Kathryn Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Being a mom... Having owned a store... and worked at McDonalds... and Chick-fil-A...all I can say is I've seen it all (and cleaned it.). My own dd had me wondering how in the heck that got all the way over there at 2am this morning (she was vomiting...I understood the spatter on the door and walls, I grasped the not quite hitting the toilet... but how it got into the opposite corner, up into the shower and in the hidden corner of the shower niche, and on the back-side of the shower curtain I have absolutely no. idea. (and neither does she). We did have someone get sick (not vomit) all over our only restroom in our store...it. was. everywhere. HazMat suits would have been appropriate for that clean-up (and the poor girl did make the attempt, she was mortified). WRT the OP and pit-stops when house hunting... house hunting for many is an all-day affair, and emergencies happen (pregnancy, ate the wrong thing at lunch, little kid who didn't have to go 30 minutes ago...). If you are going to have the water up, definitely put up signs, tape down toilet seats...whatever you need to do. Houses that have been winterized (water off, or no facilities), usually state that in the description, as well as have notices everywhere. FWIW, I have always assumed my bathrooms were "fair game" during a house-showing (food in my fridge and pantry, or covered up...no). Maybe it's because of how I was brought up (open house visitations was a regular Sunday family activity, and moved a LOT...averaging one move a year for 13 years) Yes, now that you mention it, when we saw our house, it had the water off and the toilets were duct-taped shut with a sign that said it had been winterized. I didn't even realize that's why it was there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Sorry, for the delay! I didn't realize this was still a hot topic. According to our realtor, there was someone (not a buyer) in the house with the realtor. The requesting realtor apologized for not supervising better. I don't have any more details. Next time we go out of town, I think I'll take PP suggestion, put up signs, and tape down the toilets. As our appliances are getting on in age, I don't trust leaving the house for more than a day with the water on. I've just never considered a home walk-through as a place to use the restroom. In past moves, we've been in temporary housing before selling our home and moving the furniture so when I look at potential homes, I don't assume the water is on. I'm so ready to sell the house! Thanks for the update. I'm expecting (hoping) that someone was a kid and didn't tell the realtor... I'm also hoping the realtor is plenty embarrassed enough to, indeed, supervise much better at any other place. Without pics, I suspect that's the best ending one can hope for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 I don't think it's strange that the realtor used the toilet, nor would I expect anyone to turn off water when they're only gone for a few days (that's definitely not typical). But there was no reason to make a big mess and then not at least try to flush it with a bucket of water and clean up. :iagree: If the water was off, it would've been hard to get a bucket of water, but lots of stores sell jugs of water pretty cheap. The right thing to do would have been to drive to a store & buy a couple of gallons of water, then drive back to the house & use them to flush the toilet. I would call the office that realtor is with and complain about the bathroom thing. That's inexcusable. :iagree: I would definitely complain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkacademy Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 I think if someone turns off their water then it is their business. This is their home, they can do whatever they want. No one should walk in a persons home and do that. No one should expect to use other peoples bathrooms. That is like the babysitter who goes through the moms things, it is just not right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Well OP just so that you know, many people won't consider a house with the utilities turned off, whichever ones they are. When we were looking for a house last year, there was one house my dh liked but I didn't- why? It was hot upstairs. The owner had turned off the air conditioning and since we only had a weekend to buy a house, I wasn't going to waste my time trying to figure out whether the a/c worked well or not. Like another poster said, I always checked the water pressure in the houses I was considering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Why would someone turn off the water? Well... We don't turn off the water when we leave, but we probably should. Several years ago, my mother and her dh went out of town for a long weekend. When they got back, a part on the upstairs toilet had broken and spewed water everywhere. There was literally a waterfall going down their stairs when they got home. The whole house had to be gutted, the walls replastered, the hardwood floors replaced, some of their furniture as well. They had to move out to a condo for 6 months while it was fixed because the resulting mold and so forth made the place unlivable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Why would someone turn off the water? Well... We don't turn off the water when we leave, but we probably should. Several years ago, my mother and her dh went out of town for a long weekend. When they got back, a part on the upstairs toilet had broken and spewed water everywhere. There was literally a waterfall going down their stairs when they got home. The whole house had to be gutted, the walls replastered, the hardwood floors replaced, some of their furniture as well. They had to move out to a condo for 6 months while it was fixed because the resulting mold and so forth made the place unlivable. FLASHBACK!!!!!!!:w00t: Yup, that is why people turn off the water. Ask me how I know.....:glare:...go ahead.....ask me. I have waited days to comment -- what you found when you arrived home really bothered me -- or more so, perhaps the fact that you are pg and you were scrubbing this mess.:grouphug: Anyway -- while i totally understand turning off the water, with a property on the market it's probably best to tape over the toilet seats so folks know not to use them, print little signs that inform folks the water is off and the toilets should not be used -- even go so far as to say that you are away for a day or two and you will turn it on when you return. Put the little signs in those cheapy lucite stand up picture frames you can get at CVS and leave them on eveery toilet seat which has also been taped shut. I know it's alot to do for a few days, but to me, it says that the homeowner is conscientious and takes care of their home.....and doesn't want to come home and find any kind of a mess. I've learned from selling 9 homes in 17 years that I should always expect the worse case scenario and plan and set up according to that. People will NEVER disappoint you -- they will always do whatever it is that you think is so gross or unexpected that you probably shouldn't have to worry about it........:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Well OP just so that you know, many people won't consider a house with the utilities turned off, whichever ones they are. When we were looking for a house last year, there was one house my dh liked but I didn't- why? It was hot upstairs. The owner had turned off the air conditioning and since we only had a weekend to buy a house, I wasn't going to waste my time trying to figure out whether the a/c worked well or not. Like another poster said, I always checked the water pressure in the houses I was considering. :iagree:When we sold our house we left lighting on and everything to better show the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 WRT the OP and pit-stops when house hunting... house hunting for many is an all-day affair, and emergencies happen (pregnancy, ate the wrong thing at lunch, little kid who didn't have to go 30 minutes ago...). If you are going to have the water up, definitely put up signs, tape down toilet seats...whatever you need to do. Houses that have been winterized (water off, or no facilities), usually state that in the description, as well as have notices everywhere. FWIW, I have always assumed my bathrooms were "fair game" during a house-showing (food in my fridge and pantry, or covered up...no). Maybe it's because of how I was brought up (open house visitations was a regular Sunday family activity, and moved a LOT...averaging one move a year for 13 years) This wasn't buyers who were househunting. This was a realtor walk-through. Realtors should be professional and not expect to use restrooms in houses being shown. When dh and I were househunting, it would never have occurred to me to use the washroom in someone's home. We have stopped at a fast-food place to use the facilities (even with children), but never someone's washroom. And I do get turning off the water when leaving. I have often thought about doing so. We do turn the water off to certain areas of the house when we are going away because we knew they are problematic (like our outdoor faucet that leaks so much we have moss growing on our patio. ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 And I do get turning off the water when leaving. I have often thought about doing so. We do turn the water off to certain areas of the house when we are going away because we knew they are problematic (like our outdoor faucet that leaks so much we have moss growing on our patio. ) :lol: It is for reasons like this that I would be concerned about buying a house that had the water turned off when people were out of town. I would wonder if there was a problem that had them concerned- that should concern me too. I can understand the reasons people turn their water off when they go out of town. Unexpected things happen. But honestly, I would be afraid the seller knew of a problem they were trying to avoid. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annandatje Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 :lol: It is for reasons like this that I would be concerned about buying a house that had the water turned off when people were out of town. I would wonder if there was a problem that had them concerned- that should concern me too. I can understand the reasons people turn their water off when they go out of town. Unexpected things happen. But honestly, I would be afraid the seller knew of a problem they were trying to avoid. :001_huh: That was my first thought too. Plus I was wondering how a home inspection could be completed without checking plumbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 That was my first thought too. Plus I was wondering how a home inspection could be completed without checking plumbing. The inspection isn't performed the day you look at the house. We bought a house that had the water off. It was owned by HUD and we had the water turned on for the inspection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annandatje Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 The inspection isn't performed the day you look at the house. We bought a house that had the water off. It was owned by HUD and we had the water turned on for the inspection. I know that inspection does not take place day you look at house, but turning it off and on for something like walkthroughs and inspections would make me extra cautious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 The inspection isn't performed the day you look at the house. We bought a house that had the water off. It was owned by HUD and we had the water turned on for the inspection. DH & I are hoping to move in the next year, so I asked him about this. He said if the water was turned off in a house that we liked, it wouldn't much matter because we would be doing a second walk-thru, and if the water was STILL turned off, then we would inquire. If we decided that we wanted that house, we might further inquire, and we will ALWAYS have an inspection. It would definitely NOT be a deal-breaker for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2Es Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 Well, I learned something new. I had no idea that there are people who don't routinely turn off their water when they are going to be out of town. We had a relative whose house flooded when they were on vacation because an upstairs toilet decided to go berserk and dumped water through their house for a week. Another acquaintance of mine had to remodel about half their house because the ice maker in their freezer sprung a leak while they were not home. We've had several water issues in our house, and none of them have happened during winter. I guess I don't understand why the realtor couldn't have turned the water back on to flush the toilet or why he/she would have assumed it was on to begin with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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