explain what's what - boiler, alarm, storage etc, but I just decided to leave her to it.

She wandered into the kitchen and out back, came back past me - all the time chatting away on phone and completely ignoring me - then went upstaits.

After a few minutes she came back down, said goodbye on her phone and spoke to me for the first time.

"It's for my sister but she couldn't make the viewing, but we'll have the house."

Errrr no you wont.

Woolsery

I've recalled this before in a previous life, so I won't labour over it again, but when we viewed a property with an agent  that was advertised with 3 acres of land, I knew we weren't seeing that on the ground. This was before Google measure days.

Turning to the agent, I said, "OK where's the other one? The property's advertised with 3 acres and at most we're seeing only two."

The agent replied, "Mr & Mrs Woolsery, you and I may not be able to see 3 acres, but our client Mr Smith can and he assures me they exist. As it's Mr Smith who's paying us to sell his property, we're inclined not to argue and to take his word that the extra acre is indeed here.... somewhere."

Woolsery

raygcon said:

One of the house we viewed a year ago , the vendor host the viewing herself. We arrive 5 mins early, ring the door , nobody reply. Ring again, nobody reply. Called the agent and they confirm the vendor is at home. Right at the viewing time, the vendor open the door and let us in. Punctuation at it finest.

Poor you, but that Mrs Malaprop is known for her perspicacity!

Woolsery

Ms_Chocaholic said:

Rumana03 said:

We went to a viewing last week where the EA was running a little late so the vendor agreed to show us around. She had a baby about 9 months strapped to her front. As we walked into the flat I could smell the faint smell of drugs. The nearer to the middle of the flat we got, the more I could smell it. In the kitchen the lady had left the window wide open and there was a scented candle lit right next to it. Honestly it was ridiculous...like she must have just smoked the drugs not so long ago as the smell was still there. 

Did you think of ringing Social Services?

The way things are, they probably have their own recreational outlets and activities.

TBagpuss

Ms_Chocaholic said:

Rumana03 said:

We went to a viewing last week where the EA was running a little late so the vendor agreed to show us around. She had a baby about 9 months strapped to her front. As we walked into the flat I could smell the faint smell of drugs. The nearer to the middle of the flat we got, the more I could smell it. In the kitchen the lady had left the window wide open and there was a scented candle lit right next to it. Honestly it was ridiculous...like she must have just smoked the drugs not so long ago as the smell was still there. 

Did you think of ringing Social Services?

If it was cannabis they would not be remotely interested, unless there was evidence of other child welfare concerns.

lincroft1710

Woolsery said:

raygcon said:

One of the house we viewed a year ago , the vendor host the viewing herself. We arrive 5 mins early, ring the door , nobody reply. Ring again, nobody reply. Called the agent and they confirm the vendor is at home. Right at the viewing time, the vendor open the door and let us in. Punctuation at it finest.

Poor you, but that Mrs Malaprop is known for her perspicacity!

I doubt many people will realise the subtle reference!

Woolsery

lincroft1710 said:

Woolsery said:

raygcon said:

One of the house we viewed a year ago , the vendor host the viewing herself. We arrive 5 mins early, ring the door , nobody reply. Ring again, nobody reply. Called the agent and they confirm the vendor is at home. Right at the viewing time, the vendor open the door and let us in. Punctuation at it finest.

Poor you, but that Mrs Malaprop is known for her perspicacity!

I doubt many people will realise the subtle reference!

Never mind, those of us with a grammer school background can smile wryly and feel smugly superior.

Winter_Phoenix

When my daughter moved from a fairly "challenging" area of London (suspected drug den next door) to a small rural town, the local estate agent was keen to show us everything on the market.  Before one viewing, he warned us that this was a very rough part of town, sprayed with graffiti.  The "graffiti" turned out to be a stencil of Bambi.  

And when I was house-hunting in a major city, one property was advertised as having not only a bathroom but also "a range of useful outbuildings."  The bathroom was a room with a bath parked in the middle of it, unconnected to the water supply or drainage.  The "useful outbuildings" included one which was indeed extremely useful - it was the only lavatory on the property.  The estate agent seemed surprised that I had expected an indoor loo and a bath which could actually be used...  

mark_cycling00

We arrived at a house for a viewing with the owner, we were just checking we were at the right place when a car dove past and the owner of the house ran out and started shouting a string of expletives at the car which ended in "one day soon I'll xxxxxxx kill you all!" 

He then spotted us, looked a bit embarrassed and said "oh it's the neighbours, don't worry it's not a dispute or anything"

We suspected otherwise....