Ask a CRS: Q: Fill in the blank: “The craziest thing a client ever said to me was _________.”
As we leave closing: “Why did they put my wife on the deed? We are getting divorced next week.”
—Mike Inman, Coldwell Banker McMahan Co., Lexington, Kentucky
Buyer asked if I would loan him $100,000 to do updates after closing.
—Marisa DiNucci, Century 21 North Shore, Danvers, Massachusetts
After asking a buyer how he planned to purchase the home: “God sent me a message that the seller would give me the house.”
—Pat Gust Tasker, Shorewest REALTORS®, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
“Is that a bullet hole in the door?” I said yes, that it was a .30-06, because my last client didn’t buy from me! Great conversation starter about agency!
—Jim Paulson, Progressive Realty Corporation, Boise, Idaho
After closing, my seller client wanted to go back to retrieve something they’d forgotten—an urn of ashes of the family dog, buried in the backyard.
—Karen Crowson, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, San Diego, California
We are closing in the attorney’s office. My seller is filling out the closing docs as the question is asked about private burial grounds. My seller says, “Yes, my twin brother’s ashes are buried in the backyard.” I asked if he wanted them back. My seller said ‘no,’ and the attorney proceeded to the next question. The end!
—Joni Eubank, Coldwell Banker Real Estate Professionals, Iowa City, Iowa
I was showing a client a home. We all went inside, and they mentioned very quickly that they felt some kind of spirit or presence in the home. They wanted to know whether anyone was killed in the home. I held my tongue and didn’t ask, “Do you see dead people?”
—Mark Hess, Keller Williams INTEGRITY, Lawrence, Kansas
“I filed bankruptcy yesterday; does this change my offer that was accepted last week?”
—Cindy Ulsrud, First Weber Group, Madison, Wisconsin
I followed my client back inside the house because she needed to check out one more thing before she made an offer. She went inside the bathroom and got down on her knees in front of the toilet. “I just want to see how it’s going to be after a night on the town drinking and I need to puke. I want to see how that’s going to feel.”
—Renae Forsyth-Christy, Skogman Realty, Marion, Iowa
