The opposite happened to me - the new owner of our old home invited me to come see what they had done with the place.

It was a very traditional home but they ’improved it’ by ripping up wood floors and laying LVP and shag rugs, painted walls orange and lime green and the kitchen cabinets turquoise, removed walls, converted the two-car garage with real cedar doors to a man cave complete with masses of neon beer signs/lights, juke boxes and pinball machines, erected carports in which to park, etc etc. All documented on FB.

I declined the invitation.

I don't think so - I've never had a relationship with any of them, and I've never wanted to see what happened to the insides of houses where I used to live, although I can easily see the house where I used to live in Venice online, as it was turned into rental property. I did go by this house after we moved to look at the yards to see what trees were still there, but that was really the extent of my interest. I like to drive by the front of this house when the silk floss tree is in bloom, and I might like seeing the front yard of my old house in Westchester at some point in the future, to see what has happened to some of the plants.

Yes, i did. one time a woman was driving slowly by, twice. She explained she used to live here. I invited her in to see the downstairs. The upstairs want ready for company. Actually the downstairs probably wasn't either!

The person who lives behind me, we share an alley, her daughter used to live here (she rented), and I let them see it. It's not like I didn't know the person who lives behind me. I don't know, I think I would let anybody come in and see if they wanted to. But my house is really old (not as old as lily's, but 1918), so I expect people to say I used to live there, that I have no idea who they are.

A few years ago a cousin and I took a drive past our grandparent's house. There were six of us grandchildren, and we all have a lot of fond, fun memories of spending time at grandpa and grandma's house. This was 55 or so years ago. My cousin and I just intended to drive by the house. When we drove by, a young woman was out mowing the front lawn. I impulsively pulled over, and we got out. We introduced ourselves and said our grandparents had owned this house decades ago. We described the inside of the house, and when I asked if the tiny wall safe was still in the bedroom, the woman knew we knew the house. She asked if we'd like to come in, and my cousin and I said yes! We had the best time remembering childhoods spent in that house. We weren't there very long, and the woman was glad she could enjoy our nostalgia at the memories.

I would invite her in in a heartbeat and ask her to stay for dinner 😊 We had known her and her husband for decades, her husband our BILs closest friend. They had just returned to the area from the state where they had raised their three children in May that year. She wasn't wild about coming back to their home town but he wanted to and she wanted him happy. She lost him in an accident (storm) 6 months later in Dec. She told me then she never would have left the community where they had raised their boys, her church, her volunteer work, all her friends with children in common if she'd known she would be alone.

She held out for 5 years then built a custom-designed-for-her home back where they had lived most of their married life. Out of the blue, DH said 'I love that house she's leaving, let's buy it'. We did.

A few years after moving into my house a young man showed up on the doorstep asking to come in. He was a friend of the previous owners son and fondly remembered the house. My two preschoolers and I declined to let him in.

I did get invited to see the house FIL built after it was sold. Those owners had a great time pointing out things like the bathroom that was remodeled once new owner put his foot through the rotted floor boards.

How can you tell if the person is truly a previous owner? It’s a risk to let a stranger into your home. We never met the previous owners when we purchased the homes. It would be different if I knew the person.

It's never happened to me. We've lived here 35 years. I did knock on the door of my grandparents' house once to ask permission to take a picture of the front from the street to show my children. The owners agreed and invited me to see the back garden too but not the inside and I wouldn't have asked either. I'd have felt awkward and considered it an invasion of their privacy.

In March we met up with DH's brothers in CA which put me in the vicinity of the home where I lived when I was in Middle School. We drove by. The neighborhood had changed enough all on it's own since 1972 there was plenty to look at and play I remember....I didn't need to see the inside of the house. We were renters back then. Zillow is great fun this way. If the home goes up for sale it enables people to see w/o going in. This home was for sale with in the last five years and back then my siblings and I passed the listing around via email. We didn't build our current home. We are the second owner. I can't imagine denying anyone that had the gumption to ask. It's a simple enough request to grant.

I think so, yes. I've been on the flip side twice. Just recently, we had a reason to go to our former home, which we left four years ago. They invited us in to see the new kitchen. It was gorgeous! The house was built in the 90s, and I always wondered what someone would do with it one day. Now we know.

My sister and I were in our hometown for a reunion, and we were out rambling around. We drove past our grandparents' old house. She marched up to the door and asked if we could see (I was mortified.) The husband was there and cheerfully showed us all around. He did say "don't tell my wife I let you upstairs!" It was very much still our grandparents' house, right down to the squeak on the stairs. It was built in 1931 and these folks are the second owners.

The former owner of the home we lived in for 35 years did stop by - but he lived in the same town and worked with my DH so it was no big deal. This was after we added a 1000 sq foot, 2 story addition and he was amazed at the new kitchen.

We've only owned 3 homes and I would love to see the first two. Our first home was a small bi-level (aka raised rancher) which I never cared for. But it was all we could afford since I stopped working when pregnant and it was a convenient location for DH's work. The couple who bought it from us sold it after a few years and the photos from the listing were terrible - the house was dirty, stained grout, stained carpets, the fence broken, the windows cracked.

But the next owners completely changed the house. They built a detached 2 car garage, moved the kitchen downstairs into the old garage and turned the former kitchen into a huge primary bedroom suite. The revamped the front of the house, improved the steps and landscaping and added a pool. We did drive by one day last year and they were mowing the grass - DH didn't want to bother them but I would have.

I would love to see my childhood home too. My parents built it in 1954 and sold it to a young family in 2005. They are still living there and my brother spoke to the wife one day when he called town hall to find out about adding our Father to the W.W. 2 Memorial. The woman recognized the name and was happy to chat about the house and her family.

Not possible. All the children who went to school here and the teachers who taught are long gone. Over the years sometimes elderly people would show up and walk around the outside and relate stories but never ask to come in.

My uncle who bought and 'housified it" in 1939 also died long ago. My cousin and her husband who lived here temporarily after he died have never asked. I would let them see it if they wished. I've made may changes.

I had this happen a number of years ago. A man, saying that he had grown up in the house, came to the door and asked to come in. As if I would! I told him that I couldn't help him. It was probably true, but I wouldn't take a chance.

Yes. Decades ago, a couple of women stopped by asking to see the house... my in-laws were living there at the time. The woman was born in the house, she was 100 and wanted to see it again before she died. She told them a lot about the history of the house and how it'd changed since she was there. I was a young child at the time but always wished I'd learned more about what she had to say.

Friends of mine asked to see the house they grew up in...their father had built it and the new owners had done some substantial remodeling. They all had a great time and each learned a lot.

In 2002, us kids sold the home my parents built in 1953 and we all grew up in. The family that purchased it lived there for 9 years. Right before they sold it they had a yard sale, so one of my brothers and I stopped by hoping to get a peek inside. The owners remembered us and invited us in. It was interesting to see the changes they had made—some which I thought, “why didn’t we think of that?” and others, “what were they thinking?” The one thing they kept that meant so much to us was the door jamb that had us 4 kids heights marked as we grew up. They explained they had repainted, but felt that piece of history needed to remain.

Probably, yeah. I met one of the people who owned my house (briefly during a visit before closing), so I'd recognize that they were the people who lived here. I wouldn't let strangers in based only on their word that they used to live here.

I was real estate shopping online a little while ago and came upon my old house (20+ years ago) in the listings, and could see from the photos how much they'd changed it. Totally changed it (removed leaded glass French doors and gumwood trim, enlarged rooms by removing walls) - I wouldn't have recognized the interior if I hadn't seen the address.

I wish i could see my family’s first home again. I drive by when im in the area and it looks pretty much the same. There have been a couple owners after us but i found out later that one of my high school classmates had bought it and lived there for a number of years. I didnt know until after they had moved out. My old room was her daughter’s room.

I know there was a small fire there once so im not sure how the inside was changed. We had a kitchen and small dining nook that I know were combined into one large kitchen.

My best childhood memories were in that house and I wish we had never moved.

My mom grew up poor in a big city. When visiting, we drove to look at the house but the neighborhood had gotten really rough, and we didn't get out of the car. I grew up in a beautiful house in a small town. I suppose it would be interesting to see the house, but I have zero interest in visiting the town. I now live in a pre-war apartment building where many of my neighbors have lived for decades, sometimes moving from one apartment to another depending on changes in their family. I like to see other apartments in my building, especially if they have the same layout. And I love showing off our own place.

Sure! I'd expect a visitor to tell me something about his connection to the house, and I'd want DH to be present, but why not indulge such a request?

DH drove past his childhood home when he was (rarely) in the area. One day he noticed that painters/remodelers were in the house. He rang the bell, explained his interest, and the relatively new owner invited him in -- to see how much the rooms had shrunk since he was 12. She was very interested in his memories of the house and the neighborhood, including about the mob boss who'd lived across the street.

I would love to see the home I grew up in. I’m going to write to the present owners in advance of my next visit, just to see if I can make it happen. That house was new when we moved in, about 70 years ago.

I'm quite surprised about the strong negative responses to the question some have expressed.

“It’s a risk to let a stranger into your home.”

It’s unfortunate but I think caution is a good idea with complete strangers.

As Wolf said , you can't go home again. My husbands dear little house remained charming and lovely. However when I was three my parents moved to the town where he was transferred as manager of the telephone company. My parents were old school and decided to save and build a brand new brick ranch in a lovely neighborhood but were not going to take out a mortgage but save up and pay cash which was stupid in my opinion. But they rented a lovely 1850 clapboard house with green shutters which had been divided in half. We got the side with the big winding staircase. We got to be close friends with the family essentially living with us in the same house. He was director of the YMCA and their son and I were close and played together. They moved and my parents built their dream house where my mother lived for 50 years ( dad died 20 years before her). Going back home to attend my best friend's funeral 15 years ago, I went by the house which now looked like it belonged in a ghetto. The siding was aluminum, all shutters were gone and it looked derelict although the neighborhood was still as I remembered. It was just this house that was the sore thumb and where I spent my childhood years living across from our Lutheran church and a block from Main Street where I could hang out with friends at the Y or movies. I have no desire to see the inside and my sweet bedroom. The good years must have made an impression because 40 years ago I bought a federal-style house with a winding staircase very similar to the one I grew up in down to the white clapboard and dark green shutters.

I'm not surprised by the negative answers here, as I can understand people's need for privacy.

At our current house (which we will be leaving in a month or so), we have made a lot of changes that I know the previous owner would not like, as they (she) had vastly different taste from us. Since I'm sure she would not like it, I do not see the point in having her see it. I tried to get rid of all traces of her decor here and replace it with what I like instead.

After we move from here, I don't think I will care what the next owners will do, but I have a feeling that anyone who does not like it would not buy it, but I could be wrong. We did expensive renovations of the bathrooms and kitchen.

One of the “first kids” had stopped by a couple of times, but didn’t come in. DH just happened to be outside and asked ”can I help you?”, the guy introduced himself and DH recognized the name because we were still getting the brother’s college alumni magazine! So when he stopped by a couple of years later with his mom, we gave him the accumulated magazines and they came in. Didn’t go upstairs, though, they didn’t ask and we didn’t offer.

I wish they could have stayed longer than they did, I was getting ready to ask some questions about curiousities! Nothing bad, just like, was that always a full bath, did those closet doors used to be louvered doors, just how colorful was the house? We think it was dark during the 60s70s country theme, then the brights of the Home Alone era, and maybe back to cottage chic, then the bathroom upgrades of 2001?

I had a second thought... Why not just look it up? This is the tiny house we rented a billion years ago.

https://www.redfin.com/CA/Seaside/1872-Nadina-St-93955/home/14933109

You can see all the changes that way

^^ what if you don't have the address? I don't know my grandparents house address from 55+ years ago. I know the street it's on, I think, but nothing more.

That wouldn't work for my grandparents' beautiful old 1860 brick home. The church next door tore it down to build a parking lot. Just like Joni Mitchell said.

https://youtu.be/CtMuMXTMnv0?si=GGBisZrDUaPgC44B

Reminds me or one of my favorite Pete Seeger songs.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UARjviT6UKw

sephia, if you know the street, look it up on Google maps, then pick the street view. When you see it, then you'll know the address.

^Yes, street view on Google maps.👍🏻

My 1820-Federal style farmhouse childhood home was razed ten years ago in order for the builder to put up an ugly/typical modern mansion monstrosity. That still hurts me, but my memories are vivid and lovely.

The converted carriage house to the 1860s brick Victorian house that we lived in for 23 years, which was built by my grandfather's grandfather, still exists, but (sadly) is no longer owned by our family. The conversion of the carriage house to a single-family dwelling, and that of the main house into 6 apartments, was originally done in the 1950s by my uncle. When the whole shebang was sold in the early 2000s, the new owner made improvements inside. I would love to see the changes, especially to the carriage house we had occupied. But I do not know the new owner, so hesitate arriving on scene and asking whoever lives there now...

We are the third owners of our 1935 home. One of the daughters of the previous owner, likely in her 70’s or 80’s, would frequently walk by in our first years here and watch us in the yard. She stopped one day and said how happy she was to see young children and a dog at the house- said that they never had a dog and it made seeing the house even better for her! She never asked to come in, and we never offered, though it was sweet to witness her expressions of joy with a new family loving the house.

rob, good suggestion, never thought of that!

Okay, last one. Many years ago, I was standing in front of my house, watching the construction company peel off layers of roofing and throw them down. A man was walking up the street and stopped to look. I said "Some mess" and he said, "It used to be my mess." It was Mr. Sorenson, who was the third owner, after Dr. Ferguson and the crazy man, who had an empty living room except for a concert grand piano. We were the fifth owners. We chatted for a bit, and he told me that the reason they sold was that there were getting to be too many noisy children around. He was responsible for the avocado green appliances and the beautiful gardens in the back. I used to see him walking around, but we never spoke again.

Life goes on...

Being the fifth generation on the family farm it was my dear grandmother and her two sisters whom I all loved very much that lived here before I moved in. They have been gone now for close to thirty years, if they were to show up on my doorstep after recovering from my shock and disbelief I would gladly welcome them in to show what I have done to the place and hope that they would stay for a nice cup of coffee, maybe a piece of pie and some good conversation!

nope!

So if hypothetically and by way of magic your grandmother and her sisters knocked on your door, your reaction would be to offer them a cup of coffee? I guess I thought your comment was going somewhere else.

If mine showed up and I were in your situation (living in the same house), I'd give her a hug and kisses and would never let go. Who cares about the house?

You don't know my grandmother - she would have to see the changes to the house, she would love to see the gardens, the original barn her grandfather built restored, how big the trees my great aunt Jane planted are now.. When my grandmother was alive she always had coffee and blueberry muffins fresh out of the oven ready for me when I arrived here for a visit and I thought that it would only be fitting to give her the kind of welcome she always gave me.

Of course they would all get kisses and hugs if they showed up - I have never let go of all of the love and memories they have given me.

I was out weeding the lawn some years ago when an older woman stopped and told me that she had lived in the house as a child, in the 1950s with her single parent mother and brother.

She gave me the history of the "family room" addition on the back: it was built to be her mother's office - she was the local manager (IIRC) of a company that made those enameled metal exterior tiles (like we used to see on gas stations). That is why it had the built in shelves and file drawers all along one wall, and a door to the sidewalk that runs along one side of the house.

I later found out that the door actually had its own mailing address - a different number than the main house! Maybe it still does- I haven't tried to find out. When I had the addition's floor rebuilt (it was floored in something that looked like densely pressed paper) we found two of the tiles in the crawl space - decorative ones, one red, one green. They are still there (unless the flooring guy filched them without asking.)

I told her that I keep finding marbles and small toy cars as I dig in my back yard garden beds - possibly left (lost) by her or her brother. But, I didn't invite her in, although I sensed that she hoped I would, because the house was definitely not tidy on that day! Later, though, I regretted that I hadn't - I could have just explained that I, too was a single working mother and that many tasks get left for the weekend.

Not exactly the same, but my father was an architect and we lived in an unusual (for the time) home. He was also a very gregarious person and would invite in people all the time. Not strangers, per se, but out-of-town folks he did business with or golf buddies, and who knows who else. The house was always pristine, just the way my mother was, and altho my room wasn't to exacting standards, the bed was always made and clothes put away.

Mother and Dad lived in Carmel in 1942/43, and when later visiting (mid 90's) went by their old house and knocked on the door. The owner was very nice and showed then around. Mother said that the house had really been remodeled , and told the owner how she could see the patrol blimps over the ocean from her kitchen window.

I would and I have. At my other house, someone did knock on the door and said they grew up there, they looked to be maybe in their 30's at the time (house built in the 1960s). They seemed happy to be able to take a look around again, and they didn't take up much of my time.

Absolutely I would! But, because we built this home, it won't happen.

The owner of our first home graciously gave us a spur-of-the-moment tour and it meant everything to me. The home is in a lovely neighborhood which we thoroughly enjoyed living in, and our first child, who at the time of the tour was in his 30's and happened to be with us, was born there. Wonderful memories and I'll be forever grateful to the owner for his warm hospitality.

I would and I have.

We bought a house from its second owner. The first owners had the house designed/built to their own specifications, and I later learned had expected it to be their forever home so didn't let cost deter them from getting what they wanted. However as sometimes happens, life's circumstances changed for them so they had to sell and move to a different state.

Second owners did not take good care of the home. It was structurally-sound, but cosmetically-challenged and so dirty it about made my skin crawl. But I could tell that the original owners had put care into it - it had been built with nice quality in places that mattered to me and had many nice extra touches. However it showed so poorly that we got it for a great price. We closed, cleaned it up, and I now really love that house today.

The first owners were still friends with people in the neighborhood, heard about the sale, and contacted us to say thank you. It was cute. They loved that house, were so sad it hadn't been well-taken care of, and they were thrilled to hear it was owned by people who were cleaning it up.

I live in an area where there are many historic homes and for years I attended house tours at Xmas time. I don't know if it's still a thing but I always thought these people were crazy to let so many people traipse through their homes. From a friend, I heard valuables were missing at their open house.

For many years we were asked to be on the holiday open house tour and every year we declined until they stopped asking. Of course, you had to buy a ticket but any Tom Dick or Harry could and case your place and if not take things at that time, check out exits and entrances and if they have dogs/alarms/ cameras.

The last time I owned a pre-owned home was in the early 1970s - the house was built in 1940. But, no previous owner or tenant ever stopped by. Hubs and I have been the first owners/occupants of all of the houses we've owned together (and the first house we owned together was the first house he'd ever owned). So, no worries that any previous owner/tenant will ever stop by. We've owned this house for 34 years...

But, quite a few years ago Hubs and I used to go on road trips with the local AAA baseball team - the Sacramento River Cats. (This was when the Cats were affiliated with the Oakland Athletics.) One trip was to Tucson, AZ, where they played against the Tucson Sidewinders. (The Sidewinders later relocated to Reno, NV, where they became the Reno Aces.)

But, I digress. After my father retired from the Army, we moved to Tucson, and we lived in a house that my parents bought. I was in the 3rd grade, and we lived there until the Summer after 5th grade, when we moved to Washington.

So, when Hubs and I were in Tucson for the baseball games, we spent a day driving around to various places that meant something to me in my childhood - the church we attended, where I had my First Communion, the grade school my older sister and I attended, etc., and, of course, the house that my parents had owned. We drove past the house twice (once in each direction, so Hubs and I each had a good view from "our side of the car"). Then we parked across the street so I could take a few photos. I didn't want the current residents or their neighbors to think we were up to no good, so after a while Hubs and I got out of the car and walked up to the front door and knocked. If no one answered, I was going to leave a note explaining our "actions."

A woman, I'd say she was in her mid- to late-30s, was living there with her mother. Hubs and I introduced ourselves, and I explained that my parents had owned the home and we lived there years ago, but had sold the house and moved during the Summer of 1960. These women now owned the home, and they had bought the home from the people that my parents had sold it to!!

We didn't ask to come in - I only wanted to let them know why we had driven past the house twice and why I had taken some photos of it. But, the women insisted we come in to talk to us, so we did. We didn't "tour the house." We sat in the family room, and also went out into the backyard after I said something about the built-in brick bar-b-que that had been there, and the women said, "It's still there!" Got to take some more photos by it, too.