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We're viewing houses which we are helping our daughter to buy and one we're going to see on Saturday has fitted wardrobes. My wife thinks it's fine to open the wardrobe doors to see the depth and generally practicality of the wardrobes and my daughter's opinion is that it's a whole world of wrong to go in and "Help yourself". I'm staying out of it because it's clearly a trap!
The property is still occupied by the sellers but the agent will be showing us around as the sellers will be at work.
Opinions?
My wife thinks it’s fine to open the wardrobe doors to see the depth and generally practicality of the wardrobes
Opening is fine.
Having sex in them, not fine.
Serious answer
the agent will be showing us around as the sellers will be at work.
" Is it okay if we have a look inside the wardrobes to see how deep they are? "
I'd expect that the owners will have previously discussed with the agent if there were any issues with this sort of thing.
Looking in wardrobe is fine.
Holding clothes up in front of mirror whilst still on hanger to see how you look is fine.
Trying clothes on is pushing it a bit.
Going in knicker drawer would have crossed the line.
I'm currently in house viewing hell on both buying and selling fronts.
I kind of figure if something is "fixed" and will be included in the sale it's absolutely acceptable to open it and have a look. So fitted furniture, storage cupboards, fitted appliances are fair game. If the viewing is with the owner I'd always ask before I opened anything though.
My parents moved last year. They had one guy go round the house and have a good poke around, and even had a look in the fridge (not a fixed appliance, just a freestanding fridge). That certainly got my folk's back up. However, some folk get very nervous doing house viewings and can act a bit odd as a result, so I wouldn't always read into it too much.
I always string up a dummy in the wardrobe before anyone comes to view, belt round the neck trousers round the ankles, soon know if they've had a look then.
Definitely open the fitted wardrobes. Mad not to.
You wouldn't want to buy thinking there was lots of storage and then find they are all half boxed off for a boiler system or that they have rising damp in them.
some folk get very nervous doing house viewings and can act a bit odd as a result, so I wouldn’t always read into it too much
Yes, this is true. I had one bloke open my bread bin (not a euphemism), when I asked what he was looking for he slightly shamefacedly explained it was his third viewing of the day and he'd gone into some sort of "opening things" autopilot.
When you say "going in" the knicker drawer...
I had one bloke open my bread bin (not a euphemism)
"Is the Hovis included?"
Yes opening fitted storage of any kind.
Maybe not letting the children (yours is grown up) play hide and seek in them.
Good luck with the viewings, it's soul destroying. Especially if you start losing deposit money because you end up surveying 3 houses (which is what I did). Got lucky in the end with a modern flat.
I kind of figure if something is “fixed” and will be included in the sale it’s absolutely acceptable to open it and have a look. So fitted furniture, storage cupboards, fitted appliances are fair game. If the viewing is with the owner I’d always ask before I opened anything though.
This is what my thoughts are.
If a vendor doesn't want you looking in the fitted wardrobes, then you probably don't want to be doing business with them either.
Trying clothes on is pushing it a bit.
Going in knicker drawer would have crossed the line.
Unless you're an electrician
One elderly lady estate agent showing us around an old house liked opening things to show us.
The external cupboard that housed the gas/elec meter etc was introduced to us as "The glory hole" 😜
Unless you're a complete tramp buying a new cardboard box then take your ****ing shoes off! Some people are too polite to ask. So make sure you're not wearing manky socks.
Expect all cupboard to be stuffed full of junk they usually have lying around but have flung in a box to make the place look presentable.
When I sold my flat in Edinburgh Mrs 100th had neatly folded clothes in the wardrobe. I lived out of a bag for 6months. Did not touch the clothes a number of viewers commented on the folding. (I was selling to move in with her).
Wardrobe - fine. But put everything back as you found it.
Some muppet who viewed our last week opened the septic tank manhole and then left it slightly ajar. When I returned I nearly drove over it, and therefore nearly into it. FFS
That is a fairly thorough viewing if they are checking out the septic tank!
That is a fairly thorough viewing if they are checking out the septic tank!
Well, when you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go😉
Ah, the septic tank comment has reminded me of my quirky humoured friend who slightly upset/disturbed his OH by going for “a cheeky dump” in the toilet of a show home they went to look at.
reminded me of my quirky humoured friend who slightly upset/disturbed his OH by going for “a cheeky dump” in the toilet of a show home they went to look at.
I thought this was totally standard practise?
I have a right good ole goosey at everything when I go house viewing. Turn all the lights on to make sure they work, turn the taps on to check water pressure and how long the hot water takes to run. Look in all the kitchen cupboards/drawers to check fittings etc, check all the doors and windows open/shut properly. Any fitted cupboards/ wardrobes etc of course I'd have a look in there, I'll pull furniture out sometimes to check if it's hiding anything suspect on the walls.
We once went to an open house viewing with our nephew who we were looking after for the day. As I was wandering around the garden, Mrs NBT came running up to me with nephew in he arms and said "we have to go. We have to go NOW"
"But I've only just got outside and I haven't even looked upstairs yet"
"yes but nephew needed the toilet so we went in the downstairs loo and they've turned the water off so it won't flush"
The understairs cupboard had been converted to a loo (good selling point) with a window which opened into the garage - but without any water to flush the frankly gigantic log that was almost half the size of the not-yet-three year old who produced it, and with a stench that would have people gagging.
We left, quickly
On a more serious note, it's a pretty big investment. I want to check things thoroughly
I thought this was totally standard practise?
Wouldn't be the first time I've visited a show home for that sole purpose.
If you airburst don't expect to be in a good negotiating position.
Open all doors and drawers; lift lids; stand on chairs to see what's on top of cupboards and wardrobes.
Most important, take camera - show vendor you're serious.
Nothing short of a full look around and test of the facilities. Make sure the windows and doors open and close, ensure the heating works, have a poo in the en-suite to check if it flushes, you know, thorough...
“airburst” ..... and the unflushable log 😂
On a more serious note though, there are some good tips on this thread (OH and I are about to put our house on the market and have just started looking around at other houses). I reckon if I knew built in wardrobes were included in the sale, then I’d not feel bad about seeing what space there was in them - and any signs of damp in there.
If you’re seriously interested in the house, I guess it’s a good idea checking that things like toilets flush, water pressure at taps is OK etc.
If the owner is single, dig up the patio 👍
I figure it’s all fair game. I wouldn’t go snooping, but I’ve just sold and I’ve basically taken the view everything is fair game. Everything private was put in an ottoman bed, no one would open that or know it had storage. Otherwise I’ve assumed my privacy is secondary to the buyers wanting to look around - thank Christ that’s over I hated it.
is the Hovis included?
Last (empty, deceased estate clearance) house we viewed had a Masarati in the garage. Apparently it wasn't included.
I’d be genuinely tempted to show up To view a house with a telescopic ladder, an endoscope and thermography equipment.
My wife thinks it’s fine to open the wardrobe doors to see the depth and generally practicality of the wardrobes and my daughter’s opinion is that it’s a whole world of wrong to go in and “Help yourself”.
Opinions?
Cannot see cannot sell.
Don't want to sell then don't let people see.
Of course you should see what you are buying.
Isn't buying a house for most people the most expensive item in their life?
FFS! Nobody cares about their sex toys, skeletons, dead bodies etc in the wardrobe but just want to know if the size of the wardrobe is big enough to store expensive handbags, shoes etc.
I’m staying out of it because it’s clearly a trap!
It is a trap! 😀
My wife thinks it’s fine to open the wardrobe doors to see the depth of the wardrobes
Fine, obviously, but if you pass a metal lamp post, probably best turn back.
Considering you are spending maybe £100k or more, spend a few hours! However, the size of a wardrobe seems less important to me than location, garden, maintenance / running costs / no. rooms etc.
Better to be a pessimistic buyer and optimistic seller.
Totally agree on flushing toilets, running taps etc and poking head and torch in loft etc.
Have a good nosy and see what works and doesn't. Last house we bought we discovered as we were going round that 1 of the toilets didn't have a water supply plumbed in by it failing to flush! no mention by the owner. Didn't really matter too much as we were going to gut the place anyway.
Would have been nice to find out about the asbestos pipe lagging before though!
If nobody is living there, ask to see the heating turned on, off then on again, ideally on different occasions. Friend of mine did all the viewings in summer/autumn, then eventually got the keys just before Xmas. Went in, heating was already on, moved a few bits in, turned the heating off, left. Came back next day, can’t turn the heating on. Gets the local plumber out, and after a bit of investigation, it turns out that the previous owner knew that the boiler was shagged, asked the plumber to ‘make it work as best you can, as we’ve a viewing tomorrow, then I’ll fix it properly ASAP after’. The ‘viewing tomorrow’ was my mate getting the keys. 2 weeks without heating (in winter) and £5k later (which, oddly, having just bought an expensive house, they didn’t have), they had working heating. Did ask him if he was going to take legal action but he would need the plumber to say on the record what had happened, which of course he wouldn’t as it didn’t paint him in the best light...