It was a gorgeous day to show homes...
My spirits were high. It was Sunday morning. 10:00 AM.
The temperature was in the low 60's. Just a hint of wind. Not a cloud in the sky...
I was showing a home in the Orchard Valley townhouses, just off Orchard Road and I88, in western Aurora.
It's a great neighborhood. The subdivision borders Orchard Valley golf course. The homes are priced between $150,000 and $200,000...
I was early for the appointment, so I took a stroll along the course. The eighth hole, a challenging par 5, runs the length of the subdivision. I catch myself wishing I was golfing...
I am showing a townhome to a young couple I have been working with for two years. They hope to buy this September...
We are seeing an end unit that is just on the market. Largest model. The pictures looked great. The home was priced at the higher end of the range, but it was a short sale, so I expected them to be flexible with their price...
Upon approach, I noticed all the blinds were down. The home has beautiful windows, so I hoped the blinds would be up. It made me wonder...
As I opened the door, I rang the bell and said in a loud voice, "HELLO..."
The front room was rather messy and dimly lit. All the blinds were down. Piles of papers were in a makeshift office by the fireplace...
I moved quickly through the house turning on the lights...
How could the carpeting be so dirty? Do the sellers even care? It looked as if someone had walked through with muddy boots...
As I moved upstairs in this multi-level three bedroom, I noticed one of the bedroom doors was shut.
I knocked lightly on the door, quietly saying "Hello" as I opened the door...
A man was laying in the bed. A fairly sizable man with a shaved head. He was laying on his side, facing the other direction...
No movement. Not even a bit. He must be a solid sleeper...
What to do? What if he has a gun? Is he even alive? Thoughts raced through my head...
I caught my breath, quietly shut the door, and went downstairs to inform my buyers...
"There is a man sleeping in a bedroom," I said in a confident yet hushed tone.
"Oh really" they responded. But it didn't seem to bother them. We had seen seen short sales before. They usually don't show too well...
We continued looking through the house. I couldn't help wondering "Is this guy going to come down with a gun?"
Fortunately, the man never emerged from his bedroom.
As we left the home, my clients had a fairly upbeat attitude.
They liked the model, the subdivision, and the potential of the home.
They were still considering buying?
I was just happy to make it out without waking sleeping beauty...
Ken
A Realtor you can trust.
KEN'S DAY OFF...GOLFING AT BOLINGBROOK GOLF CLUB...MINUTES FROM NAPERVILLE
THE DANGERS OF DELIVERING NEWSLETTERS...HIGH MEADOW STYLE
DELIVERING THE CRESTVIEW KNOLLS VIEW
ARE YOU CAPITALIZING ON THE CHALLENGING REAL ESTATE MARKET?
DELIVERING THE WHEATLAND SOUTH VIEW
STOCK MARKET GOT YOU DOWN? FIVE BIG OPPORTUNITIES IN REAL ESTATE.
FAMILY FUN A SHORT DRIVE FROM NAPERVILLE. KUIPERS APPLE ORCHARD, MAPLE PARK ILLINOIS.
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
Powered by the ActiveRain Real Estate Network
© 2009 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved
How funny Ken.
I miss Naperville. We moved to northern VA from there almost two years ago. Miss it!
Ken....be careful! I showed a house once that was more a boarding house than a home. Opened one bedroom door...woke somebody up...another door before that was closed...and before that, someone came out of the basement. I gave up and left. Wanted to call the listing agent and give her a piece of my mind...but I didn't.
Now days you never know what you will find, and it the neighborhood is the slightest bit questionable, be extra careful you don't surprize someone.
Better to be safe than sorry!
Scary! I hate when people are in a listing when I'm showing it! It's uncomfortable for everyone.
Ken, we've come across sleeping people while touring homes on caravan - and I showed a condo that was .vacant' last fall. It looked like someone was moving in or out, so we hurried through. You could tell they weren't expecting anybody because there was a pair of shoes right in the middle of the entrance hall floor. And the tenant wasn't very happy when she got home (we left a card). All was smoothed over - our job is full of surprises, isn't it?
Sharon
The same thing happened to me on Saturday. The home was listed as vacant but it looked like someone was living there. We spent about 15 minutes looking around, talking and laughing and then going into the last bedroom, there was a man laying in bed with his naked back to us.
We quickly left. We just hoped he wasn't dead. It kind of freaked out the wife.
I have had a squatter before. You never know in this market even in the best neighborhoods.
Hi Tim, Sharon, Teresa, Thom and Ray, and Kim. Thanks for reading and commenting.
It was a tad scary. I wanted out.
My first time with a sleeping man. Still surprised he stayed sleeping. :)
Kim, Naperville is a great place.
Thanks again everyone,
Ken
A friend of mine in our office was showing a home when they found a naked woman sound asleep on the couch. Their presence woke her up. She just looked around and said, "I'll just give you guys some privacy." Then she got up and walked out of the room!
Wish I could sleep that soundly!
Funny stories, Ken and everybody. I have never walked in on a sleeping person, thank goodness.
Hi Shirley, Pat, and Mark. Thanks for reading.
Naked woman on the couch? Hmmm.
I wonder if he was awake and just didn't know what to do?
Anyway, thanks guys!
Ken
Too funny! I've had a couple sound asleep in a bedroom and never woke either one of them. We quickly left and I grabbed my card as we ran out the door.
Hi Ken!
We walked into a house (the front door was ajar) that was on tour last week only to hear the shower running behind a closed bathroom door. We walked right back out and called the listing agent to let them know the circumstances. We returned 10 minutes later and the son of the household had finished his shower and was in the backyard...weird! I have walked into houses like that before. Not wanting to tempt fate, I always leave, buyers in tow, call the listing agent and follow their lead.
It is a wonder the guy didn't at least wake up and say something. Then on the other hand he may not have been called and alerted to the showing.
I think I would have left the property. It always concerns me when someone is in the home NOT EXPECTING VISITORS. Like you said, he could have had a gun.
Dude...that is hysterical. That's a first for me!
Hi Larry, Tom, Don, Paula, and Kay. Thanks for reading and saying hi!
Kay, you are the head of the RE/MAX group, I believe. I used to write there during the hard times...
I should have left right away. It was a little bit of a drive and it was the only house we were seeing.:)
Anyway, thanks so much,
Ken
Ken,
WOW! I do not know what I would have done. I'm glad that the couple was willing to overlook the mess and "sleeping beauty" to appreciate the potential. Sounds like you handled the situation perfectly.
Was in a home today with someone in the shower. Fortunately the bathroom door was locked! Makes ya wonder why you bother to make an appointment when they stay put.
Hi Dawn and Kim. Thanks for reading.
My buyer wants to make an offer???
I don't like the feel of it...
I might have to negotiate with the sleeping man!!
Thanks guys for commenting,
Ken
Ken,
It could have been worse. Showing occupied homes is always a mixed bag of nuts. One of my buyers agents showed our listing to some clients and was surprised by their daughter even after he range the bell and announced his presence. They were looking around the house when they figured out they weren't alone. He said it scared him half to death.