Knocking on someone's door to ask them to view their property

BungalowBel

I can't imagine not knowing what your neighbours look like after two years of living next door to them!  Even our 'keep yourself to yourself' neighbours on the one side pass the time of day when we see them in the front garden.

Anyway, that is how the situation is.  I would pop a note through the door asking if your m-i-l can have a viewing.  They might wonder why you didn't knock the door, but so what?  If neither of you have spoken to each other after two years, they probably wouldn't have knocked your door either.

skm1981

BungalowBel said:

I can't imagine not knowing what your neighbours look like after two years of living next door to them!  Even our 'keep yourself to yourself' neighbours on the one side pass the time of day when we see them in the front garden.

Anyway, that is how the situation is.  I would pop a note through the door asking if your m-i-l can have a viewing.  They might wonder why you didn't knock the door, but so what?  If neither of you have spoken to each other after two years, they probably wouldn't have knocked your door either.

I'm in and out all day every day.  I work from home, I walk the dogs 3 times a day, I do 2 school runs a day as well as other stuff and I just never see them.  I know the man works away a lot, but I don't know about his wife.  I occasionally see their son who I would probably recognize, but definitely not the man or woman.  Maybe they only come out at night... 

I think my mother in law will listen if I ask her not to knock and just put a note through instead.  The house has been up for sale for a brief stint from around October but then they took it down in December.  I wondered if maybe cos that's not the best time to sell?  Then it went back up again a few months back . It's just really weird.  It's almost like they don't want to sell, but then why have your house for sale if you don't want to sell?  But then another odd thing was they applied for planning permission last year for an extension on the back which got granted... but shortly after they put it up for sale and there's no mention of the planning permission application being granted in the rightmove listing.  That was another reason why I thought perhaps divorce.

user1977

skm1981 said:

BungalowBel said:

I can't imagine not knowing what your neighbours look like after two years of living next door to them!  Even our 'keep yourself to yourself' neighbours on the one side pass the time of day when we see them in the front garden.

Anyway, that is how the situation is.  I would pop a note through the door asking if your m-i-l can have a viewing.  They might wonder why you didn't knock the door, but so what?  If neither of you have spoken to each other after two years, they probably wouldn't have knocked your door either.

shortly after they put it up for sale and there's no mention of the planning permission application being granted in the rightmove listing.  That was another reason why I thought perhaps divorce.

Not necessarily, sometimes people start planning an extension and eventually decide just to buy something bigger instead.

What's the worst that can happen if you knock on their door? This isn't Texas...

BikingBud

skm1981 said:

BungalowBel said:

I can't imagine not knowing what your neighbours look like after two years of living next door to them!  Even our 'keep yourself to yourself' neighbours on the one side pass the time of day when we see them in the front garden.

Anyway, that is how the situation is.  I would pop a note through the door asking if your m-i-l can have a viewing.  They might wonder why you didn't knock the door, but so what?  If neither of you have spoken to each other after two years, they probably wouldn't have knocked your door either.

I'm in and out all day every day.  I work from home, I walk the dogs 3 times a day, I do 2 school runs a day as well as other stuff and I just never see them.  I know the man works away a lot, but I don't know about his wife.  I occasionally see their son who I would probably recognize, but definitely not the man or woman.  Maybe they only come out at night... 

I think my mother in law will listen if I ask her not to knock and just put a note through instead.  The house has been up for sale for a brief stint from around October but then they took it down in December.  I wondered if maybe cos that's not the best time to sell?  Then it went back up again a few months back . It's just really weird.  It's almost like they don't want to sell, but then why have your house for sale if you don't want to sell?  But then another odd thing was they applied for planning permission last year for an extension on the back which got granted... but shortly after they put it up for sale and there's no mention of the planning permission application being granted in the rightmove listing.  That was another reason why I thought perhaps divorce.

If you don't know your neighbours from Adam and have no relationship there is nothing to spoil. That said you seem to know lots about them, are you actively stalking other near neighbours?

Are you more concerned about your perception of how the MiL should behave?

If so then perhaps keeping a distance and not encouraging her to live next door, or even anywhere nearby, might by the answer 

gazfocus

I personally don’t see the problem in knocking on their door. They might be in two minds whether to sell, there could be any number of reasons, but ultimately you’ll never know unless you ask and in the time it’s taken to post this thread and wait for replies, you could have knocked on the neighbours door and got your answer. 

I wouldn’t object to knocking on my door if I was selling. My only concern would be our house is rarely ‘tidy’ but I’d still not mind. 

Brie

I wouldn't be comfortable with MiL knocking on a neighbour's door.  Maybe ok if it was down the street but not next door.  Then again I don't know how comfortable I'd be with having MiL living next door.  (& I say that as someone who had MiL living in our house for over 4 years)

MalMonroe

I'm someone else who knows my neighbours and would have no problem asking if my MIL could have a quick look round one day - obviously arrange a suitably convenient time.

BUT I'm with Brie, above, I really don't think I'd like my MIL living next door. (Well, ex-MIL now but still, same applies!) You may think you'd be okay with it now but once it's happened you'll not be able to get out of that situation easily.

Maybe this is a case of 'the universe trying to tell you and your MIL something'? Not that I believe in that really but if your neighbours really wanted to sell, would they be going out and/or away quite so often at this quite important time? Seems like strange behaviour if they are serious about selling.

Loza2016

Reminds me of the time my parents put the house on the market in the days before the internet. Sign went up on Friday afternoon, neighbour driving passed couldn’t stop quick enough shouting my sister will buy it. 

Already had a few viewings booked in but the sister did get the house. 

ThisIsWeird

Blimey, some judgemental folk!

I don't think Skm came on here to ask whether it's normal to not know some of their immediate neighbours. How well you do tend to know them can come down to many factors, some of which you'll have no control over. That is neither a good nor a bad thing. It's just a 'thing'.

Ditto for whether to knock on their door. Tho' 'technically', that is a 'bad thing' - ie EAs are usually very clear that you should not do this - it is not to say you cannot do so, of course, but it is a generally accepted convention that all approaches should be done via the EA.

That said, I think as long as any approach acknowledges this 'breach' in the 'rule', and makes it clear that the knocker has no expectation at all, and is happy and apologetic if rebuffed, then fill your boots if you feel you need to. But, I think it's inconsiderate. You have your house for sale, it's likely a stressful time, but at least you know when folk will expect to view, right? Seemingly, for some folk, nope. 

In this specific case, fair do's, there may be more 'justification', since the mil has limited opportunity to visit, and has tried to arrange viewings the correct way. 

No-one will have any control over how the vendor will react, of course, and some folk on here have given their t'pence worth. I'll add mine for what it's worth: unless they had a bludy good reason, and were uber-apologetic about it, I'd consider them to have a bludy nerve. And, they'd otherwise slide down the list of preferables.

Who on here would want to be caught off-guard, in the middle of your everyday life, by someone who thinks they can circumvent the usual process? You wouldn't want to 'put them off', just in case they are serious buyers, but they will effectively have you over a small barrel. What to do- risk upsetting them with a foff, or allow them to disturb your day with this presumptuous knock?

And what if you were the third person to try a 'knock' that week?

Pfffft.

I can only recommend the note-through-the-door method, and if that elicits no response, you'll have your answer. Don't bludy knock.

Simonon77

I would definitely want some notice if someone wanted to view to make sure the house was tidy and clean the bathroom etc...