It’s great to develop rapport and intimacy with clients but you want to be sure that your relationship remains professional. Of course, when a seller forgets about a showing and surprises you in the buff, that’s not easy to do!
Agents face a lot of interesting challenges – with insects, animals, criminals, and even dead bodies – that make for great entertainment. Steve Vastola’s story of his averted arrest, featured in our Cops & Robbers post, was recently voted your favorite, and it looks like Brad Manning’s encounter with a crazy cadaver took top votes in last week’s Halloween edition, I See Dead People.
This week we expose stories of the uncovered and unclad. Vote for your favorite, and tell us your own “glamorous” and humorous story in a comment below – it may be featured in an upcoming post!
About 15 years ago, I had occasion to show a small bungalow on a Saturday morning at 10 am. The owner was supposed to be gone, but there was a car in the driveway. It was about 7 minutes to 10, and I knocked loudly on the door, unlocked the keybox, unlocked the door, and yelled “Realtor” as I walked in the kitchen. I got no response, so I proceeded to turn on all the lights. As I came around the corner in the hall, I saw this 400 pound woman come out of the bathroom naked, with a towel on her head, and nothing else! Yikes! About burned my corneas to a crisp. I dashed around the corner, yelled “Realtor” again, and she said “just a minute!” Never assume that the sellers will be ready for a showing even 10 minutes before you are due there.
To my eye’s dissatisfaction, I’ve seen a naked man in a listing. My clients and I were shocked after calling (receiving no word against our morning showing), knocking on the door, announcing “real estate agent” upon entering the home, and being inside for nearly 15 minutes, a naked man went flying from the bathroom, past the stairs, and inside a bedroom.
I had some relocating buyers that were looking over a Memorial holiday weekend and requested a showing on Memorial Day. I couldn’t believe the showing wasn’t declined for this wonderful lake front property so we showed up as scheduled. Much to our entertainment, we found a party at the home and a pool full of scantily clad, and some naked, party goers. The owner of the home simply approached us and asked, “What would you like to drink?” Gotta say, we stayed for a beer!
Patty McLemore:
I showed the personal home of a local builder years ago. I called the day before and let him know I would be arriving around noon with my clients. We showed up and found the front door unlocked. I entered and hollered I was there, but got no response. As I entered the master bedroom, the builder was laying on his bed stark naked and spread eagle! He had been asleep but couldn’t move as he had gone fishing that morning and had gotten an extreme sunburn and had come home, showered and went to bed. He forgot all about our appointment. Funny thing is my clients bought his home, and to this day every time I see him he winks at me with the wildest of smiles!
Years ago I represented buyers on a lovely upscale home. I scheduled our home inspection midweek with the wife/seller. Later we went into the home and the inspector got to work and I sat in kitchen while he proceeded. As scheduled, an hour or so later, the buyers arrived. We all went upstairs and I opened the master bedroom door. Oops – there was the naked husband in bed ……on top of another woman! Yikes! I quickly shut the door as he hollered out “Hi, Nancy!” and we all rushed downstairs. A few minutes later the husband came downstairs, dismissed his ‘guest,’ and told us to proceed with the inspection.
Fortunately the buyers still loved the house and the list of inspection items was all approved due to our uncomfortable encounter. Up until that point the sellers had been difficult, but after that everything went smoothly. Actually, the wife was so happy we had ‘caught’ her husband, that she gave me 2 antiques as a bonus for selling the property. LOL.
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Legacy Comments
I was asked by an acquaintance to sell his and his wife’s rental condo. The condo was vacant and the seller said any agent could just “go and show”. One afternoon I went to do a property check and reload the flyer box. I found the deadbolt unlocked as I entered and was thinking I need to find out who left it that way when I looked up and saw the naked owner having sex with another man. I was in such disbelief I just stood there. He looked up and waved me back out the front door. He called later and tried to say they had been swimming and were just changing their clothes. I told him to please be sure the chain was on the door the next time they went “swimming”.
I remember showing a house to a couple I where I called first, knocked, rang the doorbell and then used the lockbox. We had been in the house for quite awhile, going through all the rooms. But, as we got closer to the master bedroom, I thought I could hear running water. Sure enough, there we all were – outside of the bathroom listening to the owner singing in the shower. I put my fingers to my lips and motioned for them to step out quietly. We left…fast! As far as I know the owner never knew. (For whatever reason, this couple attracted strange events with me – up next…me, caught upside down in a bathroom window!)
Few years back I was showing a townhome to a single mother with her teenager daughter. The appointment was confirmed for the early afternoon, and when we arrived at the property, there was a car parked in the driveway. I was surprised, but remembered the listing agent told me that the owner sometimes carpool with his co-workers. I knocked on the door long and hard and decided to use the key in the lockbox and enter the town home. The house was dark and as I turning on the lights, and yelled” Realtor, I am showing your house..” I thought I heard dog barking in the distance, but couldn’t figure out where it came from. We have just finished touring the downstairs and as all three of us walking toward to the stairway, one of the upstairs bedrooms door swam opened, and a little fury dog came running out toward to us. Right behind it was a half naked hairy man with sheet around his waist and starred down at us. He looked puzzled and dis-oriented. He frantically waived both of his hands, and the sheet fell off him…all three of us yelled ” I’m sorry, I’m sorry..” and fought our way out of the door. Later, I found out, the owner was deaf, unable to hear us and the little dog usually alarm him when someone is coming. Also, on the day before our showing; he just switched shift from daytime to graveyard. And he forgot to call the listing agent to change the showing instructions. I sincerely hope there was no ill psychological effect on my client’s teenage daughter.