If someone knocked on your door, told you they along with their parent grew up in your house, would you invite them in or slam the door in their face? Why?
If someone knocked on your door, told you they along with their parent grew up in your house, would you invite them in or slam the door in their face? Why?
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I dont deal well with strangers, so I probably wouldn’t even answer the door in the first place lol unless I was expecting someone
I’d give them a tour
I might have a chat with them for 5 minutes if I believed them and didn’t get bad vibes off them.
I’ve seen people do this before. It’s just a tactic used to scam people.
I’m not even sure I would answer the door if a group of strangers showed up. If I did they would have to answer some specific questions about the house before I let them in.
I go into stealth mode when someone knocks on my door. Bwahaha. They wouldn’t even get to speak to me hahaha
I wouldn’t invite them in because the house is a disaster
i wouldn’t answer the door at all for a stranger. but even if i did, i would know they were lying, because i know who’s been in my house before me.
I’m gonna pretend that I’m not home, or have a short chat. I don’t like interacting with people :/
I couldn’t. I get people wanting to… There’s an old childhood home I’d like to see, too, but I can’t do that. It’s not my home anymore, and it would just be awkward for everyone. But you can’t be sure that the person’s telling the truth, and they could be there to do something awful.
Go out and talk to them and shut the door behind me
Tell them they’re full of shit because the house is new and I’m the first resident so get away you fucking fucks, fuck right off
I’d say no thanks and move along.
but my house was built in 2017 so its impossible anyways.
Well that would make them my niece so I’d let her in. And if it’s not her then they’re a liar and they can go away.
Actually wanted to drive by my old house where I grew up in, to see how it looks like from the outside. i had no time in the end but never would I go knockknock ‘he you don’t know me but I used to live here and well…I just wanted to say that and maybe take a look?” Though to ensure I am right I could tell them about the drawing on the attic and the letters carved in the wall, they would absolutely believe me, but it’s just rude.
I would let them in. I’m very sentimental and would love someone to do the same for me. Also, I’m pretty familiar with the history of my house and know the last names of a few previous families, so I could vet them a little bit.
invite them in? no.
slam the door? only if they came back
As someone who is a genealogy nerd, and knows some of the houses my family lived over the last 100+ years, I’d want to let them in… but I’d be skeptical.
It would depend on their demeanor.
My mother and brother visited our onetime home in Los Angeles some time ago; I wish I had been there, too. The Mexican woman who resided there not only let them in to revisit the place, but gave them pieces of her homemade pineapple cake.
I would close it, as I am the first and only owner of my house…
However, a few months ago I was back in the town in which I grew up. I decided to go see my old house. Looked different from the outside – yard was better maintained, new fence around the pool. Walked up the driveway and a man came out to ask if he could help me. I said, “Weird story, but I grew up in this house and left in 1981. We started talking, his wife came outside to see what was going on. They ended up giving me a tour of the house and showing some changes to the inside. Told me they had to remove a rickety old tree fort in the back yard. I told them I built it and it was rickety even then. It was weird seeing it, as the yards all around were fenced, which wasn’t that way when I grew up.
Slam the door. We built our house!
Too dangerous these days. Photos of the home are online from previous listings so you couldn’t even trust what they say they remember about the place.
I had something very similar happen in the house my husband and I live in now. First I met the youngest son whom drove by with his wife. It was an unfortunate situation where the son was promised the home, but there was no will when his dad died and the stepmother sold it without his consent. He asked about everything we had done to it and was grateful we treat it with love. He had a lot of stories of growing up in the house. The stepbrother came by some time later to retrieve mail as the stepmother was elderly and didn’t know how to forward mail. He was nice and surprised at how much the house had changed. Then a few months later the stepbrother drove by with the stepmother in the car and I saw them going out to walk our dogs. we talked for a long time. She expressed deep regret on selling the home as she did it under immense grief from her husband passing away. When I told her all we’d done and reassured her the house was filled with love she seemed happy. Ever so often I’ll see her and her son drive by. We’ve been in our home just shy of 3 years.
It depends on whatever vibe I’m getting. If it’s women I’m less likely to be suspicious. Doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of robbing me of course.
Well, I have a very territorial Rottwieler, so if they are still at the door by the time I get there, I will be somewhat surprised already. And I definitely wouldn’t let them in.
Oh, and before anyone says anything, my rottie is just a big barker, he wouldn’t actually attack anyone.
I’d step out to the front porch and talk to them. My house has a history, so this could happen. If I liked them, and if they could provide enough information to convince me that they were who they said they were, I might invite them back the next day for a tour. The next day I would have so many people there with me, of course.
I had this happen, and I let her in. She was about my age. She had pictures of the house when it was being built. She knew all kinds of stuff about the house. We’ve stayed in touch. She sends me old pics when she finds them. I send her pics of the renovations I’ve done.
It’s all good.
I would if they seemed honest.
And was actually in your position once.
Was feeling nostalgic and went by my childhood house.
Was parked outside for a bit and the homeowner noticed me when she stepped outside.
I didn’t want to seem weird or creepy so I got out and introduced myself from a distance.
She invited me in and I looked around just a bit from the entry.
She was so kind. Asked if I wanted to see the upstairs.
She was wrangling two toddlers and I didn’t want to impose so I declined.
Great experience. So glad to see more kids growing up there.
I’d be kind but no they wouldn’t be invited in. I dont invite strangers into my home. Infact I rarely even answer the door.
I wouldn’t answer it in the first place, because I don’t answer the door unless I know or am expecting the person. However, anybody who claimed to have grown up in my house would be full of shit, because the only people who can truthfully say that are my brother and me.
I’d ask their name because I know the names of the only people who owned this house before me since 1955. Also I’d mention that I still get their dead parent’s mail on occasion and they should probably fix that with the post office.
Hahaha this sounds like my mom in a way, we were driving around the rural parts where I live some 10 odd years ago and we came across this house she thought was gorgeous. Mind you we live in a safe place. Anyway the owner let my mom inside and gave her a whole tour and she still thinks fondly of it to this day lol
I’d shut the door. But in my defense, the person we bought our house from had lived in since the 60s, and her son was selling meth out the back before she died. So… no to the methhead son.
Magically once the bank took over and he was kicked out the meth heads all left the area. Throw in the new neighbors who moved in who are apart of the police department and we are now crime free.
They better be holding a photograph album.
I saw this episode of King of the Hill
NO WAY!
I’d say, “Nice to meet you. Thanks for stopping by.” I wouldn’t slam the door in their face, but I definitely wouldn’t invite them in.
lol, as if I’d ever answer the door when I’m not expecting company
My dad tried to do this with me in our old house. They said “oh isn’t that nice! Have a nice day!” Then they locked the door 😂 the lady who lived there actually worked for my mom at the time and mom was super weirded out when she heard dad did that. Personally I’d never do this as an adult!
Say no, then close the door.
I wouldn’t slam the door in their face, but I’d be like “That’s cool. I don’t know you and you could be lying, so…no. bye bye.”
I would’ve never opened the door. Unless it’s a package I ordered or a friend I invited over, I’m not answering.
This happened to my family at our old house.
My dad just said “That’s nice” and shut the door on them.
This happened to me. I spent 20 minutes talking to him. I invited him around back to show him the garden and gave him a zucchini.
I just read “We Used to Live Here” by Marcus Kliewer so imma say no thank u please leave
I had this recently. 3 kids showed up at my door, one of them thinking he “grew up” there. These kids were no more than 13-14. My house was maybe 14-15 years old.
My response was just “Oh yeah?”
When I didn’t invite them in or ask any more questions, they didn’t know what else to say and eventually awkwardly left.
I just finished reading We Used to Live Here, so I’d definitely be slamming that door.
No one comes through that front door. Everyone who knows me has my number and knows to text/ring first. So no. I wouldn’t do either.
I’m not falling for this scam. Bye Felicia.
i don’t open my door to strangers 🤷
Ha
I wouldn’t answer the door to begin with.
Neither.
They didn’t ask so I have no reason to consider letting them in.
I wouldn’t slam the door in their face, but I’d ask them what they wanted.
If they asked to come in, I’d say no.
Not without a background check, a security deposit and their drivers license
The ranch I run was formerly owned by two brothers, who were born there. When I took over management of the place this exact thing would happen every once in a while with their extended family. Obviously, I invited them in and let them walk around and stuff. Their family stewarded this land for generations, it belongs to them still in a way, just as much as it does to the current owners. Who am I to turn away someone who grew up in the house I live in, or helped build the barn I keep the horses in? Now I know all of them, of course, and they still have a standing invitation to drop by any time they like.
Most likely I wouldn’t even answer the door, my door bell rings and I don’t ever go answer it. However, if I did answer it I would try to vet them before telling them to pound sand
Someone showed up at my moms house, probably 20 years ago at this point, it was just one middle aged guy who said he grew up in the house and wanted to see it again. My mom let him in, he gave some history of the house (the family room had a really cool brick floor) and he said the bricks came from a certain historical part of the city when they pulled up an old brick street his parents got those bricks and set them as the floor. Anyway, it was cool to know that. These days I wouldn’t let them in, I would probably be stupid and open the door though
I once went back to my childhood home after a couple of decades. But I just looked at it for a while from the street. It think it would be rude to ambush someone by knocking on their door unannounced and it would be presumptuous to expect that they would invite in a stranger.
It’s not going to make you feel better. You can’t go back, and it’s someone else’s house now. When my parents sold my childhood home, I saved a bunch of pictures of the house looking as I remember it, and I look at those when feeling nostalgic–I’ve never gone back to visit and don’t wish to.
Consider looking at family photos instead, and seeing the place as it was when it was yours.
I’d have to not let them in. My brother is paranoid schizophrenic and I have to be careful not to set him off. He’s lucid now but it’s due to my vigilance.
I’d feel sad about it though.
I barely answer the door for people I do know….
I was really lucky years ago when I went back to New Orleans to see the house we used to own.
We just planned to take a few photos of the front to share with the rest of the family as we were the original owners.
Right after we got there, the people who were renting the house arrived.
When we told her who we were, she invited us in and welcomed us taking photos.
It was very nice and quite unexpected.
I would be reluctant to let someone inside, but would let them take photos outside.
I probably wouldn’t answer the door lol but if I did… I’d let them in if they didn’t give me bad vibes, but I’d talk to them about the house first. I’d want to make sure they were being truthful. If it was a man I most likely wouldn’t let them in though. Better to be safe than sorry.
We drive by my grandmas house when we’re in the area. The new owners are very nice but we don’t need to go bother them
My dad is hopelessly sentimental. We drove past a house his grandparents lived in. The owners were doing yard work, so we stopped to chat. We didn’t ask to see inside, and maybe him being almost 80 and having 2 daughters with him didn’t send up red flags.
I had this happen at our old house with the daughter of the deceased man we purchased it from and her partner. I absolutely let them in and gave them a tour. She actually wept when she saw that we were restoring it and her partner had done the reroofing so was nice having her there giving me the details of when the resheathed everything. I showed the daughter inside some closets where there was a lot of writing from I assume her and her siblings. We took pics to preserve it. I really enjoyed meeting them and hearing her memories.
Interestingly enough, I live in a house that is 162 years old. It is currently a 9 room bed and breakfast. About a month ago, a woman rang my doorbell and told me her mother was born in this house in the 1930s. I invited her in, showed her the house, and she shared some old photos with me. It was delightful and I’m happy I didn’t turn her away.
Well, I don’t think that slamming the door in their face would be one of my choices. I’m not sure about inviting them in either…. I guess it would depend on the situation.
I do not engage with strangers at my door. And that’s exactly what I tell them. Then I go check the back door. Then I check the front again to see where they are.
I wouldn’t feel comfortable. Letting a stranger into my home ever. Anyone could say anything, nope wouldn’t do it.
We haven’t answered our door unannounced, more than a few times in 30 years. Just like the phone. FO.
I wouldn’t slam the door in their face. That just sounds like an asshole thing to do. There’s no reason to be rude to them. But I’m not going to invite them in.
People who live in 100+ year old homes are a lot more likely to have this happen, especially if they have put a lot of work into fixing it up.
If someone knocked on my door and I wasn’t expecting anybody… you’ll be knocking a few times, cos im not answering
I dont open the door for strangers
zero chance a stranger is coming in my house
Id tell em to get lost people have no right to any homes etc just because they grew up there or some other dumb shit. Get off my lawn!
Slam the door in their face bc this house was built in 2017
I wondered this but didn’t ring the doorbell. My dad installed the sidewalk in the back yard and as a child, I accidentally left a foot print in it. I wanted to see if it was still there.
Sure, I might even put the kettle on.
The meth head who used to own my house came by to tell us of this fact. His sister owned the house across the street and this was his parent’s house he inherited. We did not let him in.
Neither. I don’t need to invite them in, nor do I need to be an asshole.
I would ask them if they could come back another day, get their contact info, verify who they are, and possibly invite them back on a day that works for me.
This actually happened a few times in the house I lived in when I was growing up. My parents let them in and they walked around the house, telling stories about things that happened when they lived there. It was pretty cool to hear the history of the house!
I lost my parents when I was young and found my way back to the house they had built. The couple living there had purchased the house and knew about us. They had been there more than two decades, raised children in the house, and were now retired. They invited me in and allowed me to look around.
In the end, I was able to get pictures of the walkway my father had built, it still had our last name’s initial in brickwork in the concrete, and even my sister’s and my own footprints stamped in the concrete. Also got some far shots of the house, but nothing inside.
It was very nice of them.
Watch the first episode of “Night Agent” you will never ask this question again
Why the fuck would I let random people in my house, who’s too say one of them isn’t a government official that has a beef with me for some reason…..
I wouldn’t let them in because honestly these days you can’t really trust people, and I also have a dog who doesn’t do well with strangers so it would just be unnecessary stress
It’s happened to me. I was in the garden. A guy parked in front of the house and looked at the house for a few minutes. So I approached them and they told about life growing up here with his parents and 2 siblings. I gave them a tour. Had a long chat about area, history of growing there. Was great.
I don’t even open the door for people I don’t know. I certainly wouldn’t invite strangers in.
I own a new house, so if someone said they lived in it before, I’d be calling the cops.
Nope. Childhood home or not, it’s not their home anymore and there is absolutely no reason to entertain them let alone explain any of the changes I’ve made. There’s literally no upside other than the remote possibility that it provides some positive nostalgia for them
Why would I invite total strangers into my house?
My house was built in like 2011 so I wouldn’t believe them anyway
I had this happen to me when I moved to an apartment a few years back. The previous tenant wanted to view the place one last time a few months after I’d settled in. I refused. There’s no reason to view an apartment you rented after you moved out; that’s just bizarre AF.
Aside from that, she’d caught me in the middle of a deep clean; it was late afternoon, and I was unshowered, sweaty, and in the rattiest clothes I had.
Weirder still is she comes back from time to time to walk the complex. I never speak to her—also, the fact she comes back raises more red flags for me, and I am suspicious over her attachment to my home and the complex in general.
I mean, it’d be kinda rude of me to slam the door in my grandparents faces
I once walked up to the house that I use to live in. I knocked on the door and asked the old couple if I could come in.
My parents said no !
The girl that grew up in my house bought the house across the street. Every day she looks out her front door and can see her childhood home. I think it’s sweet. She has been in my house exactly once. She is a good neighbor.
I wouldn’t trust the words of some rando if doing so meant they were about to walk into my house. That’s a ridiculous risk.
No, I would not invite them into my house.
These people are strangers to me.
They can go on Google maps and see the house on the outside maybe the backside.
They can look on Zillow and see if the house was ever put up for sale and most likely see pictures.
They do not need to knock on my door.
I don’t trust any stranger nowadays so I’d just watch my cameras until they leave. If I’m not expecting your arrival then I’m not answering the door.
Hank Hill would like to enter with some advice, especially if they show up around the Christmas holidays.
I don’t trust anyone these days. If I could know 100% without a doubt that they were telling the truth and my house was in order then yeah probably. But aside from that no. You never know the true nature and intentions of people😭
Some (late) friends had this happen – someone who had been a servant to the wife’s parents (the wife grew up in the house) came unannounced and both were shocked to see each other after so long. They invited her to stay for the night and gave her a spare room, and allowed her to have a bath. She died of natural causes in the bath. I was late teenage at the time, and it was the first ‘weird’ thing I’d had happen to me.
Twenty-ish years ago, my extended family tried to do this. We were having some family gathering, and afterward, someone said we should stop by my mom’s childhood home and check it out. I thought that was weird, and besides, I’d grown up hearing stories about the house. That was enough. But, they insisted.
We got there, and when the homeowner answered and saw all of us (~20), he told us to get the fuck off his property or he’d call the police. My uncle tried to ‘reason’ with him, and as far as I’m concerned, he’s lucky he didn’t get shot.
We ultimately left, and my uncle and aunts were going on and on about how ‘rude’ the homeowner was. That baffles me, as I’m sure if the roles were reversed, they would have done the same or worse. But, that was not nearly the first or last time I wished I wasn’t related to those nutjobs.
Anyway, I stand by my original belief that it’s weird to do that. I don’t live in a house, but even if I did, I would not let an alleged previous homeowner inside to view the house. Even if they did own the house at some point, they could still use info they gain by going through the house to cause me harm. I’m not taking that chance.
An old man once came to our house and said that he used to live there and wanted to go inside to have a look – but we knew who built the house because it was our own family, it’s 100 years old and no one outside of the family ever lived here. I still wonder what his intentions were or whether he somehow got the wrong house.
Neither – I’d politely tell them I wasn’t comfortable with it
I don’t answer doors
Would not invite them into the house. Would not slam the door either.
Two little old ladies turned up on my doorstep – 85 if they were a day – and said their mother was born in this house, and could they come in and have a look around? They remembered going to “Granny’s house in the country” when they were very young, until Granny and Grandpa pulled up stakes and moved into the nearby small city. The heart of the house was built in +/- 1865, with a couple additions over the years, but it was extensively redone in the 80’s so unlikely they would recognize anything. I invited them in but they didn’t venture much more than a few steps into the house.
I’m afraid not. People have used this as a way to invade homes. Also it’s a new house.
Nothing good has come out of answering a knock from someone who is not invited
I don’t answer the door to an unknown knock. If I’m not expecting someone then I’m not answering for anyone!
Ngl I probs wouldn’t open the door to begin with lmaooo id pretend I wasn’t home
Ring camera get off my porch
It’s hard to say in these times. it’s hard to trust people you know, let alone strangers.
Me and my folks kind of did this once with our very first place we owned. Moved out in 95 and swung back around to see it like in 2015?
Still there. New owner was even nice enough to let us in and show us the almost $750K worth of work put into the place. Turned out the house and renovations were a wedding gift from her father. She’s the daughter of a Disney executive. I think it was their CTO or something?
When my ex and I bought our house, we did a lot of research into the previous owners. We found a guy whose parents owned the house for 50 years and he grew up there. He brought photos of the house in the 1940s and gave them to us. It was incredible. We passed the photos and stories to the new owners, who were so excited to learn all this history.
Well, this is funny timing. My wife was out dropping off the kid in the next city, and it ended up being on the same street I grew up on. She went by my old house and took a pic, and the owner game out. My wife jumped out of the car immediately to explain the situation, and they had a good talk and ended up extending an invitation for me to come by and see my old place ; )
I went to my childhood house and a car pulled in with a mom and 2 kids and groceries. I said hi and I grew up in the house, it was obvious she wasn’t in the mood so I said I hope you love it as much as I did and I walked away. She did t owe me anything
I wouldn’t let them in at that moment. I would maybe schedule a time for them to come back so I could pick up a bit and put away anything valuable.
It happened at my first house, but we knew the people we bought it from. It was kind of a mistake, they were not happy we remodeled and tore out some (dead) trees. I guess they thought it was bad for us to rip out the 70’s gold linoleum and remove the carpets. They had rocking hardwood floors under that I re-finished and they turned out great. I installed new windows and tore down the mess of a screened in porch and redid the back yard.
They were very unhappy.
I live in a home built in the 1830s. One time a lady in her 60s came by with her 90 year old mother who used to live in the home. We showed them around and were on the main floor talking to the 60 year old when we realized we hadn’t seen the mother in a while. We went upstairs to check on her.
She was standing in the hall with tears in her eyes and said she was saying goodbye to an old friend. In the floor, in an obscure spot upstairs, the name “Lena” was hammered into the floor with very small finishing nails. So small and in so obscure a spot that you’d have to know it was there. It was very moving. There are other spots in the house where initials are carved too. Crazy to think how many lives passed through our home.
That was sort of me. I was biking by the house I grew up in, I slowed down to look and the person in the front yard greeted me, we got talking. They’d just moved in and thought I was a neighbour. I’m not, I just take really long bike rides. I gave them a 3-hour tour of the house. The sketchy electrical, the plumbing problems, where cables were buried in the yard, where to shovel roof to prevent ice dams, the cracks in the ceiling that kept coming back even if you plastered over, the three places in the foundation that we repaired with wood instead of concrete, etc.
They knew it was a fixer-upper, but they were really happy to get the details.
I’ve done those myself and they let us in.
I would definitely do the same. My house is more than 100 years, I’m sure lots of people have grown up here.
Our house is 100 years old so of course it has history. There is reason to be rude to people.
I would bc I was on the other side of the door – I went back to my childhood home & the lady living there was actually the lady who bought it from my folks . It was a great reunion
Nice try Dracula.
Why is slamming the door an option? That seems really uncivil
Dude I am obsessed with history I would want to hear all about it. But I would be embarrassed by the state of the house, I have a toddler 🫣