Home Buying Etiquette

[boxy]

IT WAS A JOKE!  I meant for it to be funny and/or sarcastic.  Excuse me for misunderstanding that humour is not allowed here.  Geez. 

Now can we please return to the original intent of this thread? 

[DangerMouth]

IT WAS A JOKE!  I meant for it to be funny and/or sarcastic.  Excuse me for misunderstanding that humour is not allowed here.  Geez. 

Now can we please return to the original intent of this thread? 

Well, include a smiley next time! I apologize, it didn't sound like you were joking.

[Wordgeek]

Humour is allowed.  It seems that your post didn't come across as funny.

Perhaps next time you could, ah, joke more clearly?

[Poirot]

  I think Wordgeek is funny.................my keyboard doesn't 

[RainhaDoTexugo]

Even if the current decor of the house isn't to your taste and you would probably redecorate immediately, there's no need to comment loudly in front of the current owners about how awful it is. 

And the converse of that, if you're selling your home and will be home for the showings, don't tail the prospective buyers so closely that they can't make quiet comments to each other about the things they'd need to change if they buy the house (can you tell I'm coming at this thread as a buyer, not a seller? ).

[Larrabee]

Even if the current decor of the house isn't to your taste and you would probably redecorate immediately, there's no need to comment loudly in front of the current owners about how awful it is. 

And the converse of that, if you're selling your home and will be home for the showings, don't tail the prospective buyers so closely that they can't make quiet comments to each other about the things they'd need to change if they buy the house (can you tell I'm coming at this thread as a buyer, not a seller? ).

Agreed, I'd say its good etiquette to back off a bit after the initial 'tour' and let your viewers wander around unsupervised for a bit.

I've seen both sides quite a few times, my parents moved a fair bit and I just bought twice within 11 months!  Its great to get both perspectives.  Good luck with buying, I believe its a lot more fun than selling!

[RainhaDoTexugo]

Good luck with buying, I believe its a lot more fun than selling!

Thanks!  We rent now, and I'm hoping to find a place we can grow old in, so I don't have to deal with the selling part.  We lived here when my current landlord bought the building, and it was hellish. 

[Emmy]

Homeowners:

Most of the time people are not home and have keys attached to a locked box on the front door that real estate agents can use to get in the front door, however not all people do this.  If you choose not to have the keys on the front door and make an appointment with a real estate agent, please be home and ready to get the door, especially if you were reminded and reconfirmed the appointment earlier in the day.  It is rude to confirm the appointment with the real estate agent for later the same day and either not be home or not answer the door when we arrive at the appointed time.  We don't appreciate driving to see the home and waiting out in the cold for nothing.

I also think homeowners should either retreat to one room or leave the house when potential buyers come by.  It is awkward to discuss the house with DH if the homeowner is right there.

We are both buying and selling, but haven't experienced any rude buyers because we leave the house when there is an appointment.  I do agree that buyers should keep their appointments, knock before entering, not touch personal property of the homeowners, not peek in the windows of houses with 'for sale' signs, and refrain from rude remarks about the decor when the homeowners are present.

[RainhaDoTexugo]

One for realtors - when you're arranging with another agent to let some people come view an occupied house, TELL THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE THERE.  It's no fun showing up in the cold and finding out you're totally unexpected, and it probably sucked for the sellers, too.

[kudeebee]

One for realtors - when you're arranging with another agent to let some people come view an occupied house, TELL THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE THERE.  It's no fun showing up in the cold and finding out you're totally unexpected, and it probably sucked for the sellers, too.

In our area, notifying the sellers is the responsibility of the seller's agent.

[Mopsy428]

I also think homeowners should either retreat to one room or leave the house when potential buyers come by.  It is awkward to discuss the house with DH if the homeowner is right there.

I don't trust complete strangers in my home. If they're in my home, I'm at least going to be in the same vicinity as they are. The last thing I want is to find things missing after showing them my home.

[Larrabee]

I also think homeowners should either retreat to one room or leave the house when potential buyers come by.  It is awkward to discuss the house with DH if the homeowner is right there.

I don't trust complete strangers in my home. If they're in my home, I'm at least going to be in the same vicinity as they are. The last thing I want is to find things missing after showing them my home.

In the UK, the showing is normally done by the homeowners, most estate agents will do it for you if you ask but its very rare that they're even present. 

[RainhaDoTexugo]

One for realtors - when you're arranging with another agent to let some people come view an occupied house, TELL THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE THERE.  It's no fun showing up in the cold and finding out you're totally unexpected, and it probably sucked for the sellers, too.

In our area, notifying the sellers is the responsibility of the seller's agent.

Here, too.  It was the seller's agent that didn't bother to tell the homeowners about the appointment.  Real fun, since it was a single family divided into three units, so that's three families disturbed.

[kherbert05]

Buyer's Realtor

If you show up 30 min early because traffic wasn't as bad as you expected - don't yell at the poor babysitter who is trying to get the kids out the door. Don't tell her it is disgraceful for her to be such a young mother (sis is 7 years older than the cousins). Then Sis asked if they could tour downstairs for 10 min, while she finished getting the kids dressed, they ignored her and went upstairs and burst in on the boy while he was still putting on his underwear. Sis called cousin's Realtor/Mother apologizing but not knowing what else she could have done.

Buyer's Realtor ended up getting banned from showing houses listed my the Realty company our Aunt worked for because this wasn't the first or last time she showed up way early and was abusive to people especially kids/teenagers in the sellers' homes.

[Brentwood]

Even if the current decor of the house isn't to your taste and you would probably redecorate immediately, there's no need to comment loudly in front of the current owners about how awful it is. 

And the converse of that, if you're selling your home and will be home for the showings, don't tail the prospective buyers so closely that they can't make quiet comments to each other about the things they'd need to change if they buy the house (can you tell I'm coming at this thread as a buyer, not a seller? ).

Agreed, I'd say its good etiquette to back off a bit after the initial 'tour' and let your viewers wander around unsupervised for a bit.

I've seen both sides quite a few times, my parents moved a fair bit and I just bought twice within 11 months!  Its great to get both perspectives.  Good luck with buying, I believe its a lot more fun than selling!

I never stuck around for showings when we were selling our house. I would have been very uncomfortable being there for showings. Once, when my parents sold their house in '92 and I was living with them between radio gigs, I had to briefly be home during a showing, and it was weird.