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I've tried to do this with my childhood home in Omaha, NE. I went to visit in the early 90s and the lady politely declined. I saw that the home was sold again a few years ago and was just visiting family this spring. I went to the house and knocked on the door/rang the doorbell and the car was in the driveway, but no one answered.
I would let someone view my house if they wanted to check it out (and they didn't seem scary). My wife wouldn't let anyone in, no matter what.
Why would you keep trying to see this house? The owner declined, and now you are trying to get the new owners to let you in? I will admit I don't understand this level of attachment in someone whose screen name indicates a fairly young individual. If you built it yourself or it had been in your family for many generations that is one thing, but the above seems a bit stalker-ish without context.
Why would you keep trying to see this house? The owner declined, and now you are trying to get the new owners to let you in? I will admit I don't understand this level of attachment in someone whose screen name indicates a fairly young individual. If you built it yourself or it had been in your family for many generations that is one thing, but the above seems a bit stalker-ish without context.
I’m in my late 30s and I’ve been back to visit my childhood home. My parents built it and we carved our names in the cement of the garage... there’s a lot of nostalgia for me even after such a relatively short time!
Why would you keep trying to see this house? The owner declined, and now you are trying to get the new owners to let you in? I will admit I don't understand this level of attachment in someone whose screen name indicates a fairly young individual. If you built it yourself or it had been in your family for many generations that is one thing, but the above seems a bit stalker-ish without context.
Nostalgia mostly. I had a lot of good laughs and memories in that house. I remember happy times with my parents (who are now divorced). That was the house I learned how to walk in. I believed in Santa and remember opening presents in the living room on Christmas mornings. I remember dancing around the records with my dad in the dining room. I remember learning to ride a bike down the street. I remember lighting the kitchen on fire when I was 6 (sorry, mom!), etc.. There are just a lot of good times in that house and I haven't seen the inside in decades and would love to revisit it.
One day I drove my mom past this house I passed one day and had been drooling over ever since- it is a perfectly maintained Craftsman. The neighborhood around it has deteriorated and then you have this AMAZING house. My mom tells me that my great grandparents (on my dad's side) used to live there. Sure enough- found the records on Ancestry. What are the odds? I'd love to see inside, but I do not have the nerve to go knock on their door!
I wouldn't have the nerve to knock on anyone's door asking for a tour either, nor would i like it if someone came to my door asking to be let in.
But, in your case what I would do is...
Knock on their door, tell them the story and then ask if they'd mind if you take photos of the outside of the home.. with any luck, they might invite you in to see it.
In the past, people would ask the current owners/renters of the homes they grew up in if they could visit and think and talk about the past, for nostalgia.
I doubt that happens often today.
If a stranger shows up at your doorstep, young or old, and tells you he/she grew up in the house you are occupying now, would you let that person in and reminisce?
Sure I would. (laughing) The only people it would be would be my in-laws. We purchased the family home after my mother-in-law passed away in 2010. They were the only owners of the house as it was brand new when they moved in - in 1971.
A couple of years ago, I visited family in my hometown and drove over to see the house in which I grew up. My daughter, who had accompanied me on the trip, and I stopped the car and walked out to the field behind the house when we spotted the resident out in the backyard. He came over to chat, and I told him that my father had planted the trees he was trimming, along with a couple of funny stories about the house and neighborhood. His wife came out and invited us in to have a snack and see the house. It was a lovely afternoon, and I was deeply appreciative of their hospitality.
We had a similar experience in the house we now own. Our home has a little bit of a sad history. A single father lived here a few years before we moved in, and he died in his sleep of a heart attack. His children and their grandparents drove by one day and stopped out front. The grandfather mentioned that the kids had lived there. We knew what had happened because other neighbors had shared the story, so we invited them in to meet the new kids who were living in the house. They all got along splendidly, and I think it did both my kids and them a world of good. (My kids had heard the story and had wrapped themselves up in knots over "ghosts" but seeing his children somehow convinced them that there was nothing to fear.)
Anyway, those are my experiences of nostalgic visits to old homes. Carry on.
I would do so or not do so depending on various factors.
A) Does the person look really presentable and do I get a good vibe from them?
B) Does their story of having lived there ring true? Can they provide any proof of any sort?
C) It will be with my escort and just a quick look, which is all I'd want if I were asking to do it...
Personally I don't see why they'd need to go INSIDE. I mean things have probably changed a lot inside so why do they need to see it?
I would like to go inside my family's house that I grew up in... but I figure it would be weird to ask and I can live without it...
If it were an older person and they had a heart warming story and felt a great need to go inside I'd probably let them based on A-thru-C above.
I have to say I am surprised by the number of people who would let a stranger into their home under this pretense as well as the number of people who have a desire to go knocking on doors of old homes. We see so many threads about people who are angry that strangers tour their home when its for sale or bring children to their home, its puzzling that so many people are advocating to disturb a stranger whose home is not for sale (or are willing to be disturbed to give a tour to someone out of the blue.)
I can't say I have ever wanted to revisit an old home. If it had nostalgic value I would have been sad that it was no longer the same. Nor would I be happy to give a tour unexpectedly. I am not someone who likes "drop ins" and I can't see getting excited about a stranger coming by.
We have a historic house and I would love to get more insight into its history, but no one who built it is living at this point.
Hopefully no enterprising home invading burglars are getting ideas from this thread. Wouldn't take much to craft a story to gain entry based on these responses.
Last edited by desperatedogadvice; 06-28-2018 at 01:19 PM..
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