Sharing Sizzling True Stories from Real Estate Agents

At the core, the real estate process of buying and selling relies on a trusting relationship for all parties. With showing homes or preparing homes for sale, we are bound to run into a few stories that are odd, shocking and downright funny. It seems like every realtor has a few good stories to share, like walking in on naked sellers, neighbors that want to tell you all about the home (good and bad), renters that have an ax to grind with the seller, sellers that don’t leave during each showing or pets that chase you out the of the house. For this article, we thought it would be fun to share some real estate scenarios and provide feedback for each situation.

The following are real anonymous real estate stories shared by our Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty agents and brokers.

 The Harry Ghost Story

The buyers closed on a property. A few weeks later, they had a happy hour at their new home and invited all their immediate neighbors. During the festivities, two of the neighbors asked the buyer if he had seen “Harry.” The buyer asked who Harry was. The neighbors told him that the seller had told them many stories about “Harry,” who was a ghost that lived in the property. The buyer was concerned that the presence of a ghost was not disclosed.

Question: Did the seller have the obligation to disclose the presence of the ghost at his property?

Answer: Probably. Since the seller had made it known to the community that there was a ghost that inhabited the property, making the possible presence of the ghost common knowledge in the community, the seller had, in fact, stigmatized their own property. Whether the current buyer believes in the existence of ghosts or not, it is likely that the neighbors would similarly make future buyers aware of this supernatural phenomenon that could affect the marketability and value of the property. As such, the seller likely had the obligation to disclose the presence of Harry, whether he believed it to be a real occurrence or just a facetious tale.

Seller’s Remorse Story

Several days after the lot listed, the agent received an offer from another broker. After a counteroffer, our client (seller) accepted the offer. While the buyer was in the inspection period, the seller called and said that due to some serious situation in her life, which she didn’t want to go into, she wanted to cancel the contract and not sell. An addendum was signed by the seller to cancel and forwarded to the buyer’s agent. Bottom line, the buyers didn’t agree to cancel.

Question: Is there some provision of the vacant land contract that may give the seller the right cancel?

Answer: No. Buyers had not agreed to the cancellation and the provisions in the contract, which would come into play (breach) should the seller not agree to perform under the terms of the purchase contract, and do not provide for the seller the right to cancel.

Embarrassing Bathroom Moments

Buyers, it’s not your home yet! This always puts agents in an embarrassing situation when clients use the restroom during a showing. First off, we get it, when you have to go, go! This situation has so many bad outcomes for agents: clogged toilets, not flushing the toilets, water was not on and the extreme situation of toilet overflowing.

Question:  Is it OK to use the restroom at a seller’s home?

Answer:  Probably not, unless it’s an absolute emergency. Most sellers are completely against a stranger in their bathroom. In the rare case, always check to see if the house has the water on! Remember: the agent is responsible for your actions during the showing. Awkward!

These stories are fun and interesting to share, but one theme is present: as real estate advisors, we are the ultimate problem solvers. Remember, working with a realtor is a partnership to help you achieve your goals of buying or selling. We share these stories as case studies to learn from and to better serve our community. At the end, who doesn’t like a little humor of a naked, awkward seller, a ghost story, crazy pet moments or a good old bathroom story?

Let us know if you enjoyed these sizzling stories or even learned something new! FBN

By Valerie Core

Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty is located at 219 N. Humphreys Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001. Our Co-op office includes Valerie Core, Freddi Paulsrud, Nicole Cumbie, Alana Bateman, Shannon Mackey, Nina Bedatsky and Kyle Jones.