Awkward? Maybe. Funny? Indeed.

I was thinking about some of the more memorable things I have seen while showing, along with a couple of stories from friends on mine here in Austin.  Sometimes, you can't help but laugh.

Have you ever seen a large, framed, naked picture of the seller when you were showing a home?  Well, I have.  Years ago, my partner and I went to preview a large home in Westlake, which is a prestigious part of Austin.  It was a three-level home and you enter on the middle floor.  We were looking around and the master bedroom was a huge room on the right.  It was probably the size of about six normal-sized masters. 

The bathroom was sort of incorporated into the bedroom (i.e. open).  The bathtub was next to a fireplace and the bed was round.  It felt like going to Hef's house, except for a couple of strange details.  There were saloons doors leading to the commode, and there was a URINAL mounted on the wall.  Yes, a commercial-grade brown urinal.  It gets much better... We went downstairs to check out the pool area, and behind the wet bar there was a very large storage closet.  We opened it and turned on the light, only to find many very large, gilded-frame nude portraits of a woman, which looked like they were taken in the late 60's or early 70's.  Later, the listing agent mentioned that the seller was a former Playboy playmate.  Well, you know, I didn't have to be "Monk" to figure that out, frankly.   The funniest part was that they kept them in open view.  Why not just leave them hanging up if you aren't going to really hide them or store them elsewhere?

More than once when I was showing condos or homes near the University of Texas campus, when we were almost finished, I have come across a student (or multiple students) sleeping.  It always makes me laugh like I am in junior high.  Actually, it makes me shush my buyers, then turn red to keep from laughing too loudly.  We usually make a quick exit. 

Speaking of which...

A friend of mine was showing a couple around in a home in Lakeway, and they had been loudly commenting about the home, before they noticed the buck naked man sleeping on the sofa.  I guess he was pretty tired, because he never woke up at all during their visit.

Another time, a friend of mine went to look at a potential listing for a client who was out-of-state.  There were tenants staying there and he told my friend to "let me know how things look when you finish".  It was among the dirtier places he had seen, and they had blocked the stairway with a wide dresser as "childproofing".  He had to climb over the dresser to see the upstairs (I don't really know why he stayed long enough to do this).  The best part was that he managed to step in dog poop IN THE KITCHEN.  Needless to say, he didn't list that property and he got to make an entertaining phone call to the seller afterwards.

Please feel free to share your stories here!

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