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Found this interesting article about home viewing etiquette on another site. Be sure to click on the "About Property" link to see the complete list (note that the authors are from the UK).

http://hookedonhouses.net/2012...s-for-house-hunters/

Thoughts? (Please avoid commenting on the no-shoes thing 'cause it's been done here ad nauseum)

Well - that was definitely different..... I do believe being polite is a good thing, but I would be so horrified if I had to have the owner show me the house.... Also, if an appointment is made to view the house, I know that people sometimes have to react to be able to have you see it (pets, or getting out of the house), but I remember from last time I looked at houses that sometimes you don't hit it when you think you will due to traffic, or an earlier house taking longer or shorter times than anticipated - so I think the "window" should be a bit flexible, but I think it's important for the realtors to notify (if required) people if the schedule is way off - especially if the listing says there are requirements to do so... Maybe see those houses first, and then see the lock box houses that are either empty, or the people are at work and don't need to run back. I'm thinking that information is shown in the listings the agents see - right? I start looking for houses on Wednesday, so the timing of this is perfect....

Appears the article was written most in part by fsbo sellers in that country.

Didn't see a real estate sign on the pictured property.

Here is the U.S. I would think Realtors and Buyers have the common sense
to adhear to any instruction notated in Buyer and Realtor remarks, and the rest is just plain common courtesy.

If there are children, I do ask the child to hold their parents hand throughout the viewing.
Parents get the idea. Keeping the family in one direction keep the Realtors tour in check.

Here are a few of the requests that have baffled me however. Do not use the phone..do not take pictures of the interior of the home, or video, do not open cabinets or closets. Do not befriend the cat or dog...which I can understand this one.

How can you tell how big the closets are if you can't open them?? . I completely understand being cautious, and I don't really appreciate if someone opens my furniture drawers (which has nothing to do with the house), but - first, this is from Great Britain, and they have a different sensibility about things - but it reminds me of people that keep everything THEIR way, because it's THEIR house, and how dare anyone come in and potentially say something derogative about THEIR things..... there is a theme there, and it usually leads to longer time to sell a house. The broker said that they had a great sense of humor, but I just didn't see it.....

Regarding the advise not to open closets (free standing wardrobes) and cupboards, I imagine it's because these items are considered furniture that don't convey with the property.

It's so strange to me that a homeowner would dissemble their entire kitchen to take with them to their new home.

I didn't agree with the "rule" that children should be left with a sitter. In every house I've ever purchased, my children's opinions were very important to me. In fact, it was my 7-year-old who pointed out that one house we were considering had half a dozen "scary big dogs" next door. We didn't buy it.

I have found, as well, with many of my buyers.. childrens' opinion in the family is expected, and sometimes a decision maker!

I would never be at home during a showing, it makes potential buyers uncomfortable. There is nothing wrong with opening closets. We were told by our realtor to expect buyers half an hour before or after the scheduled showing time.

I will agree that opening up a closet space is natural, because you want to see the space inside, now, opening cupboards in the kitchen? why? or any place else?
going inside the tub? why? If you have light carpeting I can see putting those disposable boots at the entrance and an explanation from the Realtor.
Otherwise, if you have like I do, tile and just plain wood, I don't think that is necessary. unless you carry a pound of dirt in your shoes.
It is important to me that my Realtor when showing the house is present and notified by the other Realtor that they will be showing my house. I don't know, but today, many strange things happens,
Regarding children, if you have valuables that can be broken, please remove them before showing the property. To me those are common sense requirements

quote:

because you want to see the space inside, now, opening cupboards in the kitchen? why? or any place else?

I may have mentioned that I do promotional copywriting (flyers, virtual tours, agent remarks, etc.) for a C21 agent.

I tour the house before it goes live on MLS, so that I can write up the house's best features. One of the big features my C21 agent insists I mention is custom roll-out shelves and pots and pans drawers in the kitchen. That's considered an upgrade in these parts, and yes, buyers here do open up cupboards and pantry closets to see how clean and how ample they are.

quote:

will agree that opening up a closet space is natural, because you want to see the space inside, now, opening cupboards in the kitchen? why? or any place else?

As said, to see if they are clean, are full depth, have adjustable shelves. I also check under sinks for signs of water leakage, present or past. Check linen, pantry and other closets to see of the shelves are too far apart or too close to be useable. Are they lighted? Are they clean or are there water spots on the ceiling, etc, etc.

I'm what is considered a "door kicker", the least of which is opening closets and cupboards.

IMO sellers who hide structural problems should be held accountable; buyers who ignore "due diligence": sigh!

For a home you're considering - wouldn't you kind of have to check all the cabinets to see how the doors handle (and do they close correctly?) and wouldn't you want to check for damage inside them? I totally get not touching something they are taking with them - but for anything that is part of the house, shouldn't you check it out???? Wouldn't take the time to do that for all the houses I look at, but if I'm definitely interested, I would absolutely do a detailed assessment of everything that is part of the house.....

I so agree on opening cupboard and closet doors! How else are you going to see if it will work for you?
Have to admit I'm torn on the issue of bringing kids along. I think perhaps a good compromise would be for the parents to view the houses first, then when it's narrowed down to 2 or 3 possibilities the kids can come in. No seller in their right mind would object to kids being along on a second look.
A few months ago a friend and I were in a fancy neighborhood where the houses start at 1M at least and saw an open house. Being the little snoopes we are, we went in. Really strange - the real estate agent (nice young lady) was there but so was the owner. They had drinks set out (I think the owner had already had more than a couple) and the whole time the agent was showing us the home, the owner was directing her to "be sure to show them....." and "don't miss seeing....." until it was all I could do not to laugh (or pinch her head off). Bless her heart, the agent took it all in stride, but if it had been me I'd have been upset. So, my opinion of sellers being present is a big NO. There are extenuating circumstances, of course - when I had my house in AZ up for sale an agent stopped by one evening "on the off chance" that I'd be willing to let her and her clients in. I'd just gotten home from work and fixed a quick dinner that included chopped raw onions, so I said "sure, come on in, hope you don't mind the smell of onions". Depends on how badly you want to sell your home if you are willing to be flexible and accommodating to prospective buyers.

Well, after seeing all the responses, I will make sure that all my closets and cupboards are empty, that way, the buyers wouldn't feel deprived. and I will make sure that nothing is out of place, but that will not include the drawers in my dressing room.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: rker321,

quote:

Originally posted by doodles64:
I so agree on opening cupboard and closet doors! How else are you going to see if it will work for you?

The author lives in Europe. It seems that in many cases across the pond, the sellers take the kitchen cupboards and "closets" (which are actually armoires) with them when they move. In those situations, a buyer opening those doors would be no different then a buyer opening your private dresser drawers to take a look.

ITA, Jewel. Haven't had a chance to review the material, unfortunately - but they follow different practices and procedures across the pond.

Inappropriate for buyers to snoop through items belonging to the homeowner, unless they're fixtures and/or part of the building, i.e. everything included in the sale.

JMHO.

Actually -in Europe they take the whole kitchen with them when moving in some instances!!

Here that would possibly fall under "bank Owned" from what I have seen!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: real estate lady,

ITA, REL - that's what we were referring to.

Please definitely open the cabinets and closets. With our first house, we realized after we moved in that the bottom cabinets in the kitchen were actually upper cabinets. The shelves were so narrow that I had no where to store my pots other than in the oven until we remodeled the kitchen - lol! I don't generally cook so it had never even crossed my mind that that was a possibility.