ON THE COUCH WITH JASMINDA: Open House etiquette

DEAR Jasminda,

I WENT to a pre-auction Open House inspection recently and noticed a copy of a book that is out of print that I have been looking for for years. It is a deceased estate and it is being sold with all furnishings and contents. Do you think I could pop back during the next open home and take it, on the assumption we are the successful bidders?

Terry W.

DEAR Terry,

THIS conundrum is an ethical minefield.

I don’t quite know where to start.

I do know that one of the things I deeply dislike about Open Home inspections is that members of the public don’t just walk through private homes with courtesy and respect, they encroach like a pack of wild beasts.

I have seen potential purchasers trudging across carpet in their work boots, opening bathroom cabinets, reclining on furniture, and making disparaging comments about the decor.

At the last open inspection I attended (which was also a deceased estate) I observed a person not just admiring the former owner’s piano, but playing a very bad version of Chopsticks on it.

Meanwhile, their kid ran outside and started climbing a tree in the backyard (much to the annoyance of the dog next door).

Speaking of dogs, another couple were marking their territory, loudly exclaiming it was another house to ‘flip’ and add to their portfolio, no doubt attempting to put other potential purchasers off registering to bid.

Terry, if and when you are successful at the auction, you can, of course, do whatever you want with the items that are left behind, but it is definitely not appropriate to swipe a book from the bookcase prior to that potential outcome.

This is someone’s former home, not a street library.

The correct etiquette of an Open Home Inspection is not open to interpretation.

Remove your shoes at the front door, treat the property as you would expect others to treat your home, and only take your proprietary (not to be confused with someone else’s property) with you when you leave.

I am quite intrigued about the book’s title though.

I can assume it wasn’t Miss Manners’ Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behaviour.

Carpe diem, Jasminda