Open Home sabotage

**frooz** · 05-06-2007, 10:26 PM

I am so angry

Just spoke to our agent and our young neighbour who owns his house (with his dad's help) is interested in buying ours too so that he owns both, he wants to live in our one and rent the other one out that he has almost finished renovating. When the for sale sign went up on Friday he called the agent.
He turns up at the open home on Sunday with a friend. His friend stands in the living room which was full of people and says loudly "I BET IT'S NOISY HERE AT NIGHT" and the agent said no it's not and he said "I BET IT IS!"
The neighbour tells his agent that if we get any offers he want to know first. Then the neighbour goes straight home and turns his stereo up loud with hip hop music. A young couple with young children said they love the house but the loud music worries them >

He's waiting for his dad to come to town to look at our house and is sabotaging our Open Home until they can figure out whether to put in an offer.

**Jaded** · 05-06-2007, 10:32 PM

Call the police, tell them what they are doing, and get the cops to tell them that if they don't stop, they'll be arrested for creating a public nuisance, and for fraud.

Tell the people who come to look at the house EXACTLY what they are doing, and that you have the police working on the problem.

They are trying to bring the price of your house down. If you cannot sell your house because of their antics, SUE THE HELL OUT OF THEM!

**frugalfriend** · 05-06-2007, 10:37 PM

Oh that would make me mad too!! Can your agent talk to his agent and get him to stop this nonsense?? Our house is on the market too and I am all too familiar with having an Open House. If it wasn't a buyer's market right now and so S - L - O - W out there, I would tell him he wasn't welcome in your home and you're not interested in his offer!

**nwmissourigal** · 05-06-2007, 10:42 PM

I would call the police pronto....what a shady guy. I truly believe that some people will do anything to get what they want. Even if it means hurting someone else...How sad is this guy....Kathy

**Mom23boys** · 05-06-2007, 10:56 PM

Originally Posted by Jaded

Call the police, tell them what they are doing, and get the cops to tell them that if they don't stop, they'll be arrested for creating a public nuisance, and for fraud.

Tell the people who come to look at the house EXACTLY what they are doing, and that you have the police working on the problem.

They are trying to bring the price of your house down. If you cannot sell your house because of their antics, SUE THE HELL OUT OF THEM!

I agree....call the police on him for disturbing the peace.

**frooz** · 05-06-2007, 11:22 PM

Good idea I'll talk to my husband about it. We've had trouble with these neighbours anyway, we share a driveway and they used to park their cars in the drive and block our access. We used to knock on the door and ask nicely if they could move their cars so we could access our garage and they still kept doing it over and over.

So one day I parked behind all 5 of the cars they had parked there and walked casually up the driveway. One of them had to sheepishly knock on our door (and get past our dogs) and say, um can you please move your car? I said as soon as I finish my dinner. Are you going to block our drive again?

**FrugalMomof3** · 05-07-2007, 07:59 AM

I too say call the police and good thing you did about the driveway, lol serves him right.

**jamie79** · 05-07-2007, 08:14 AM

If you clue potentional buyers onto the fact that you have trouble with the neighbors, I would think that would leave a bad taste in potential buyers mouths. They will think if you have trouble with them then they would too and not want the house

**missymomof3** · 05-07-2007, 08:50 AM

I agree with everyone else. I would also call the police and have them deal with it and perhaps instead of having an open house just have scheduled buyers come in at different times, particularly when your neighbor isn't at home. That way you wouldn't have to worry about him being a jerk :-)

**missytata** · 05-10-2007, 03:03 PM

I agree that telling prospective buyers that there are problems with the neighbors could backfire.

**Dancing Lotus** · 05-10-2007, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by jamie79

If you clue potentional buyers onto the fact that you have trouble with the neighbors, I would think that would leave a bad taste in potential buyers mouths. They will think if you have trouble with them then they would too and not want the house

I was going to say that!

**Cricket1** · 05-10-2007, 04:07 PM

I feel for you. That's so frustrating. I agree with the others--tell your realtor to only show the house while the others are at work. Assuming they work.

**kabin63** · 05-10-2007, 04:54 PM

You are under no obligation to sell your house to this neighbor. Let him make an offer and refuse it every time. Definitely call police, but never, ever, let this jerk run the show. I agree that telling potential buyers that there is trouble could scare them away.

**OzFreeBird** · 05-10-2007, 05:31 PM

You will have to sit down with your estate agent and put together a strategy to sell your home. I wouldn't put it past your neighbour to engage some of his friends to act as dummy buyers, do the house inspection, and then submit offers on his behalf much lower than what you are prepared to accept. Have a firm figure in your mind as to what you will accept, don't tell the agent the figure, and stick to your guns. Do lots of research in the area on what other properties have sold for in the last 3 months. Engage a licensed property valuer (NOT an agent) to value your home - then you will really know what it is worth, and not what your agent THINKS it is worth.

Do you have time to work with on this issue or is selling your house very urgent?

Have you signed an exclusive agency agreement with your agent, or is it an open agreement, or a dual agreement (where you can sell the house yourself, as well as having it listed)?

The less information the neighbour has to work with, the better. You have to trust your agent a lot to deal with this issue. If you don't trust the agent, get another agent.

Don't have any more Open Houses. Very few people buy a house at an Open House - most are just tyrekickers anyway. They are also good vehicles for people coming back to rob the property, because they have sussed out what you have and also what your security arrangement are.

**OzFreeBird** · 05-10-2007, 05:52 PM

You will have to sit down with your estate agent and put together a strategy to sell your home. I wouldn't put it past your neighbour to engage some of his friends to act as dummy buyers, do the house inspection, and then submit offers on his behalf much lower than what you are prepared to accept. Have a firm figure in your mind as to what you will accept, don't tell the agent the figure, and stick to your guns. Do lots of research in the area on what other properties have sold for in the last 3 months. Engage a licensed property valuer (NOT an agent) to value your home - then you will really know what it is worth, and not what your agent THINKS it is worth.

Do you have time to work with on this issue or is selling your house very urgent?

Have you signed an exclusive agency agreement with your agent, or is it an open agreement, or a dual agreement (where you can sell the house yourself, as well as having it listed)?

The less information the neighbour has to work with, the better. You have to trust your agent a lot to deal with this issue. If you don't trust the agent, get another agent.

Don't have any more Open Houses. Very few people buy a house at an Open House - most are just tyrekickers anyway. They are also good vehicles for people coming back to rob the property, because they have sussed out what you have and also what your security arrangement are.