Favorite Real Estate Stories

What is your all-time favorite real estate story? 

There are so very many favorite stories I could share!  My favorites are the ones that are incredibly stressful in the moment and too funny to be believed after the fact!  Most arise in the moments before closing when tensions are already high.  I’ll never forget my first year in real estate, now eighteen years ago, when I hadn’t yet figured out how important it is to specifically tell a seller what is expected for closing.  One seller was quite shocked to discover that they were actually required to remove the 20 pairs of snow tires they had stored in their garage, and none too happy to incur the significant haul away charge.  Given the large fee associated with their removal, I could certainly understand why they hadn’t previously parted with the tires, but I never figured out what they thought the new buyers were going to do with them.  Now I tell all sellers:  you must remove all items that are not affixed to the home and not specifically included in the sale from the home prior to closing.  And yes, that includes all of the old paint that has been in your basement for the past 50 years!

I have at times encountered sellers who are confused about what condition they must leave a home in for closing.  So confused it seems that homes have been presented with trash strewn around, cookie crumbles all over the floor and filthy appliance interiors.  I will never forget the closet smoker seller who scattered an entire coffee can of cigarette butts on the walk on her way to closing, unhappy with the price she had agreed to, only to have to leave the closing to go home and clean up.  Another rule for sellers:  the home and property need to be clean – broom swept at a bare minimum.

The most confusion centers around inclusions and here I really have seen it all.  The seller who removed all lightbulbs from all lighting fixtures was certainly going too far!  My absolute favorite was the seller who removed the toilet from the master bathroom, leaving nothing but a hole in the floor, stating that a toilet was a “personal hygiene device” and that they didn’t understand why the buyer would want it!  As you can imagine, the seller had to pay to replace the toilet. Which brings me to one final rule for seller: if it’s attached to the property, be it by nail, screw, glue… it stays!