Ah - the power of the fluffy feline during an open house is not to be ignored. As I held my listing open last Sunday I made a count of over 15 people who wondered "does he come with the house?". Mr Tinkles (real name withheld to protect his privacy) seemed immune to the effect he was having on both men and women alike. He'd set himself up on the kitchen counter pass through - a location that I'd tried to scoot him from to set up my listing sheets, but to which he'd stubbornly returned. Now he purred and stuck out a lazy paw at any passerby, getting scratched and petted to within an inch of his easy life. The conversations went something like this...
Me: Have you been looking in this neighborhood long?
Buyer: What's his name, he's just soooooo cute!
Me: Mr Tinkles. Yes he's lovely isn't he. Does this size of house work for you?
Buyer: Look at how he loves it when I stroke his chin...oh you do, yes you do.
Me: Yes, he's been very popular today. The seller has had him since he was just a little kitten, rescued him right off the streets.
Buyer: Well I just love him...does he come with the house?
It's at this point that I always demur and say, "oh no, he couldn't possibly part with him", but I've been having this urge to say - "sure...just write him in to the offer...I'm sure it won't be a problem".
I'm now beginning to suspect that some of those pictures we see on our MLS of artfully, staged animals curled up on sofas or sprawled out on beds are simply designed to lure pet lovers in for a viewing. Perhaps local animal shelters and homeowners could come together and you could get a new house and a new dog or cat all in one go. We could call it Pet Staging...
But where would it stop?
Other items I've been asked about include:
The husband - one of the most popular requests - especially if he's holding a baby, looking sporty or doing anything cute in the photographs. Probably another reason to de-personalize before showing your home. Funny, no one ever asks about the wife...perhaps they think that would be rude?
The children - I always love this one. Don't you have children? Don't you know that they only sat still and looked cute with a fake flower on their head for five minutes in this photograph?
The toilet - yes...someone has asked me if the toilet can come with the house. It was one of those fancy ones that does a million things and was high on their list of desirable items in a home apparently. They looked ecstatic when I explained it was a fixture and would indeed come with the house.
Me - no...I really can't come with the house. My other sellers would miss me dreadfully and my husband is expecting me home for dinner. A full price offer you say? Well, perhaps I could come by once a year and we'll do an open house just like old times. Yes...I'll bring the cookies.
PS. no cats were harmed in the selling of this home
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