Posted on 02/22/2010 3:24:16 PM PST by nickcarraway
Nearly every apartment-shopper has had it happen. You’re walking through a new place. You like what you see. And then … something goes awry. Terribly, uncomfortably awry.
Broker Samantha Kleier Forbes tells this story: She was taking clients through a very chic Upper East Side co-op when she brushed against a desk, jostling the computer’s mouse and awakening the screen from its sleep mode, revealing a hard-core fetish-porn site. “I think we’re done here,” the buyers said quietly—and bolted.
The deal-killers are not always quite so dramatic, of course. Prudential Douglas Elliman’s Darren Sukenik saw open houses at a downtown loft sputter when lookers encountered a wall full of Republican memorabilia (including pictures of the owner with George Bushes senior and junior). “I finally had to tell him to take the stuff down,” he says. Klara Madlin lost what looked like a promising deal when the owners of a Hell’s Kitchen one-bedroom forgot about a showing and greeted her in their pajamas, yawning, at 11 a.m. The buyers “couldn’t get out fast enough,” she says.
Showings can turn on even smaller offenses: unmade beds, strewn laundry, dead plants. One uptown broker has a listing completely free of art and photographs—the seller likes her walls pristine—and buyers get so curious that they forget to pay attention to the rest of the place. “If one thing sets them off or says, This isn’t me, then it’s over,” says Sukenik.
AMEN!!
Bingo. the article makes equates unmade beds, strewn laundry, dead plants, porn, and Republican memorabilia. Cute. Real cute.
A liberal with his house on the market.
My wife and I still talk about the house we looked at where one bedroom had an old bed with a worn bedspread, a single nightstand and a big jar of vaseline on it. Nothing else in the entire room.
ADD yuppies.
I once walked through a neighbor’s house that was on the market with a real estate agent. He had a room that had a poster of Tom Ammiano one one side and Pat Buchanan on the other. (If you don’t know who they are, a venn diagram of their supporters would not contain any humans) I knew the owner was crazy anyway, but I chuckled when I saw that.
In 2005, had my septic tank drained. Still had my Bush/Cheney yard sign up. The guy gave me $50 off because I supported GWB, as did he.
Wow good thing you didn’t stand exactly halfway between the two posters, your atoms would have exploded at the speed of light or you would have been instantaneously compressed into a single quark.
“In San Francisco, that’s called “staging”.”
Next on “Sell This House”
Fetish Foyers and Tricked Up Tudors.......
My Mom sold real estate for decades. Even having personal photos on the wall can kill a deal. Different colored walls in every room can kill the deal or unusual colors. That is why investing in storage while trying to sell if important, it gives you a place to store all of your stuff while your house looks like no one lives there. Stage it like they tell you to, it does work.
Exactly what do you have against non-humans? hmmm?
Selling a house one time, I was very careful to keep the place perfect for buyers. Are they ever picky! One complained about the smell in the kitchen and that “smell” was cleaner I had used in the sink before heading out so the sink would be perfect.
Another one complained about the very normal light fixture in the kitchen. She wanted something snazzier.
Another complained there were three leafs in the pool.
One stormed off when she found a leaning tree on our five acre wooded lot. It was no where near the house or any structure.
I will never forget the misery of trying to sell in a down market. Finally, a sane person arrived and we got out from under it! Also I stopped asking the realtor for feedback. It was too wierd!
Read the article. That's covered.
This was a NYmag attack on republicans but there is nothing new in the rest of the article. This was a “cloud” attack to generate search engine buzz against republicans to force republicans under ground again.
From the article posted about (you don't even have to go to the link):
"She was taking clients through a very chic Upper East Side co-op when she brushed against a desk, jostling the computer’s mouse and awakening the screen from its sleep mode, revealing a hard-core fetish-porn site. “I think we’re done here,” the buyers said quietly—and bolted. "
ping
And when the new neighbors that didn't mind you mess ended up with six dogs and 14 cats pooping in your yard along with broken down cars and loud stereos moved in, you would get what you deserve.
Fences make for good neighbors.
You live in an HOA, right?
Wrong.
What part of living in the country do you not understand? It’s not like their junk cars would bother me. In fact, it would be a blessing if my property taxes were lowered because of them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.