‘There were dolls staring at us from the window’: Realtors share the most bizarre reasons why potential buyers decided not to buy a house

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Feb 23, 2024 12:00 PM EST

If you are ever so fortunate to be in a position where you are able to buy a house, the house you buy must be perfect for you, or at least has to have the potential of becoming perfect. You spent so much hard-earned money on this property, you want to look at it with pride, not disappointment. That is why it is unsurprising to learn that many buyers back out of buying a house even for the smallest of reasons.

That being said, there are many other times when the reasons are downright ridiculous, which is the subject of this AskReddit thread. The question in the thread was posed to the realtors of Reddit, and they were asked to share the most bizarre reasons people decided not to buy a house. From the color of the shower curtains to weird shrines in the backyard, Reddiors shared some really funny stories.

Make sure you scroll down to read some of these ridiculous reasons. Once you are done, scroll back up and click here for a story of an artist who had to deal with a former boss still trying to use their art for free.

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    Cheezburger Image 9882934016
    via Canva
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    Realtors of Reddit, what's the most bizarre reason someone decided not to buy a house?
    via u/1132saturday
  • 03
    twodogstwocats · 11 hr. ago Former Realtor here. Had a couple that wanted to live in a specific neighborhood and wanted a rectangular pool with a small pool house and covered patio. There were
    via u/twodogstwocats
  • 04
    exactly 3 houses in the neighborhood requirements. that met these I spoke with all 3 owners and one said they would sell and they were generous on their pricing. Why, you ask, did the couple decide not to buy? The house next door was yellow.
    via u/twodogstwocats
  • 05
    The Pirate D beard · 11 hr. ago Spent around two months looking for a property with a couple. They barely qualified for what they were looking for, so each offer was a battle just to get it reviewed.
    via u/ThePirateD**kbeard
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    Finally found a house that had a willing seller, good listing agent, and it checked all but one box. That box? The guest bathroom had a shower curtain the wife didn't like.
    via u/ThePirateD**kbeard
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    Seriously. Not a glass door or anything permanent but a removable curtain held up by those bars you twist into place. I even offered to buy them a $200 gift card for Home Depot or Bed Bath and Beyond to help them find
    via u/ThePirateD**kbeard
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    something different. Nope. That curtain kled the whole thing for the wife. Needless to say, I fired them as clients immediately after that.
    via u/ThePirateD**kbeard
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    Myviewpoint62 · 11 hr. ago This story goes back to around 1960 but my parents found it so stupid they told me. A family friend and his young wife found a home they wanted to buy. The wife's mother was going to give
    via u/Myviewpoint62
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    them the down payment. They were super excited about the house and said it even had a breakfast bar, i.e. a counter with bar stools underneath, in the kitchen.
    via u/Myviewpoint62
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    The mother said no way would she ever allow her money to be spent on a house with a bar. They tried to explain it to her but ultimately could not buy the house.
    via u/Myviewpoint62
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    WINTERSONG1111. 12 hr. ago I knew someone who didn't buy a house because it had too many closets. Other than that, they thought the house was perfect.
    via u/WINTERSONG1111
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    After a moment of stunned silence I suggested they buy the house and close some closet doors and just not use the closet(s).
    via u/WINTERSONG1111
  • 14
    sarcasticb 11 hr. ago Not a realtor, but I worked in finance at an RV dealership a few years back. I had a couple fly in from out of state to look at a brand new $400,000 unit that had specific features they were after and they put a deposit on it.
    via u/sarcasticb
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    I got them approved and scheduled a time for them to sign, but they backed out at the last minute because they weren't sure their cat would like it. They flew back home.
    via u/sarcasticb
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    mtcwby 12 hr. ago Not me but my dad did some residential and commercial back in the 70. Lady came in and loved the house until they got to a guest bedroom that was painted yellow. She
    via u/mtcwby
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    instantly switched and said "I can't buy this house because this is yellow." My dad says "We'll paint it. Any color you want." Her response drove him to do strictly commercial after that. "But I'll know it was yellow once."
    via u/mtcwby
  • 18
    Agitated-Equipment59 · 12 hr. ago Loved the house. It fit all our needs. We were pumped. As we were leaving, we stood in the porch to take in the neighborhood. The house. directly across the street had
    via u/Agitated-Equipment59
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    built shelves into the windows facing the house we were viewing. The shelves were filled with old creepy dolls staring at the house we were looking at. Hundreds of dull lifeless eyes waiting for you to
    via u/Agitated-Equipment59
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    go to sleep so they could k you. They were Sun faded. We noped out of there with our realtor's blessing. It was 20 years ago and it still freaks me out. Why? Just, why?
    via u/Agitated-Equipment59
  • 21
    graveybrains 11 hr. ago I would hope this is one of the weirdest reasons our realtor had ever heard: Listing said four bedroom, one and a half bath, and it seemed decent in the house photos, so we went to take a look.
    via u/graveybrains
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    It took us a while to find the "half bath." It was basically a wooden outhouse attached to a wall in the basement. No plumbing. At all. It just emptied out on to the floor and everything rolled down hill to the drain in the middle of the room. Nope!
    via u/graveybrains
  • 23
    EarhornJones 11 hr. ago My elderly parents were looking to buy a house in the city where I live. One house met all of their criteria, and the furnishings inside even matched the furniture in their own home.
    via u/EarhornJones
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    Unfortunately, they were concerned that the arrangement of the kitchen would make it difficult for someone in the living room to hear the TV if someone in the kitchen was running the garbage disposal. I don't think they really wanted to move.
    via u/EarhornJones
  • 25
    barbershores 11 hr. ago The owners had a clause in the purchase and sales that the buyer would have to guarantee that the resting site of their deceased and beloved cat would not be disturbed for ever. And the placard would remain intact.
    via u/barbershores
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    BlackcatLucifer - 12 hr. ago. edited 11 hr. ago Sort of related. My wife and I looked at buying a house and the owners said that the 12 chickens in the garden coop came with the property. I laughed and said fine - we'll just eat roast chicken for the first 12 weeks we live here. They refused to sell the house to us.
    via u/BlackcatLucifer
  • 27
    Celestial_Unicorn_ . 8 hr. ago Not a realtor, but a child of a realtor. I called my mom just for this post Imao My mom once had clients who had their bid accepted on a house after very tense negotiations. They decided
    via u/Celestial_Unicorn_
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    not to buy the house because once their offer was accepted, they felt like it was too easy to get the house, so there must be something wrong with it. They were shocked when their other bids weren't accepted and ultimately decided to stop looking for a house.
    via u/Celestial_Unicorn_

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bizarre customers client job house funny ridiculous Reddit weird work realtor askreddit reddit thread workplace-stories buying a house
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