The Hamster House

Every year I have a crazy story pertaining to one of my listings and this one was definitely a winner. I have changed the names to protect the innocent, but the story is completely true. I plan to share these stories occasionally on my blog for your entertainment.

The owners of one of my listings was being transferred across the state and had already started moving their personal belongings when they hired me to sell their home. They left some of the furniture for staging and I filled in the rest. They said their nineteen-year-old son, Alex, lived with some friends in the area and would be stopping by occasionally.

The day my staging assistant and I arrived at the home we found a trail of wet bath towels, dirty clothes/underwear and personal items throughout the 3800 square foot house. Alex had already left for work. Clearly Alex and his girlfriend had been “hanging out.” I called his parents and they said there was no need to worry. They would have a talk with him.

The next day I arrived to meet the photographer only to find dirty dishes on the counters, dirty pans on the stove and in the sink. More dirty towels and clothes as well as the smell of fried bacon. Alex was not there. I cleaned up the mess and called his parents. They explained that their son was very distraught over them moving and they would have another talk with him.

Two days later when I entered the house there was an empty hamster cage in the entry way and of course no Alex! I called the parents and they said Alex just let them know that he brought his hamsters home because his roommate’s dog was after them and while Alex was sleeping in his old bedroom the hamsters escaped. They were now trapped behind a bathroom wall and were scratching to find their way out.

At that point I let the parents know that we would have to delay listing and get a pest control company out to rescue the hamsters. I also made it clear that Alex was not allowed back in the house until it was sold! They rushed back to town and had a “serious” discussion with Alex.

So how do you think the story ended?

We ended up going on the market and Alex only stopped by occasionally. The house did sell. We never found the hamsters and Alex moved across the state to live with his parents. I’m not sure if he got new hamsters.

This is just one example of my glamorous life as a real estate agent. Stay tuned for more.

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