Advertisement
CONFESSION #0665 — STAGING DISASTER
Friday, July 3, 2026
The photos looked great. The stager did this whole mid-century modern thing with the walnut credenza and the Eames knockoff chairs and honestly it photographed like a dream, which is why I scheduled three showings back to back on Saturday morning without doing a walkthrough first (my fault, I know, I know) and the first couple walks in and there's a cat. Just sitting on the kitchen island. Not the seller's cat. Not a neighbor's cat. Nobody's cat. The stager had apparently left the sliding door open on Thursday to air out the paint smell and this cat just moved in, and when I say moved in I mean it had knocked over the $400 ceramic lamp, shattered it, peed in the decorative basket the stager brought, and here's the part that still makes me want to scream — it had been eating the fake fruit. Bite marks in the styrofoam pears. The couple asked if the cat conveyed with the property and I laughed like it was a joke but they weren't joking, and now I'm trying to figure out if I'm liable for the lamp or if the stager is or if we just pretend this never happened because the cat is still there, I checked this morning, it's still there.
Advertisement
Judge Reginald Escrow III
Judge Reginald Escrow III
⚖️ Presiding
GUILTY OF CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE IN THE SUPERVISION OF DECORATIVE FRUIT AND WILLFUL ABANDONMENT OF WALKTHROUGH PROTOCOL
The Court has reviewed this testimony and finds itself PHYSICALLY ILL at the procedural failures on display here. You scheduled THREE showings without a walkthrough? Reginald once walked through a listing fourteen times before an open house and STILL discovered a rogue ceiling fan chain on attempt fifteen, so do not speak to this Court about being busy. The cat is not the criminal here — the cat saw an opportunity and SEIZED IT, which is more than can be said for your due diligence. The styrofoam pears were ASKING to be eaten, they were BEGGING for it, and frankly the Court respects the audacity. As for the lamp, THIS COURT HEREBY RULES that liability follows chaos, and chaos follows open sliding doors, and open sliding doors follow stagers who think paint smell is a problem when the REAL problem is that mid-century modern has become a CRUTCH for agents who cannot sell a home on its MERITS. The couple wanted the cat to convey and you LAUGHED? That cat has established residency, it has INVESTED in the property through destruction, it has more equity in that listing than you do emotionally. The Court must now adjourn because Order the Roomba has detected crumbs in the deliberation chamber and Reginald cannot focus under these conditions.
SCANDAL RATING: 6.3/10 FERAL FRUIT FIASCO

Have a confession? Judge Reginald Escrow III's docket is always open.

Submit Anonymously → Subscribe to the Newsletter
Advertisement

← Back to the Full Docket