Years ago, on our office listing tour in Vacaville, Ca. when I was with Gateway Realty, we saw a nice family house with a great backyard and pool. Priced well, showed great. I knew that the sellers were very motivated.
About 10 days later, I took a genteel couple over to see it. The listing agent (the late and great Jim Stoneburner, I am sure you are up in the Heavenly Real Estate Market, still laughing at me) knew I was going over and didn't mention that:
1.) It was a divorce situation and was going into foreclosure,
2.) The wife moved out and took the kids and cleaning stuff with her, and
3.) The husband let his younger brother and his friends move in and they were partying till the cows came home.
Having prepared my buyers for a lovely home in wonderful condition with the pool they wanted so badly, I called and no one was home. I used the lockbox and escorted them in ahead of me (NO, I never did that again). Pizza boxes, wet towels, beer cans, trash, etc., you can imagine the scene. One very large pair of men's jockey shorts hanging from the ceiling fan, going round and round and round. And a HUGE, dirty-looking moose head hanging on the wall in the living room - (NO, it was NOT there when I previewed it the week before!)
Still hoping to win them over when they saw the backyard pool, (OK, OK, I WAS NEW!), I shoved them both out of the living room into the kitchen aiming them toward the back door. Hanging on the kitchen wall was the rear end of the moose! Back legs and tail hanging there - it looked like it ran through the wall. Well, I guess it was the other end of the same moose, we didn't stay long enough to check. The woman screamed, they ran out, I left my card on a pizza box and locked up. On the way back to the office I tried to explain and help them appreciate the humor in the situation. All I got was the "we are not amused look" and they never returned my calls.
Moral of the story? You tell me!!
