11-17-2007
Buyer's agent nightmare: Alien in the basement

The National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents, a group of real estate professionals who only represent buyers in real estate transactions, has released the results of a member survey that highlights pet peeves with the condition of for-sale homes.
Broken door locks that prevent access to the house, "pet deposits" in the back yard or a dirty cat litter box, missing light bulbs in the basement, "sellers that ask you to remove shoes and then have wet carpet or dirty floors," and loose stairs or missing banisters on a stairway top the list, according to the report by the group, which has about 500 members nationwide.
Jon Boyd, NAEBA president, offered a personal experience in the survey announcement: "Once I was previewing a fairly expensive home by myself. I go into the huge basement and I can't find the light switch. As I'm reaching around a corner I catch a light switch and turn it on. About eight feet in front of me is a life-sized model of the alien monster looking right at me! My heart starts beating again in a few minutes when I figure out what the stupid thing is, but whose idea was it to leave the thing there while the home is on the market?"
Other gripes by buyer's agents include: low-hanging dining room light fixtures, dead cars in the driveway or yard, graffiti, and dead birds or animals "in or around the home."

Agents: Any personal experiences you care to share about a visit to an unwelcoming home?