I think it depends on the friends/family. I can remember in the late 90s friends and family members basically all having a key to my grandparent's house and it was completely normal for somebody to stop by if they weren't home and make a phone call, use the restroom, borrow something and leave a note, etc. Had to be like 15-20 people with access to their house.
Our house wasn't like that though. My mom and dad worked a lot and didn't have that many close friends. They were also really private and my mom would have likely flipped out about something like that.