Seriously funny (and strange) questions!
Hey Cora, your job as a real estate agent sounds “serious” all the time. Do you ever run across things that are just funny? Signed Seriously Hilarious.
Dear Hilarious; HA! Oh ya! I have found things in homes after people have moved out that were seriously hilarious! But I read this article recently and it made me laugh out loud and thought I would share it with you. Some (just some) of these questions I have been asked too….now, keep in mind, there is no such thing as a stupid question….but there are strange ones! My comments in italics.
“How do you keep the alligators from coming up into the toilet?”
Michael Lyons, a real estate broker with Lyons Realty Group in Hollywood, FL, has certainly heard his share of concerns about alligators lurking in yards, ponds and swimming pools. But sneaking into the house…..through a toilet? That left him stumped! “I couldn’t answer that question seriously,” he said. “So I made up some weird solution; I told them, ‘pour vinegar down the toilet once a month, they hate it!” Now, yes, that was a strange question – but obviously, they just needed reassurance that alligators don’t do that……or do they? We are a long way from Florida, I assume they don’t, but I have no first hand alligator experience
“Does the car in the driveway come with the house?”
Chike Uzoka, a real estate agent with Weichert in Newark, NJ, has heard of buyers asking whether many things ‘come with the house’, from chandeliers to furniture to appliances and pool equipment, but a car? If you are paying cash for the house, you can ask the seller for the car in the driveway to be included in the sale, but if you are using bank financing – then no way man!
“Is anyone buried in the backyard?”
Larry Prigal, a real estate agent with Re/Max in Gaithersburg, MD, had no reason to believe the house he was selling had any corpse stashed in the back yard, so he joked, “I’m not aware of anyone buried here, but you can dig it up after you’ve settled on the property!” Here in Alaska, the State of Alaska Property Disclosure that all sellers are required to fill out, actually asked the seller that very question. I haven’t come across a “yes” box checked yet, but I have seen written in “hamster, goldfish, and guinea pig.” They aren’t people but they are bodies.
“Are there any ghosts in the house?”
When Chris Dossman, a real estate agent with Century 21 in Indianapolis, holds open houses at older homes, it’s not uncommon to hear creaks or noises. That promps a superstitious few to pop the ghost question. “I usually respond jokingly at first that there are ghosts, but they’re friendly, but the immediately follow with “just kidding,” because people can be really weird about those things,” Dossman said. “Cellars and basements can be especially freaky.” Ya, we had root cellar when I was kid, I hated that place! I heard a story once that a buyer sued a seller for “leaving their ghost” at the house when they moved out! So, in the future people, pack up your ghosts and take them with you, it’s just rude to leave them behind!
“Do you the homeowner would give me the house without a down payment?”
Taken aback, Julie McDonough, a real estate agent with AmeriSell, in Southern, California, told the buyer, “I can’t imagine they would” The buyer went on to explain that he’d taken a seminar on how to get the seller to deed the buyer the property without any credit or money. “So I asked him, ‘How is the going for you? Has anyone deeded you a property yet?” McDonough recalled. “He said, ‘No, not yet, but it’s a numbers game.” Ha, ya I would say that’s true, the problem is the number just don’t add up! Let me just say this, if someone is putting on a seminar and charging you for that seminar, about how to make tons of money buying real estate for little or nothing down…..why aren’t they doing it themselves!
“Can I come back at midnight to see how the moon here affects my soul?”
The question threw Pate Stevens for a loop, but then he figured there was not harm. “Although a strange request, I drove over to the home at midnight to let him in said Sevens, a real estate agent with Nourmand and Associates, in Beverly Hills, CA.
The outcome? “He didn’t buy the house because the moon “didn’t feel right” to him? This just makes me laugh! I never thought of this before – ever!
“Can we close all the blinds and doors and turn off the lights? I just need to see the space at its darkest.”
“I was pretty sure this was the end for me,” said Brooklyn real estate agent who was holding an open house. “After I said OK, I stood by the front door with my hands on the doorknob!” Fortunately, the agent, who asked not to be identified, made in out unscathed. “The buyer was this eccentric guy who I later found out was the CEO of some big company!”
“Why is the garage unfinished?”
Because the sellers use it for their cars, not as living space,” replied Benny Kang, a real estate agent with Uniti Realty, in Irvine CA, to which the buyer said, “Oh, you’re right.”
“When I heard that question, I thought, “this is going to be a long tour!” Kang said. To This is quite true, even in Alaska, we don’t always have finished garages and it just for this reason, finishing costs money.
“I am worried about the house next door, it’s lower that this house, do you think this house will start to slide into it?”
This was a question that I got…..now how do you answer that? “No, I don’t think that would happen, unless we had a major earth quake and the moon fell out of its orbit and landed on the house next door – the gravitational pull of the fallen moon, may cause your house to slide (if the foundation was properly buttered) to slide into the neighbor’s house!”
“Where is the closest bar, because I like to be in walking distance of the bar.”
This was another one of mine. This just made me laugh, but I respected the guy for not wanting the drink and drive!
So, a Realtors job is never done, there are funny times and happy times, and sad times and desperate times. But there are no dumb questions – just strange ones!
Call me if you need help with real estate – I am happy to help.