Rude house hunters.

The comments here means that I have made one good decsion in life - not to move, been in our house for 45 years. We have put so much of our life into the garden, I would hate to leave.

I have to agree with every word. Not looking forward to putting my home up for sale when the time comes.

Having sold a house, rented a house and moved house twice in eight months nothing surprises me. Estate Agents, Solicitors, Rental Agents, buyers, sellers - keep them away from me for a very long time. My next move will be the Old Folks' Home.

What about Removal Men. I had two who were wonderful and one who was rude and unkind although it was obvious I was distressed and anxious.

I have sold 3 houses over the years but its a job I hate.
I much prefer to watch Kirsty and phil on tv.

We have sold 9 houses during our married life, the last one in 2012. We have never used an agent, always advertised locally and put a homemade "For Sale" board putside and then shown prospective purchasers round ourselves. On the last three occasions have sold to friends after letting it be known to everyone we knew that we were selling. We think this is the easiest way to do it.

It's not difficult. The amount we have saved on estate agents' fees is substantial and well worth the effort involved. There is loads of advice available on TV programmes etc. on how to dress the house to look its best.

Surely we can't be the only people who have done this?

We have moved house loads of times and we always allow the agent to do the showing, while we go out.Valuables are hidden, and filing cabinet with personal stuff and papers is locked.They are usually better at selling points than householders.I prefer to view houses the same way as well.

It's the 'professional house buyers' (aka time wasters) I can't stand. They make very positive comments, love everything, definitely want to come and have a second look.......and then nothing!

Once I sold a house without an agent. I made my own For Sale sign, a man passing in a bus saw it, called me and bought it. Would that it were always so easy! It helped to be on a main road, of course. The last one I sold, I was there to conduct the viewings and as far as I remember, it went very quickly - nice family house with quite a big garden.

Good grief J52 - I'm quite sure the owners would not have been aware that keys were being given out like that! Another very good reason not to allow estate agents to conduct viewings in the owners' absence. That is utterly unacceptable!

I am very reluctant to let the estate agent conduct the viewings. We would have to give them the alarm code. Also when looking for a house I have been given keys to properties, I would worry about any personal information in the house and identity fraud.

x

Don't get me started - we had some lovely people- critical at times and suggesting what they would do, but in a pleasant and positive way- but others !?! One guy started to say he would want to add a conservatory, and another wing, etc- and wanted to reduce the price accordingly- as an example. We told him it was his problem, and he should go and see houses which are the right size for him. He replied that 'but it is a buyers' market' to which I replied that it didn't mean I had to sell to him!

I think estate agents like the owners to go out when they show people around. When we sold out last house, during a downturn, I was often there and not the least bit impressed by the way the agents did it. Eventually I said I wanted to do it myself, showed 2 couples round and they both offered to buy it. I have resolved never to let an agent do it again.

Back in 1977, we moved from Lancashire(sorry, Gtr. Manchester) to Lincolnshire, and our house was up for sale in our absence, so we were never there when it was being viewed. One weekend we went back and our daughter`s Stylophone was on the floor, broken, but we couldn`t prove who had done it or when. Another thing was, we`d had a leak from the washing machine, and part of a floorboard in the kitchen rotted, so hubby replaced a foot of it with fresh wood, and we laid new vynolay over the whole kitchen floor. When we returned a few weeks later for a weekend, the lino had been ripped back, and the new wood had been kicked through, leaving a hole, but again the estate agent claimed ignorance. We did sell, eventually, but we`d had enough, so let it go for a ridiculously low sum, just to be rid.

Friends of mine moved from this area last year but they did not show anybody around the house themselves. They said that is why they pay an estate agent vast sums of money so they made sure that they took themselves off somewhere, especially if it was a weekend. At least during the week, they were likely to be at work. It worked very well and they missed the sneering comments about the small garden etc.

Don't they read the particulars? My dd/SIL are having a similar problem trying to sell their large, renovated manse-feedback from viewings is that its a lovely house but it's too big! The schedule says how big it is plus gives dimensions and photographs! SIL is getting v annoyed.

When my son and his wife were selling their last property, about 18 months ago, most of the potential buyers requested that they (my son and his wife) 'disappear' while they were viewing their house. How rude!

I'm afraid I would dig my heels in at this. Sorry, but until you've agreed to buy it, this is MY home, and I'm entitled to be here - I won't get in your way, but you are damn well not going to kick me out of my own house so that you can have a good old nose in my cupboards and make derogatory comments about my taste!

We sold a little cottage in the Borders. It had a living-room, a kitchen and a small bathroom on the ground floor and two bedrooms upstairs under eaves that went down to 3ft walls. One couple who came to see it declared that it was perfect - then went on to describe how they would build an extension on the back, another at the side, and lift the roof to give three storeys.

We just moved 18 months ago and I too hated people viewing the house. Unfortunately, it was a necessary evil but I was hard pressed at times to glue my smile on. Why do some buyers feel they can act this way? My DH reckons some if them are so far up their own derrière that they think somehow they're calling the shots. Sellers can say no!!

As someone who is about to market their home, it all fills me with fear!

Many years ago when we sold our last house, built 1897, people looking round made comments about it being old! Despite having a brand new kitchen and bathrooms!

A lot of viewers had clearly not read the details. We were messed around by several 'buyers' and over the 6 months it took to complete the deal, I vowed never to move again!

But here we are doing it 2 decades later, hopefully for the last time. I wish I had a magic wand to conjure up a buyer without all the viewings and strangers traipsing over my home!

x

This couple were like that....had a budget of £500,000 (vast to me) and thought they could stay in an upmarket area where they were currently renting. Their faces had changed by the end of the programme when they discovered what/where their budget wouid actually buy.

I love to watch these house programmes and initially there seemed to be a lot of that but I have noticed several presenters gently reminding that it is someones home with 'it may not be to your taste'. I dislike the ones where people with very large budgets sneer at perfectly lovely homes with 'its very pokey' or 'its very dark'. I wonder if any of these are real people at all- are they all actors?
My brother lives in Dorset and one of these TV teams came knocking in the neighbourhood wanting to put homes on the show in this case a pub with living accommodation. They managed to persuade my brothers' local to show and they had no intention of selling and it wasn't on the market nor ever would be said the owner. I expect it was good publicity for the pub.

Oh my goodness Mishap! I hope she wasn't the one who bought it!!

In once had someone who was looking round my house and she came into our office and I said it had been my DD's bedroom when she was living at home. The woman looked aghast and, with a sneer, said "She slept in here!"

This old cynic wonders if it was all scripted to make 'better television'

I can't imagine that the present owners aren't going to watch the show . Very rude you are right.