I’m home sick today here in Salem Oregon and have been wandering around on different forums since my kids have hijacked the television. As I was reading a thread, my jaw hit the floor. The topic of the thread was from a seller frustrated that her children’s toys were being played with during showings. Buyers were clearly not respecting their stuff and allowing the children to play while the parents looked at the house. Then they’d leave it a mess. Beside the fact that this is an obviously rude gesture, this isn’t what made my jaw drop.
A poster got on the forum said
When I look at buying a house I bring my dog with me every time.
He is going to live there also. And gets a vote.
I’m serious, how much my dog likes the house enters into my decision.
Now, I have a dog. I love my dog, but my dog doesn’t come on showings because the house belongs to someone else. They may hate dogs. They may be allergic to dogs. I have to say I was flabbergasted that someone would bring a dog on a showing for the purpose of having them approve the house. I’m also stunned that any buyer agent would allow it. I also think it is rude to bring a dog to someone else’s home when they may not want pets in the house. What if they have really horrible asthma triggered by dogs?
I love my dog, but really…that is over the top.
Is the dog going to select a house because of the good smelling girl dog next door? Is the dog going to select a house because of the comfy couch that isn’t included in the purchase? Is the dog going to select the house because no other dogs have marked it as their territory? I mean what exactly is the dog’s vote based on? Clearly not the cost of the mortgage.
Somehow I’m just waiting too write a new contingency in a Salem Oregon real estate contract “contract subject to approval of house by Pookie, buyer’s 2 pound Pomeranian. Contract to be terminated if dog barks twice.”
Great post Melina. Haven’t had that happen to me yet. The weirdest thing showing houses I’ve had is where a buyer wanted to spend the night at a house he was considering purchasing, because he wanted to see if any noise would bother him. (Didn’t happen!). All the best.
You know I had a listing once where the buyers requested to be alone in the house for several hours without their agent. Hmmmm….
I thought that was weird, but asking to sleep over is pretty out there.
Having unknowingly bought a house next to a kid in the North Salem HS Marching Band — a drummer no less! — I’m perhaps less skeptical of wanting some real long time spent checking on noise. (Since it’s also in the railroad’s really long-continuous-whistle-at-2:30 a.m. blast zone.)
Really, given the facts of life in real estate — largest investment, biggest financial risk most people will ever take, huge potential for dissatisfaction down the road over things that would never be disclosed — like the neighbor kid who practices drums, including as I type this — it’s a wonder that MORE people don’t want to spend a few nights in a house they’re considering.
Oh recent buyer, I feel for you. You know some states have nuisance disclosure laws where you would have to disclose those types of things on disclosure forms. Oregon doesn’t require it.
I had an agent who had recently moved here from another state that had nuisance disclosure laws get upset because I didn’t disclose the neighbor’s barking dog. The dog barked the whole time she was showing the property to the buyer so it’s not like they weren’t aware…