Humorous real estate stories, and lessons learned

Every industry has a lighter side, and it is no different with real estate. In this article, we take a reprieve from the day-to-day pressures of life and look at some real estate stories that will make you laugh, while learning a valuable lesson at the same time. Enjoy!

The perfect storm

“A few years back I was looking at town houses with a buyer. It was my first time in this particular complex. I gave driving instructions to my client, and we met outside the property on time, so far so good. On this particular showing, the listing agent advised me that the seller had stepped out and left the front door open for us.

Not a huge deal, even though it’s certainly not the safest way to do things for the seller. The front door was unlocked as expected, so we went in and started looking around. The family room looked good, the kitchen was nice, and even the yellow lab was friendly.

As we finished up the first floor, we started to head up stairs. It was at that point that I realised something looked a bit different to the online pictures. I quickly pulled up the listing on my phone, opened the pictures and confirmed … we were in the wrong unit. Needless to say, we hightailed it out of there. I’m not sure if whoever’s house this was left home with the front door unlocked, or if they were hiding under their bed scared to death someone was breaking in.” – Realtor, Jon Knutson.

Lesson: Always make sure you have the correct details before viewing a home. There’s no room for nasty surprises on your homebuying journey.

The mysterious roommate

“I received a frantic call from a homeowner who had recently moved into their new house. They claimed to hear strange noises at night, footsteps, and even whispers. Concerned, I rushed to the property, expecting to find an intruder. To my surprise, we discovered that the “intruder” was a talkative and mischievous parrot left behind by the previous owners. The bird had been mimicking human sounds, creating an eerie and amusing atmosphere in the home!” – anonymous estate agent.

Lesson: Do a thorough check of your new home when you move in. It’s quite common to find unusual items left behind by previous owners.

Know your neighbours!

“I hadn’t been in my house long (so I didn’t know the neighbours well). As a result, when a removal van pulled up outside of a house that had been on the market for ages, I thought nothing of it. The two men were very pleasant and hard working – one of them even broke off to help me with my shopping bags.

As the owners weren’t home, I returned their kindness by giving them both tea and biscuits. Eventually they left. Two days later, the neighbours returned from holiday to find their house completely empty! Red-faced, I gave a description of the two men to the police. They never did catch the men, and the neighbours never spoke to me again.” – anonymous homeowner.

Lesson: Get to know your neighbours so that you can look out for each other. Don’t assume – things are not always what they seem!

You’ve got mail!

“When we moved into our new house, the previous owners had taken literally everything possible – even the doorbell. And being so stingy they didn’t want to pay to redirect the mail either. To my surprise, the previous owner came round and brazenly knocked, seeing as there was no doorbell left for her to ring, just to ask for her mail! Quite a cheek but I did find it quite funny.” – anonymous homeowner.

Lesson: It’s always good to take photos of the home you buy during viewing so that if the seller removes fittings and fixtures, you have proof to present to the agent. They must return what they removed.

Never judge a book by its cover

“When a family turned up to view our house, they arrived in an old car and my husband remarked that they would be time wasters as they wouldn’t be able to afford to purchase it. They viewed the hall, lounge, and entered the newly fitted kitchen. The lady turned to her husband and said she wanted it.

My husband, out of view, pulled a mocking face at me, but the laugh was on us as the gentleman turned out to be my husband’s new boss who was moving to the area to take up his position. He was awaiting the delivery of his new executive company vehicle!

The company arranged a free bridging loan for him, so he completed the sale extremely quickly. We got our full asking price which enabled us to get a good discount on the purchase of our selected property.”

Lesson: Never judge a buyer or a seller by their outward appearance. You could miss out on a great deal, just because you judged them at face value.

Sources:

Funny and Unforgettable Stories from Agents – Boma Hub

Funny property stories | Property news