Unable To Mort-Gauge How The Process Works

I’m showing someone around my house, which is up for sale. We get around 90% of the property. Now we’re just chatting informally about the area, how long we’ve lived here, what they are looking for in a property, etc. They turn around to ask me:

Viewer: “How much is it a month?”

Me: “You mean like the mortgage?”

Viewer: “Mortgage, rent, whatever.”

Me: “Well, it’s not available for rent, and the mortgage depends on how much you borrow.”

Viewer: “Well, how much would it be for the full price?”

Me: “That would depend on your deposit and what deal you could get, I guess. You should probably talk to a bank or the estate agent to get a price.”

Viewer: “Hmm, maybe.”

I show them the rest of the house. As we are finishing:

Viewer: “So, what’s the deal with the furniture?”

Me: “Sorry?”

Viewer: “Does it come fully furnished? I’m renting at the moment and don’t have any furniture.”

Me: “I could be persuaded to leave a few items. But that would have to be on an offer at asking price.”

They seem to think about it a bit and leave.

I catch up with the estate agent.

Estate Agent: “The viewer is keen, but we can’t put forward any of the offers they’ve made.”

Me: “That’s weird; I always thought you were obliged to.”

Estate Agent: “Yes, but they keep trying to offer monthly amounts. We explained that wasn’t how you buy a house, but they kept coming back offering slightly more.”

After a few weeks, I got a nasty note through the door from the viewer, complaining about messing them around!