Would you let a previous owner tour your house years later?

[Anonymous]

This makes me think of the Miranda Lambert song. There's a reason why that song resonates with so many people.

[Anonymous]

I would absolutely love to visit my childhood home that I lived in from age 7-10. I’ve looked it up on Google Maps and everything - the house, the neighborhood, the woods we played in - are so much smaller than I remember.

[Anonymous]

We once got a random knock on our door and was a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary. Their kids had organized a "this is your life" tour through DC and they had lived in our house as a young married couple. We let them walk through the house and they told us what was new/old ("there never used to be a half bath here" etc) and were generally lovely. They also wrote us a very sweet thank you note afterwards. Overall it was very sweet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This happened in an episode of Night Agent and it was a ruse. The owner ended up dead.

I *loved* that assassin couple. I would've gladly watched a spinoff show of the two of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last week I had a slightly odd interaction and I can’t stop thinking about it.

I was outside in the driveway chatting with my DD’s friend’s mom, who was picking her up after they’d hung out. While we were talking, a car pulled up to the curb and a woman got out and came straight up to me. She introduced herself, and I realized she was the previous owner of our house. (It had been her parents’ home and she grew up here.)

When we bought the house, we had mentioned we planned to renovate, and she seemed to understand that at the time. Now she asked if she could see the work we’ve done.

The timing was kind of chaotic; the other mom had arrived early, her daughter was still inside gathering her things, and I was trying to be polite and juggle both conversations. I ran inside quickly to check on the girls and get things moving, and when I came back out, the woman had left. She never came back.

Our house was a mess at the time, so part of me was honestly relieved. But ever since, I keep wondering about it, where she went, if she’ll come back, and what I’d do if she does.

The more I think about it, the more I feel like I don’t actually want to invite her in if she shows up again, but I can’t quite articulate why. It just feels… off?

WWYD? Would you let a former owner come in to see the house?

We did- the son of the former owner who grew up in the house, and we had done a massive rennovation/gut job. He was kind, and said his mom would have loved to see the house being lived in and loved again. It wasn't really a big deal, we had young kids (3 and 5?) the house was a mess, but who cared, he was just walking down memory lane, and if he grew up there, he'd seen it messy before.

I went with my mom when she was in her 70s to the hone she grew up in, and the current owners allowed us to walk through.

Maybe people move more frequently now, but my mom lived in the house she grew up in until she married, and I grew up in one home (that's since been knocked down and a McMansion put up there), and my family has been in our home for 27 years now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We once got a random knock on our door and was a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary. Their kids had organized a "this is your life" tour through DC and they had lived in our house as a young married couple. We let them walk through the house and they told us what was new/old ("there never used to be a half bath here" etc) and were generally lovely. They also wrote us a very sweet thank you note afterwards. Overall it was very sweet.

This is adorable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This happened in an episode of Night Agent and it was a ruse. The owner ended up dead.

This would be more interesting if it actually was the previous occupant, but then killed them anyway

[Anonymous]

I would…absolutely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Happened to us. Previous owner stopped by (they moved locally). I let him walk the outside- showed off the new deck, landscaping we put our blood/sweat/tears into, and how nice the tree trimming looked.

Then I back handedly mentioned all the things that needed work and are in the process of doing (your taste in paint sucked so we are repainting, you were a cheapskate with XYZ so we plan ABC)...type.

Because you were a jerk?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This happened in an episode of Night Agent and it was a ruse. The owner ended up dead.

I *loved* that assassin couple. I would've gladly watched a spinoff show of the two of them.

I LOVED that show, but it was SO stressful!

[Anonymous]

It would be so funny if I stopped by my childhood home to tour it. "This is where my father beat me for my brother stealing. This is where I had to stand with my nose against the wall every day for two hours. This is where I got shoved down the stairs. This is where my father beat me so hard I peed myself ... the first time. " And on and on. Good times!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's where she grew up. The house where she grew up. Do you not understand -at all- about this? Sure, you can/should do what you want. You don't need to invite her but don't be such an odd human being that you can't imagine her sentimental interest.

There is sentimental interest, and then there is obsession. Unfortunately I have a couple relatives who seem to be obsessed with the houses they grew up in, to an unhealthy degree and can't understand why the new owners don't want to give them guided tours every few years.

My relatives are harmless, but I can understand why the new owners are perplexed and not interested in having them tour. At some point you need to move on and it's not your house anymore.

Stopping by a singular one time, and then discreetly leaving when it was clear OP was busy, is hardly obsession.

[Anonymous]

The adult child who grew up in our current house drove up when I was on my way to pick up my kids from camp a few summers ago. She rolled down her window to say hello as I was driving away. She was very friendly and kind. I wished I’d had been able to let her in to look around but I was truly on my way to grab the kids- I told her to feel free to look around the grounds (it’s a large property) and not to feel awkward peeking into any and all windows to see her old home. It seemed normal to me- I’ve done drive bys past my old house when I’m back in that area. Never spoke to owners but if they had been out in the yard j would have.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, but my previous owner is dead.

[Anonymous]

Oh I should add to the above that I knew it was her because I recognized her from some pictures her parents had left us of their family in the house over the years.