Well, THAT Was Unexpected

Real estate transactions can sometimes lead to amusing, odd, or surprising situations. Texas REALTOR® magazine asked members to share a memorable moment they experienced.

Answers have been edited for space and clarity.

Help From Polly

During one of my open houses, a woman showed up with a parrot on her shoulder. She introduced herself as a serious buyer, and the parrot repeated, “Buy it! Buy it!” every few minutes. As we toured the home, the parrot continued to make comments like “Nice kitchen!” and “Great view!” It was hilarious and surprisingly effective. The woman ended up making an offer on the spot. The parrot even negotiated by squawking “Lower price!” We haven’t closed the deal yet, but I’ll never forget my feathered co-agent.

­­—Felix Etugbo, Houston

A Lesson in Being Prepared

My mother and I were staging a home we managed, which had previously been used as a rental property and was now being marketed for sale. We both went into the backyard to see how it would look in the photos. As we closed the sliding glass door to keep the cool air inside, the rental-compliant safety bar fell and trapped us both outside. Unfortunately, our phones, car keys, and house keys were inside. Thankfully, a downstairs bedroom window was unlocked. I used a trash bin to climb through the window and carefully entered the home. We ended up taping the bar on the sliding door upright so that the same thing would not happen to buyers and their agents during a showing. Because of that experience, whenever I visit a home, I wear a hip bag to keep my phone, car keys, and the house keys with me—just in case!

—Sarena Smith, Saginaw

A Doobi-ous First Impression

I was showing a house to buyers who were interested in it as an investment property. The tenants had been notified that we were coming, but they either forgot or didn’t care. We walked in, and in the living room, the tenants were sitting on the couch puffing away at their … let’s just say it wasn’t a cigarette.

My buyers and I exchanged some wide-eyed looks, and we made a quick exit out of that room. It wasn’t exactly the first impression I hoped to make, but we laughed it off afterward. In the end, the buyers still bought the property.

—Rachel Cahill, McKinney

From Concrete to Chaos

I drove to a listing of mine late Friday afternoon to check on it and noticed a large pickup truck in front. As I got closer, I saw a small front loader in the driveway and that the entire concrete driveway was busted up and in a pile. My sellers were not living there but had a car in the garage, and I knew they had not arranged to have any work done, especially on the driveway. The construction workers insisted they had been hired via email, and then they called the police.

I had a sick feeling when I called my sellers to explain what I’d found. Thankfully, the sellers jumped right in, took care of the situation, and left me out of the ensuing argument. The driveway was replaced quickly, and the house was sold. My sellers never told me what happened with that construction crew, but the police were involved.

—Lazan Pargaman, Austin

Beware of First Impressions

A buyer couple and I were out looking at houses. One of the homes looked great from the front, with great curb appeal in a desirable neighborhood. The buyers were excited about the prospect of this home, although through experience, I have learned that first impressions don’t give the whole story.

When I tried to gain access, the lockbox’s key did not open the front door, as the top deadbolt was locked from inside. I called the listing agent, who advised that the key should work for the back door. However, the only gate to access the backyard was also locked. My client had to scale the 8-foot fence to open it.

In the backyard, we heard the goats next door calling out to us. They continued to bleat at us the entire time. We also noticed that the pool was nearly empty because of a giant crack in the pool and across the pool decking. While cautioning my clients to walk around or over the crack—if someone fell in the pool, they would fall up to their thigh—I noticed that toads and tadpoles were climbing up the pool walls.

The key still didn’t work at that back door, although we did find an unlocked sliding door to access the home. The house inside was unremarkable, and in the end, I found a more suitable home for the buyers.

—Brenda Thompson, Plano

Luck of the Draw

Last year, a seller called asking about listing her home. I asked pertinent questions, and she agreed to a listing appointment. During the appointment, we toured the house and discussed the listing process in detail. Once we listed the property, we received a great offer and successfully closed the deal. She followed up with raving feedback and even referred another listing. The entire process was a success, but the unexpected aspect was how she discovered me. She had compiled a list of agents from a local Google search and then chose me from a tarot card.

—Roland Garcia, Dickinson

A Creative Christmas Surprise

My clients loved a luxury home sitting up high with panoramic golf course views and wanted to make an offer. The listing agent initially notified me it was sold. Then, the listing agent called and said the buyers had changed their mind. When I called the husband, he said not to tell his wife so that it could be a Christmas surprise. I executed the contract and inspection with the husband only.

For the surprise, I wrapped up a big box with clues for his wife and their three sons. The card read, “Pull this string. Soon, you’ll know the box’s secrets.”

The first gift was a bottle of sunscreen and a note that said, “Start packing. It’s gonna be fun. We will enjoy poolside soaking up the sun.”

The second gift included a small box of golf balls. The note said, “Play some golf, or watch it too, but we will definitely enjoy the view.”

The third gift said, “No matter the weather, we are prepared,” and included two 3-packs of Chapstick.

The last gift was a bottle of red wine with a customized label: “Welcome to our new home!” including a photo and the address of the home.

They were all fooled, shocked, and elated. The family is still in that home today.

—Debbie Murray, Dallas/Highland Park

No Detail Is Too Small

Back in the ’80s, I began working in residential property management. One of my first tasks was to look at a home where the tenants would be moving to see how it showed and determine what was needed to lease it again. I made an appointment to go. The tenants were not home, and the key did not work to open the front door. In those days, duplicate keys often didn’t work. I tried the door from the garage into the house, and my key worked. The condition of the house was not ready to show—there were dirty dishes and stuff everywhere. I left a note on my card to clean up the place.

The next day, I contacted the tenants and told them to clean the place so it could be marketed. They were apologetic and assured me they would take care of it. One week later, I had an appointment to show the house. I had to access the house from the garage again. I noticed the house had not been cleaned one bit.

After waiting for the prospects, I realized they were not coming, which was good since we could hardly walk through the house. I locked up, and on the way to my car, the prospects drove up and asked my name. They informed me that they were waiting for me at a house on the next block and that I had given them the wrong address. I was horrified. I gave them the correct address, but I was a block off. I regained my composure and then we went to the right house. It was spotless! I could hardly hold in my hysterical laughter because of my error. I had been to the wrong house two times … and left them a note to clean it up.

I often wonder what the correct house looked like before I asked the tenants to clean it up.

—Karen Dunn, Hughes Springs