In real estate, REALTORS® can come across some interesting things when showing a home. While there’s no way to prepare for these startling moments, they each make a great story.
We recently asked some of our REALTORS® “What is the craziest thing you've seen showing a home?” and the stories are anything but ordinary. From bee infestations to animal attacks, our REALTORS® have seen it all. Here are a few of their craziest moments when showing a home!
Animals:
• One of the most unusual things I came across was in an unfinished basement in a vacant home. There were no lights on, so my clients decided not to look. I didn't have pictures of the basement, so I decided to use the flash on my camera to snap a few while I was there. When I got back to the office to download the pictures, there was a mama possum and several babies in the pictures! -Donetta Garman, Stewart & Kiefer, REALTORS LLC, Osceola
• I had a single female buyer, late 40's and scared to death of dogs. I did call the agent and he assured me the dogs were secured, not very big and not a problem. When we got to the home, both dogs were about 55-60 lbs., secured by one of those old wooden expandable ‘gates’ and both were in attack mode. The woman was frozen with fear, and it took more than two minutes to get out. Matters only got worse-she soiled herself. I walked her home four blocks in 18-20 degrees temperature. - John Miller , Equity Missouri RE, St. Louis
• When the buyer arrived at the house, she brought another woman & a two-year-old child with her. When she saw the cats through the window, the woman with the prospective buyer told me that cats did not like her. When we all walked inside, the white cat sprung out of the window at this woman. The woman screamed and sprinted up a flight of stairs, child in arms, and the cat & I in pursuit. Then, she leaped on top of the kitchen counter to get away from the cat. The cat kept trying to get past me, and its attempts would not stop until I managed to scare it off. The cat ran downstairs into a bedroom, and I immediately shut the door behind it. We continued on with the showing and could hear the cat jumping at the bedroom door downstairs, but knew the door was shut securely. The cat had been jumping at the door knob and opened it when we came downstairs! As the cat entered the hallway, the woman ran out the front door with the cat running behind. Once the woman was outside, the cat stopped in the foyer and began acting like the nice cat I had witnessed the day before. Happy to say the prospective buyer bought the house asking that several items stay, but not the cats. – Wanda Finnigan , Century 21 McKeown & Associates, Inc, Moberly
• Upon entering a home with clients directly behind me, we were completely caught off guard. There were 25 modules or Bee Hives complete with live and active honey bees stacked in the living room! My first response was to turn and ask the client calmly, "Are you allergic to bee stings?" While pointing at the bee hives, I told them, "Regardless of your answer, we should exit now!" -James Ollison , Premier Realty Group LLC, Sedalia
People:
• Walking towards the upstairs darkened front room, a male figure emerged from the shadows wearing a knit hat, a short t-shirt and nothing else. He was holding either a shotgun or a rifle. I didn't stick around to find out which it was. -Daryl Burns, Century 21 Advantage, Columbia
• A fellow REALTOR® and a couple have been in the house for over 10 minutes on the first floor. Even though it was a bright day, the basement was pretty dark. As the buyer located the light switch, he was met with a full blown body tackle and slammed to the floor hitting his head. Mr. Burglar Perpetrator was gone and out of there in a split second.- John Miller, Equity Missouri RE, St. Louis
• About 10 years ago, I was showing homes to a 20-something single male client. As we entered the side to side split, I announced our presence. The house was occupied, but no one appeared to be home. As we were heading to the bedroom level, a young adult female exited the nearest bedroom and went to the bathroom. She weighed between 250-300 pounds, was dressed in pink baby doll pajamas, and didn't act like she saw us. I asked my client if he was interested? He replied, “In what?” I said, “The house…The house!” He said, “Let's get the hell out of here.”- Daniel O Neill, Reece Nichols Realtors, Lee's Summit
Other:
• I was showing a home of a very devout family. There were spiritual and religious plaques, religious figurines, and the basement was configured with a circle of chairs for prayer meetings and bible study. Upon entering the master bedroom, the room was dim and had a couple BLACK VELVET PAINTINGS, not of Jesus. It was such a contrast to the rest of the home; we had a good time speculating after the visit! -Rebecca Baker, Prudential Kansas City Realty, Overland Park
• During my early licensing time, I would go in to show, only to find wacky tobacco "joints" in the ashtrays, other drug pipe assortments and once even an extension cord that ran from the bedroom down the hall to a small entry closet. When we followed the cord, the attic was full of lights for growing illegal plants. I never could understand why they thought it was okay to have their home on the market and not figure out that was illegal and should not be out. -Renee Ryan Edwards, Reece Nichols East, Lee's Summit
• After 30 years in the business I've seen a lot of crazy, but the first that comes to mind is His and Her commodes in the master bathroom. Yup, walk in the door and there was a commode on each end of the double sink vanity. My first thought: "Wow, this is taking together time to new heights," actually I was pretty much stunned. -Deborah Mundell , Keller Williams Tri-Lakes, Branson
It takes a special person to work in real estate – and you never know what you are going to encounter. If you’re a REALTOR®, what’s your strangest home-showing memory?