Most people love animals of one kind or another, but when it comes to buying or selling a house, they can present issues. Some of those issues were covered here. In this story, agents reveal the unique one-off experiences they’ve had with all kinds of animals.
To begin, what could be easier, thought Jeffrey Decatur, a longtime broker associate with RE/MAX Capital in Latham, New York, than being the buyer agent for his own mother? No having to convince a new client of his abilities, no haggling over the commission, etc. It would be simple and stress-free, finding her an investment rental property.
“I still remember the house, a four-family,” he recalls. “My mother ventured off and walked in a room first, against my better advice. She screamed so loud that neighbors came out to see what happened. Well, they had a huge seven- or eight-foot snake, halfway through lunch, in a massive display case that went floor to ceiling. It took hours to get her calmed down. To this day when she drives by the house she still has a few choice words to say about the experience, and it’s been decades! I guess the moral of this story for agents is that a negative impression never goes away.
“I could actually get past the snake. What I could not get past is the tenant not giving us a warning or a sign. Then to top it off they’d just fed it and there was half a rodent sticking out of its mouth. My mother is still traumatized.”
Slithery creatures also top the list of cringey experiences for Josh Jarboe, principal broker/owner with RE/MAX Empire in Mount Washington, Kentucky.
“One time I was showing a home where the sellers had forgotten to mention that their snake collection had been moved—not REmoved—from the house,” he says. “They had carefully placed the glass enclosure in their walk-in closet. Naturally, when I opened the door and flipped on the lights to showcase the closet’s size, we were all greeted with a surprise. Let’s just say the elderly woman touring the home let out a yelp that startled even the snakes.
“Another time I was hosting an open house and the sellers assured me their cat would stay hidden in the basement, tucked safely under a bed. Of course the cat had other plans. At some point it decided to make a dramatic appearance by leaping from the top of a cabinet straight onto a teenage girl’s head. Cue the chaos… she started screaming and running around in panic, which naturally startled everyone else in the house. To top it off, the cat bolted out the back door, conveniently left open by another group touring the property. The younger brother thought it all was hilarious.”
Tammy Abrusci, of RE/MAX Heritage Properties in New Jersey, once found a surprise in the bathroom.
“One of my most unusual pet stories was getting a tour of a house for a listing and opening up the bathroom door to see a group of ducks swimming around in the bathtub. We have that on our Instagram under ‘furry friends.’
“We have come across many different pets. We sold a home with a donkey included, and a buyer client purchased a home with a horse and chickens. We also sold a house with a skunk closed off in one of the rooms.”
Danielle Andrews, a broker at Realty ONE Group Next Generation in Tallahassee, Florida, is allergic to cats, but once plowed through a house showing anyway.
“I arrived to find the home was filled with them,” she says. “There were so many that I stopped counting. They were everywhere, a couple in the window and a few lounging on the front porch, staring at me as if to say, ‘Are you sure you want to come in?’
“I had to psych myself up to go inside, armed with tissues and my inhaler. I was pumping it every two seconds. By the time I left I felt like I had survived a feline ambush. It was quite literally a cat attack, in my opinion. My clients couldn’t stop laughing at how the cats seemed more interested in showing the house than we were. It’s something I’ll never forget.”
Scott Bergmann, broker/owner of Realty ONE Group Authentic in Omaha, Nebraska, managed to close on a property despite unexpected challenges.
“Once when I was showing a home to buyers we went into the garage only to discover that the homeowners were breeding ferrets,” he says. “The garage was full of cages, and it was not disclosed anywhere. The client’s son went into the garage first, ran out crying, and asked why all the ferrets were caged up. While it was an unexpected and alarming surprise, they still made an offer on the property, requesting that the animals and their scent be removed before closing.”
