Oddly enough, I did a similar thing a few months ago. I had business in a certain part of London near where I went to primary School, and just round the corner was the old home. I knocked on the door, told the youngish woman of the house my story, and she, too invited me in to see how it looks now. She was astonished ( and then some !) when I told her that my father had bought the place just after WW2 for £200 because of the bomb damage. It must now be worth over a million. I'm glad to say it is now vastly more comfortable and more cheerful than it used it be. I, too, thought she was very kind to a total stranger, who could have been anyone.