Would you believe that they turned up 3 hours EARLY? I spotted them, and got D to go out - but I thought they were Jehovah's Witnesses as they had kids with them! Oh dear - and me in my cleaning clothes and no bra . . . hastily ran to put that right and met my son as I dashed, bare to the waist, across the landing. He was mortified. It went downhill after that . . .
I answered all their questions with total honesty, but when people ask about woodworm, and you say the entire house has been treated (we have SO many beams) - it was a condition of the mortgage when we moved here, and they clearly have a doubt, what can you do? Perhaps they would have believed my husband? As he's a MAN? (Not normally feminist, but . . .) When they start talking about coping with maintenance I knew they were taken aback by the sheer size of this place. We have managed the maintenance over the past 1/4 of a century and any property you buy - even a brand new one - will have to be maintained. They muttered they didn't know it was this big. We have 19 rooms, of the dimensions in the brochure, you don't get that in something the size of a telephone kiosk. Yeesh . . . So I have failed, or the house has . . .
At least I was able to relax three hours early . . .
Three hours early; now that's downright awful. But maybe they were nervous and asking questions but really fell in love with your house. Some buyers pretend to be not enamored as a tool to lower the price. Human nature in bargaining, ya know.
ReplyDelete3 hours early, my worst nightmare! they're lucky you were even there to let them in.
ReplyDeleteI have had similar comments when we sold our cottage in Rutland. They said a downstairs bathroom isn't suitable for an 8 year old, but the particulars clearly stated it was downstairs. Time wasters I call them.
Good luck with the house sale, the right buyers will turn up in the end.
ReplyDeleteTerra - that's just what my best friend said!
ReplyDeleteKath - Keith suggested I went shopping with him but I said I still had tidying to do (the junk room, which was at its worst!) Just as well I didn't . . .
Cait - If I weren't so desperate to move, I would be philosophical . . .
I've met them!! They will buy an easy maintainence new build on an estate somewhere. For god's sake don't offer tea and bicuits as their friends and relatives will also be round posing as buyers.
ReplyDelete3 hours early is rude. 30 mins is pushing it (cos of traffic etc possible) you can cope with that.
Had some similar dorks round who questioned us EVERY little thing and when we said we'd never been flooded replied are you 'sure' you've never been flooded with a sneering knowing look.
Also didn't believe us when we said a water trough was ours - said it wasn't and it belonged to the farmer. I replied for Gods sake its on the deeds!
Yep, don't stress, class them as time wasting weirdos.
I agree with Sharie - three hours early is most definitely rude! At least, you have your Spring cleaning done! ;-) Wish I did!
ReplyDeleteYou lot are making me feel so much better - there is obviously a breed of people who go house-hunting only to pick fault cause angst to house-owners!
ReplyDeleteOh it's a nightmare selling a home. We were selling a home and the realtor asked that we be away while she showed it. I took a walk and on the way back, (they were supposed to be gone by that time) I promise I could hear a jungle full of children screaming three blocks away. I knew it was coming from my house. I ran into MY home and found the prospective buyers,and six friends in my library having coffee they had bought on the way at starbucks. All eight children were running around screaming their heads off. The realtor was upstairs on her cell phone. Oh, did they know I was not happy!!!
ReplyDeleteNot at all your fault or the 'fault' of the house. We had this sort of showing a few times during the years of selling houses. I consider it the job of the realtor to do some screening of potential buyers--making the client familiar with particulars of the property, knowing the budget or credit range of the buyer as well--otherwise everyone's time is wasted!
ReplyDeleteLook on the bright side you would not have wanted them to own your house anyway! It will sell eventually, someone will fall in love with it and treasure it....
ReplyDeleteWhy don't people read the details before they view a property ? When I was selling my 18th century cottage,viewers were constantly amazed that there was no upstairs bathroom,although it was obvious on the details that the bathroom was downstairs,which is nearly always the case with old properties.
ReplyDeleteCheer up BB - the right person will turn up - they always do. At least next time you will know to be up nice and early and to get dressed in your Sunday best to welcome them. I think people often turn up early on purpose to try and catch you out.
ReplyDeleteThey say moving house is stressfull - but 'they' forget how stressful it is selling one.
ReplyDeleteYou've got my sympathies on that.
And three hours early? They need a foot in the backside - never mind the attitude when in someone elses house. Gits!
Al - my sentiments entirely! We would never dream of running down a house in front of the owners - we would discuss what we felt about it on the way home/afterwards.
ReplyDeleteWeaver - I do hope so. It was what I was thinking yesterday - entirely, utterly the WRONG people are turning up to view.
Thelma - you're right there!
MM - I found it hard to believe they'd even seen the brochure! They asked how many bedrooms there were and expressed amazement at how big the house was . . . For Pete's sake!
SAS - OMG, I'd have been extremely rude I think, and I bet you weren't buttoning your lip either. The nerve of some folk.
We shall just have to keep on doing all we can to make it look as good as possible. That means some hard digging out in the veg plot right now!