Wednesday, June 10, 2026

The photos looked great. Professional staging, good light, the whole thing. Listed at 485 and we had three showings scheduled the first weekend. Then my client — the seller — decides she wants to be present for all of them. Not just in the house. In the room. Following people around explaining why she chose that particular shade of green for the bathroom. First couple walks in, nice young family, clearly interested. She corners the wife in the kitchen and starts talking about how the previous owners died in the master bedroom. Just volunteers this. Says she thought they should know because she would want to know. They left in maybe six minutes. Second showing she brought out photo albums. Photo albums. Of her kids growing up in the house. Made the buyers sit on the couch and look at them while I'm standing there trying to redirect. The husband kept checking his watch and she asked him if he had somewhere more important to be. Third showing canceled because she called them directly — got their number off I don't even know where — to ask what their plans were for her rose bushes. We had to drop the price twice. Took four months to sell. She told me at closing that she felt like I hadn't really advocated for her. That she expected more from someone taking a 3% commission. Three percent of a house that should have sold in two weeks at asking price if she had just gone to Target for an hour like I asked her to twelve separate times.

The final walkthrough was routine. Saturday open house, nice split-level, priced right. 2:15: first couple arrives, normal questions. 2:40: guy comes in alone, says he's cash buyer. 2:45: cash buyer opens basement door, goes down. 2:52: I hear running water. 2:53: more running water. 2:55: I go check. He's turned on every faucet in the basement bathroom and the laundry sink, full blast. Just standing there watching. Says he's testing the water pressure. 2:56: water starts coming up through the floor drain. Backing up. 2:57: sewage smell. 3:01: he leaves. Doesn't give me his card. 3:15: I'm on my knees with the seller's shop vac. Damage estimate from the plumber was twelve hundred. Sellers blamed me. Listing expired last week. Never saw the guy again. Pretty sure he wasn't a cash buyer.

The buyers came back for a third showing. Monday: they love it. Tuesday: they make an offer, 620k. Wednesday: I post a story, just the front of the house, caption says "another one under contract." Thursday: seller's neighbor sees it. Friday: neighbor posts on Nextdoor that the house flooded twice in 2019. Saturday: buyer's agent calls me at 7am. Sunday: buyers pull out. Monday: seller calls screaming about the Nextdoor post. Tuesday: I check and there's 40 comments now. Wednesday: someone shares a photo of the basement from 2019, water up to the electrical panel. Thursday: seller admits yeah it flooded but he fixed it. Friday: I ask why he didn't disclose. He says because he fixed it. The listing expired last week. House is still sitting there.