What an unpleasant and shameless woman! Yuk.

Oh, No. Just what your open house did not need.

I'm sorry that happened, but your neighbor sounds like an unhappy woman you really wouldn't have enjoyed as a friend (moving or not). Hopefully by tonight you'll be able to recognize the source for what it is, and laugh about it.

A loud outspoken woman at an open house telling me her taste in wallpaper wouldn't sway me in the least if that helps at all.

My brother and SIL had a realtor held open house themselves yesterday. She emailed last night telling me she was surprised at how many neighbors came. She supposed to see the staging, what the painters, flooring companies had been doing over the last month. What they had done was put the house back in the new condition (pre teenagers, pets) that it was when they bought it 12 years ago. All rooms painted the same original craftsmen colors, hardwoods refinished, carpeted rooms replaced with same as had always been there ;0) Nothing new to see, only fresh, gleaming ;0)

I think about it in two ways. First, what she said and, second, where she said it.

Regarding the first issue, we are WAY WORSE here. Not everyone will like your taste. Water off a ducks back.

Regarding the second issue, should she have said it there? That depends. She definitely should have been quiet about her opinions. That being said, open houses aren't like the ones on tv. For everyone who likes something you do, there is at least one person who doesn't.

I have green kitchen cabinets and corian counters and a king bed that takes almost our whole bedrood while the attached bath is off the smallest bedroom in the house. Thank goodness I'm not selling anytime soon!

ETA: We love open houses in our neighborhood and a lot of the agents know us. I visit every one I can and always descretely let them know I'm a lookie-loo.

That was rude of her, but I would not worry about it affecting the opinions of other viewers. For everyone who hates a color, there is someone else who likes it, and most people are capable of picturing rooms with the wallpaper or paint color changed (although HGTV shows chronically suggest otherwise--I don't believe them for a minute).

Good luck on your sale!

There are certain types of people who I use as sort of a negative feedback mechanism. Like if they liked the wallpaper I would start to question it. I work with a woman who the day she tells me she thinks my hair looks good is the day I go home and cut it. This neighbor sounds like that. I would not worry about it.

She had her usual happy hour, then walked across the street. I suspect she probably doesn't really remember exactly what she said.

Hearing a woman spewing negative comments is really a turn off at an open house.

For those out there with experience, what do you do when someone is acting irrationally and negatively at an open house?

We've been to a lot of open houses over the past year(probably close to 75-85). Many of them have had neighbors attending. It really wouldn't bother me what they say about the house itself, but I have overheard things about the neighborhood that made think a little.

Honestly, if I was attending your open house... I'd worry about having her as a neighbor. When we finally bought a house(and we did not attend the open house for it!), it was amazing how many neighbors made comments that indicated they had.

It sounds like there was little or no damage done in terms of how the house showed, despite her inopportune opinionizing.

When our family home was for sale when we were downsizing, our agent held an agents' open house the day it was listed. Not surprisingly, a couple of area neighbours showed up and they were let in. The agent told us that one said "it will never sell at this price". He happened to know her and that she wanted a better home than the one her family was in. Well, within the day one of the open house agents brought an offer at full price and it sold right away. I didn't know the neighbour personally, and never ran into her.

In a case like yours, I wouldn't worry. However, I also wouldn't hesitate, if the occasion arose, to, without rancour, mention that I knew she was at the open house for some time and had some firm opinions on the decor. I would go no further with her, but if you have another open house I would ask the agent to ask her to make an appointment for viewing if she wants to spend any amount of time there.

Good luck with the sale!

Unfortunately there are millions like her in the world...good deal you are moving away from one. I wouldn't give her motor mouth gas by saying anything...just don't let her back in.

A lot of people won't do open houses to avoid exactly what happened to you......they don't want looky-lou neighbors traipsing through who are just nosy and have no interest in purchasing the house. A friend had a neighbor who didn't even have the realtor sign out front because she didn't want other neighbors knowing her business or knocking on her door asking questions. I thought that was a bit much, but the house sold rather quickly anyway just being on the MLS.

In our neighbourhood the neighbours get notifications about the open houses. You never know where a contact or referral might come from.

In our area, agents hold open houses as a way to get new clients, as well as potentially get a sale. They fully expect neighbors to come through.

Everyone's taste is different, but loudly sharing your opinion with others during an open house is just bad behavior, as everyone pointed out. Even giving feedback to the realtor, in a private and quiet manor, is generally expected/solicited from visitors (but things like, "I'm looking for a larger kitchen". "the bamboo in the tiki room looks like it will be difficult to remove").

Fortunately, you won't have to deal with that neighbor much longer (unfortunately, more of her kind exists everywhere).

I'm so sorry this happened at your open house. You deserve better, especially from a neighbor.

Unfortunately she has a drinking problem and has shown up on my doorstep a few times while DH was home and he recognized her problem immediately.

Alcoholism is a disease. It wreaks havoc on both the diseased person, and everyone around them. The emotional and financial damages are devastating.

Good sleuthing from your realtor. Now you know. With that, I would not say a thing to her. Hopefully, she got her negative attitude out of her system. Keep in mind, that typical home showings involve another realtor and your family out of the house. You don't want the neighbor reacting to your comments with potential buyers.

Interesting. Years ago, I went to a few open houses in my neighborhood. At the time, the neighborhood was composed of 50's split levels. It was fun to see the future possibilities of what others had done with my exact same house.

Fast forward, now most the homes are being replaced. I have no reason to view these homes and I actually have neighbors who are realtors that show them. They would KNOW I am not interested in buying at this stage in the game. And, I can easily look online if I am interested in how the kitchen looks!

I go to open houses in my neighbourhood but I also let the realtor know I'm a looky loo -- I don't want them wasting their time on me. I figure it's good for them because a busy open house looks "hot" to buyers. I would not loudly trash a house however! The drunken disgruntled neighbour is one of the worst varieties -- I'm glad you're moving!!

Thank you for all your replies, they've helped me recover from my initial shock by reminding me that she seems to be a rather a sad, lonely woman. Whenever we've met in the neighborhood she latches on and it can be difficult to break off the conversation.

I am not offended at all by her opinion of my decor however I wish she had been discreet. It is the creep factor thinking that she was snooping and checking out my closet or bathroom. She has been in my home before but only on the main floor and I know she's already seen the online listing since she told me.

I hadn't thought about what a buyer might think of having her as a next door neighbor - I'm going to have to block that idea out of my mind! And I realize that it's prudent to refrain from saying anything to her about her visit since she could so easily engage a potential buyer in small talk. I don't want to imagine what might pop out of her mouth if she were irked with me.

Thanks again, Maire

I confess we have been looky loos at open houses in our neighborhood as some of the houses are quite interesting or unusual in design. Or they were houses I remember as a child and wanted to see them now. We always tell the realtor that we are just being nosy neighbors and if a "hot prospect" comes in, spend time with them. We always made a point to say complimentary things about the house if others were there looking.

In one house, we were alone with the realtor and did express our concerns. The house had been on the market for over a year and they were asking well over $1 mil for the place. I suggested that if they want to sell, they might get a cleaning service in as no one wants to buy someone else's dirt. The grand 3 story high windows in the large foyer were so filthy you couldn't see out of them. From the broad balcony that spanned the foyer, you looked down onto the sconces below and could see the dust and filth that looked like it hadn't been touched in 10 years. I don't think anyone ever cleaned around all the spindles on the double staircase ever. The mold around the tub corners and on the shower curtains looked disgusting. The house had a second kitchen in the basement and the stove was covered in grease. Not only didn't it show the house well, but it just begged the question, what other maintenance hasn't been done over the years? No matter how grand or small a home is, if you want to sell, at least have it clean, but especially when you trying to sell high end.

I was a realtor for a decade (I let my license expire in April) and hosted way too many open houses. A good realtor can deflect loud, negative comments easily; ie if nosey neighbor says "oh I hate this carpet " the realtor can say "there's hardwood flooring under(if there is) or "that's such an easy change." a realtor can empathize slightly with the lookie loo without selling out. "I hate the wallpaper "comment could be met with a "wallpaper isn't for everyone but I've sold tons of houses with it where the buyer removes it later. Wallpaper is much easier to remove than it used to be. "

But mostly I would tell you that open houses rarely sell homes. Realtors do them because sellers think it is a good vehicle for selling and demand them. The truth is it is a great way for realtors to gain exposure and clients and for your neighbors to see how you live. Your most important tool is your listing on realtor.com. Make sure it shines

jo.

Yes, am guilty of occasionally going to open houses in the neighborhood. All the houses were exactly the same when built but 70 years later they are all very different inside. It's fun to see what people have done. Still, I would never hang out there and certainly keep my opinions to myself especially since its likely to get back to the neighbor.

one time the Realtor was a good friend and I was the only one there, soI did mention that the place stunk of wet dog. It was overwhelming.

Maire, I would make some snide remark to the rude neighbor since you are moving anyway and won't be seeing her again. No need to grin and bear it, and why should you?

Many of us have had the experience of being around someone we care about who has had too much to drink and has said stupid things. (Some of us have been that person too.) I think you're right, Maire, in opting to take a more compassionate view of this woman, even though her behavior was irksome. I hope your house sells quickly. I know it can be stressful having one on the market!

I like to visit neighborhood open houses, but I always let the realtor know I'm a neighbor and just looking, i.e., you don't have to spend any time on me.

Once, I was in the kitchen of an open house. The original golden oak kitchen cabinets had been painted white but they hadn't added any hardware. I was the only person viewing the house at the time and I told the realtor that it would be easy to add hardware for an updated look. She didn't care for the comment at all.

I love going to open houses..if I'm a neighbor I say so though.

I think it's extremely rude to voice out loudly any opinion but positive. You can think the rest to yourself, say it quietly to your SO if you're there with one, or ask a realtor/provide him a very polite reserved feedback in case he asks.

But this lady just sounds like she maybe actually loves your home and maybe battles her own unhappy mood with talking herself into all her "buts"..why she does it so loudly-who knows..but I wouldn't take it close to heart. She stayed there for 45 min-she really liked your place:) The problem whether you care about her liking your place enough, and you probably don't, since it comes with all sorts of other unpleasant stuff.

Don't worry though about her influencing other buyers..it's easy to influence people of course but usually takes some more time than random commenting takes:)

My realtor called to give an update on the showing yesterday. He had some very positive comments however I'm not about to get too excited until I have a signed contract in hand. It's too much like Charlie Brown and Lucy when she pulls the football away at the last moment.

I think it's only fair to the realtor and homeowner that we alert them that we're only looking when we attend an open house.

Jojoco - We resisted having an Open House because of the reasons you mentioned. But my realtor is also hosting a Brokers Luncheon here tomorrow and I figured I had nothing to lose. The house is clean, the landscaping looks good and you never know where a sale may come from. Even a neighbor who is merely looking may mention it to another friend or co-worker.

Dedtired - You shouldn't feel guilty for going to Open Houses - it's expected. It would be fascinating to see how once identical houses have changed over a 70 year period. We had friends who lived in a similar neighborhood in Penn Wynne and it was interesting to even see how the exteriors had changed.

Thanks, Maire

My SO is now a realtor and I agree, realtors do open houses in order to meet potential clients who may be just starting to look, which is why they are going to open houses, and may not have a realtor yet.

However, I did find the house we live in now at an open house. I looked at it purely out of curiousity and decided to make an offer on it.

If I were at an open house and heard someone criticizing it, it would not bother me as another looker. I figure, I hear people at open houses oohing and ahhing over things I don't particularly like, too, so I am not much influenced by other people's opinions. And I do tend to keep my opinions to myself.

I do say that I am just looking or a neighbor, although now SO can say we are looking just to know what the inventory is.

Occasionally I have not kept my opinion to myself when asked something directly by the agent. I was looking at a house once that the agent asked about our opinion regarding price and we said that we thought the price was way too high. (It was)

Another time I told a realtor that I really did not like the (brand new) master bath at all. However, I tempered this by saying that I was sure a lot of people would love it, I just thought it was totally wrong for the house from an architectural standpoint, but that most people would probably not notice or care.

And I have also been honest when I have gone to see a real time capsule that I know is going to be gutted. I've said right out "I want to see this house before someone comes in and guts it". (Or sometimes "ruins" it) I sometimes have a sense of how certain realtors feel about certain houses. And despite what you see on real estate television, some realtors are interested in preserved rather than completely updated houses.

Hm..when I think about it...we bought our place after we saw it at the open house..moreover we sold our previous place to folks who also saw it at the open house..so with all the low probability and all-it happens. To us, like a lot, lol.

Pal - I liked your comment on the earlier post that there are some people that you use as a negative feedback mechanism. I hadn't thought about it that way but you are right - had she loved my wallpaper then I would know that it needed to be removed immediately. Actually I don't particularly care for it any longer myself but several realtors have said that it's not worth removing - it's a fairly subtle tone on tone in the foyer and hall.

We have removed wallpaper in the dining room and our bedroom and bath and the rest of the house is just paint. We have an estimate on removing the foyer and hall paper and are willing to include that in a negotiation. Obviously if it proves to be an onerous selling point we will have it removed. So far it doesn't seem to scaring anyone off.

So far 2 couples have been through 3 times each. One put in a very lowball bid and we countered but they ended up buying a less expensive home in the next suburb. The other couple loved everything except for the 120 year old structural fir beam in our bedroom and wanted to know if we would have it removed. We told them they we could give them the name of a good contractor, structural engineer or architect but that we weren't going to remove it. One other couple said our house had everything they wanted except they didn't want to move back into this neighborhood. They lived a few streets away and just sold their house because they had serious issues with their next door neighbor. I'm not really sure why they bothered coming but they may end up changing their minds if they don't find something else they like.

Pal - I think if a realtor knows you and your interest in homes and interiors he would value your knowledgeable opinion on a particular property. And now that your SO is a realtor I'm sure you have ample opportunity to see all the unique or historic places in town. Selling real estate is not as easy as it might appear - it's a tough job and I hope your SO loves it. Two of my kids have purchased homes in Philly within the last 2 years - and the third one just left for a leafy, fenced in yard in the suburbs. I wish I could have given him our home but he couldn't afford the taxes and maintenance.

Thanks, Maire

I was to an open house the other day I thought was good marketing for the realtor and the seller. The seller was elderly and house was priced to go. The realtor said she was just doing the open house and showings the one weekend to minimize disruption to the seller, and she was accepting offers until Tuesday. She advertised the heck out of the open house and the house went pending Tuesday over asking (not so common in my area). I agree in general they're not pivotal.

When we bought our house there was an open house scheduled, but we had a firm deal within 24h, before the open house. The realtor kept the open house and I think it was smart because it put the sellers in a better negotiating position post-inspection. It was a stampede of a showing, people were showing up in droves in luxury vehicles. We knew they'd have lots of backup offers if ours fell through.

In my local market, there are more buyers than sellers. The house next door went on the market. Yes, we spent time at the open house. The realtor knows us and knew we were lookieloos.

They had four offers over asking during the open house. Having lived next door, I thought it was overpriced, knowing what I do after 13 years. However, it just goes to show you that value is based on what the buyer will spend and the market will support.

My mother just sold her house as-is in a highly desirable area of south OC. Her house had all the mechanicals updates (contrary to next door), but needed two bathrooms remodeled and new flooring. She was in escrow twice the week after the open house and the second buyer closed in 30 days.

I think in a hot market, where reasonably priced property inventory is low, an open house can definitely sell the property faster.

Another lookie loo, I always tell the realtor the truth that I am just looking as I like to keep current on local real estate market. Basically what is selling for what near by. That said none of my really close by neighbors have listed there homes in years. Most have been in their homes 25+ years, so no worry about offending those I know. When talking to the agent I usually just wish them luck with the sale. If they ask my opinion I will tell them my favorite parts of the house, rarely point out the negatives unless they ask and it is something they might be able to fix. The nice thing from all this looking is I already have a couple of agents in mind to interview when I am ready to sell. Also, there are several that I know I would not call. We did not initially see our home that we bought 2 years ago at an open house. But even with a lengthy private appointment, we were not sure about the house and were leaning toward not making an offer. When we saw that there was going to be an open house went back for a second look just to be sure that we were making the right decision. If there had not been the open house we would not have likely bought this house.

I can understand being annoyed, it was rude and tacky. When we moved into our house, one of the neighbors casually mentioned that she was looking in the windows of our place (while it was listed) and that gave me the creeps. I think if it's done respectively, ie advising the realtor of why you're there, it's a given, but personally, I've never even considered going to the open house of a neighbor.

To me it's irrelevant what someone like her would think of my furnishings or design choices, but I would be livid about her waltzing in and talking to potential buyers about her opinions. I'm pretty assertive and would have no problem letting her know she's not welcome to come to our open houses and why, then I'd have nothing more to do with her.

You could clean out your liquor cabinet and give her your throwaways.

lol lol

l feel mean today.

I go to open houses in my neighborhood and always disclose to the realtor that I am a neighbor just looking. We love our neighborhood, but would like to downsize in a few years so I like to see what's out there.

It is very sad that your neighbor seems to suffer from alcoholism. It is a disease. You are right to ignore it and not commment to her about her behavior. She ,may not even remember what she did. I feel for her family, especially the children.

Good luck on selling!

We bought our house after an open-house viewing. The day before we'd been driven around by a lackluster realtor who seemed distracted and showed us houses that we didn't like. The next day we went to some open houses on our own and found ours. It was in 1999 and before the listings were all online.

josephene_gw

You could clean out your liquor cabinet and give her your throwaways.

lol lol

l feel mean today.

I empathize with the OP, because an open house is an important event. But I don't know that saying mean things about someone who appears to be an alcoholic is helpful. I think that being mean to the ill and/or handicapped diminishes us.