One of the most routine activities in a Realtor's workday is showing clients through prospective properties. And time after time, showings normally go without a hitch, until last weekend, at least for me and my clients.
With many listings, it is common for the listing Realtor to provide showing instructions, which can include instructions for leaving business cards, removing shoes, etc. One of the properties we went to see included instructions to be careful not to let the cat escape when entering the front door. Fair enough, and even backed up by a sign right next to the door when we arrived. I explained to my clients, and we proceeded to carefully enter while anticipating the pending escape attempt. Lo and behold, we did see a cat, but it looked more than content to stay put on the staircase, and we proceeded inside without incident. Shortly after, we came upon another cat, but this one was anything but typical! She was completely hairless, with a menacing look that startled us as we walked past. I found out later that it is a "Sphinx cat". Oddly, it followed us closely as we moved from room to room, though always at a distance. At one point, as we were discussing features on the lower level, the cat jumped from a piece of furniture right onto the shoulders of my client, wrapping itself around his neck! Of course, he was startled, though I was mortified! I awaited a scream of pain, then suddenly, the cat jumped right off again and bounded away. It turns out that the cat was friendly and didn't harm my client at all. Thankfully, being an easy-going person, he laughed off the episode, while my heart rate slowly returned to normal. My thoughts to that point were focused on the welfare of my client, and what could have happened had the cat been less friendly. It turned out to have a good ending, as there was no harm done, and the cat never escaped the home. The property was put onto their short list for further consideration. In the future, I will always encourage my selling clients to remove their pets from the home during showings, and continue to watch out for my clients when showing them properties. Do you have any stories to share about strange things that have happened when viewing or showing a property?
