Are Nosey Neighbors a Red Flag During Open Houses? - Two Experiences Today

[Anonymous]

We went looking at two houses in Foxhall Village today and in both instance, a random neighbor stopped by, admitted they weren’t interested in buying and just wanted “to see” - both neighbors totally monopolized the agents time, asking mundane questions and also invaded their neighbors’ privacy, opening closet doors, etc. It totally put us off of the neighborhood. One neighbor just parked herself in the house, talking the agent’s ear off. Geez. . .

My sister was a real estate agent years ago and said this used to annoy her because she would end up with quite a bit of nosey neighbor foot traffic. And they were really just comparing to see if neighbor Betty had updated her kitchen and trying to figure out what exactly DID she do when those contractors were at the house for weeks last year.

[Anonymous]

I agree that’s annoying.

When I moved into my new build a few years ago, my nosey neighbor would constantly tell me “we (meaning my neighbors) have all visited your house multiple times!” Um…ok?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree that’s annoying.

When I moved into my new build a few years ago, my nosey neighbor would constantly tell me “we (meaning my neighbors) have all visited your house multiple times!” Um…ok?

Ugh - so weird. I also feel like it violates their neighbors’ privacy. You’ve been neighbors FOR YEARS and clearly, selling neighbor is not good enough friends with you to invite you over to see their house, much less open their closets, looking at their personal items but yet, here you are, the moment selling neighbor leaves for the benefit of potential BUYERS, barging into their house to be nosey. Really weird and poor form.

Sellers, turn on your Ring cameras and then follow up with your nosey neighbors later. Embarrass the hell out of them.

[Anonymous]

It happens 100% of the time. So don't let that put you off, otherwise you're never going to buy anything.

[Anonymous]

Nope, not a red flag. Maybe annoying, but annoying people are everywhere (including people who don't know that they're having conversations with people who are totally uninterested in what they're saying). And I'm not sure there's anything wrong with neighbors visiting to check out improvements and get ideas for improving their own houses.

[Anonymous]

We get so many cards inviting us to open houses in our neighborhood. I have never gone because I am not in the market but the realtors bring this on themselves by inviting neighbors. I am sure they are hoping neighbors will spread the word about the house for sale.

[Anonymous]

To be fair, the agents are meeting potential clients who might someday want to sell their own houses in the same neighborhood- and want to know what upgrades are good for resale.

But I totally agree about the nosiness. Ugh, that’s really gross. Good idea about setting up cameras during the open house.

[Anonymous]

Stop wasting time on open houses. Get yourself an agent and make an appointment for a showing and not deal with the looky loos otherwise you're not a serious buyer either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It happens 100% of the time. So don't let that put you off, otherwise you're never going to buy anything.

This. It’s normal. Chewing the estate agents ear off is maybe not, but checking out the house, totally normal.

[Anonymous]

That wouldn’t be a factor for me in whether I tried to buy one of the houses.

[Anonymous]

Some people just have nothing else to do

[Anonymous]

I live in a city and on a walk home saw a condo two blocks from my apartment on sale having an open. I asked my kid if she wanted to go check it out. We walked in, the RE agent was there, and nobody else was, so I just flat out told her. "I live down the street, can't afford to buy, but can we just look around?" so she said yes. We were just fantasizing about what it'd be like to live in a big condo. If there'd been real potential buyers there, I am not sure we'd have gone in.

[Anonymous]

What did you need to talk to the agent about? Most buyers come with an agent. An agent usually does an open house to get clients (that's how we got ours).

We go to open houses in the neighborhood, but we're friends with several of them. I've never looked in drawers, but we definitely talk to agents we don't know about the neighborhood and pricing. I think a lot of people go because they want to sell their house and see the market. We went to one last year, and almost decided to buy it as an investment/or light flip. Our neighbors went as looky loo and moved around the corner.

I don't see the big deal, but I'm also not unaware of a people around me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in a city and on a walk home saw a condo two blocks from my apartment on sale having an open. I asked my kid if she wanted to go check it out. We walked in, the RE agent was there, and nobody else was, so I just flat out told her. "I live down the street, can't afford to buy, but can we just look around?" so she said yes. We were just fantasizing about what it'd be like to live in a big condo. If there'd been real potential buyers there, I am not sure we'd have gone in.

And someday you might be a buyer, so information you learn by looking around at places now can help you later. Agents know that and have the long view.

[Anonymous]

I'm 19:20 and we don't go as often now, but our younger neighbors have told me they go to get friends to buy in their neighborhood. Another reason.