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Help! My New Listing Has a Fish n' Flush!

Usually, I have no problem. Most of my clients have outstanding taste, and they either have used the services of a professional decorator or they could come pretty close to being one. But sometimes I get "one of those".

I admit, I am at a loss. My new clients have a decorating issue that I just don't know how to address. I can't find the words to tell them "that has got to go." Usually, I am fairly plain spoken, even with people that I am just meeting for the first time. My personal feeling is that if I don't tell them about something that I think might slow down a sale or turn off potential buyers, then I am not doing what they are hiring me to do.

But some times I come across things that I don't know how to deal with. People take their family pets seriously. I get that. Call me crazy, but I think my prospect's Fish n' Flush just might be a distraction.

This is a job for a Reala Stager! But he is in Chicago and I am in metro Detroit.

Yes, folks, the Fish n' Flush is real. You can buy them on line. Should you decide it's a MUST HAVE and a great use of your extra Christmas cash, please remember you'll have to take it out before you put your home on the market. We would not want the buyers to fall in love with your pet's luxurious home.

Kudos to Norm Fisher, for finding the Fish n' Flush and eradicating it from his listings in Saskatoon.

Posted by Maureen Francis & Dmitry Koublitsky, SKBK Sotheby's - Metro Detroit on 12/26/2006 08:49 PM

Comments (104)

humor, featured post

Originally posted at: Dmitry & Maureen: Moving Metro Detroit: Help! My New Listing Has a Fish n' Flush!

Post is included in group: You've GOT to be kidding

104 Comments on Help! My New Listing Has a Fish n' Flush!

DEC

2006

Oh my gosh....I must have one of those for my cat. I bet I could get her to sit on the toilet for hours and get her potty trained. That is priceless!!!!

I knew Linda would beat me to commenting, especially since I was staring at the animated toilet on their website for five minutes. Just when you think you have seen everything! I'd be afraid to flush. :-) I am now speechless as to advice.

Did you ladies have your volume on? That makes the experience all the more special.

I think you should just do all your marketing around the Fish n Flush. You know....a nemo type theme. (sarcasm alert)

OMG - I had never seen one of these!!! That is the funniest thing I have seen in a while MF! Do your clients have it in a kid's bathroom? I would probably not do anything about it and wait to see the reactions from people seeing it. If it takes away from the showing, just let the sellers know that people are concentrating on their toilet and not seeing the rest of the house.

The toilet itself is hideous! They could have made it more modern or better looking.

Yes, I don't know what was more mesmerizing, the toilet or the gurgling water sounds. I agree, leave it and see what happens. Besides, it would be no fun otherwise

OK, ladies, I was joking. Thankfully, my client's don't have a FishnFlush. But I have run in to some other decorating issues that I did not know how to deal with. This thing just made me laugh so I had to share it. You could not see me winking as I put up this post.

And it wasn't even April Fools! lol. Ok but now I'm disappointed that I don't get to have any showings updates. :-)

MF ~ We are roaring with laughter here. I love Linda's response, she's so thougthtful of her kitties. I bet my sister-in-law would like one for her cats too.. Where can you find this fine objects de art?

The photo is extremely beautiful. I like the idea.

I feel sorry for the fish... they have to spend their entire lives looking at their burial at sea site. Actually, I think it is a pretty clever idea, but I would never do it. I prefer to keep with my two 90 gallon tanks. Thanks for sharing this.

kk, did you click on the fishnflush site? You NEED to here sound...

All that for 300 bucks, unless you get the LED light for $25. I would get the light.

I had a little pink house listed..on the front lawn they had a real toilet and planted flowers in it...It was Hideous!!!! I kid you not! Hideous!

I would like to see one flushing. I mean do the fish almost get sucked down? I'll have to examine the site more closely.

Maureen, this is awesome I love it. Such a novelty. You really should have fun with it. LOL

Good Luck, thanks Jay

Mo, that is why I said I couldn't flush; all i can picture is a leak developing and all the critters getting sucked down. Loved Jason's comment about being close to their 'end' destination lolol

and I hope the flowers in Moni's toilet were color coordinated! :=)

Oh shucks! What a great marketing piece! I am sure I could get publicity if one of my listings had this. I just may have to have one installed in my next "funky" listing.

Here is the info from the website: The bold comments are mine.

Fish 'n Flush also makes a fun-fashion statement for the homeowner who wants to have something unique in the bathroom. What kind of fun are we talking about?

Fish 'n Flush is a great "conversation piece" that will appeal to most everyone. And what conversations do you have in your bathroom? Inquiring minds want to know.

Customers should consult their local pet store to find which fish are compatible and appropriate for your personal Fish 'n Flush tank. The aquarium has a 2.2-gallon capacity, which is a convenient size, easy to clean and maintain. Like there is not enough to clean in a regular bathroom!

Smaller fish are obviously recommended. No I was going to put in a shark or maybe a small 'gator. This would be great in Florida!

The experts at your local pet or fish store can provide additional advice and suggestions on how to maximize the appeal of your Fish 'n Flush aquarium. Some of our Active Rainers could give awesome advice and suggestions. And I bet they do!

What a great sense of humor, you guys have!

www.HomeRome.com

Baltimore,Md

Thanks for the laughs this evening!

OMG Margaret, I am dyin' here. That is just too funny

I cannot believe you made that up!!! I am in total shock!!! you are so funny....I'm glad you confessed before people got really into it! Margaret, you made me crack up with "And what conversations do you have in your bathroom? Inquiring minds want to know."

Thanks for the laugh MF - LOL

What I can't believe is that I have 3 new listings that I need to put in the MLS and here I am commenting on bathroom humor.. OMG...What is AR doing to me?

Baltimore,Md

Three new listings...wtg Margaret! And who says guys are the only ones who can do bathroom humor :-)

Well...

how'd you like to meditate while watching your fishies swim by? Actually, I know that my cat Fluffy (yeah, that's really his assumed name!) would have so much fun with that. He'd probably break the tank trying to get at the fish.

I did see a listing where the kid's bathroom was thematically fish...and their toilet seat had fishes embedded in it, and it matched the towels and the shower curtain.

You know I bet that this toilet would sell a house...to the kids. Oh Daddy...we just have to buy that house!

Thanks for the humor. Now, why not show your sellers a picture of this toilet and then say something:

"You know Mr and Mrs Seller, your home certainly isn't this cute..."

Maureen and Dmitry, my impression was that this was a joke, I was about to tell you so but you came clean. I suppose as realtors we have seen some rather weird items. Best wishes with the new listing.

I had to check to make sure it was real and there is such a website! My initial thought is that the tank goes very nicely with those shower curtains with the tropical fish swimming all over them!

DEC

2006

LOL trying to figure out just what kind of people, decor & house this charming little accessory would work with. Early to late 60's, slightly fuzzy headed type maybe? Sitting for hours staring at the fishies, along with Linda's cat, just saying WWWWWWWooooooooWWWWWWWW. LOL this is a kick.

Laurie

Do they have a salt water version? I like it. Open houses would sure be fun.

That is excellent. Will they be taking it with them?

OMG... just when you think you've seen all the crazy things you can have in a home, along comes this! It probably compliments the singing fish. MF, thanks for suggesting we turn our speakers on or I would've missed the sound of the toilet flushing. Priceless! Linda, thanks for the suggestion of a way to toilet train my kitties.

Personally, I'm surprised I haven't come across this on HGTV's "I Want That!" show.

Monika's comment inspired me (LOL):

Check this out... I Googled "toilet planter" and came across a site that deals with anything & everything toilet tank lid related. You have to read this blurb from their site:

"Think Green - Recycle Toilet Tank Lids - go to local recycling centers. They may give them away to you for free, or you might be able to buy hundreds of used old tank lids for very little moneys and then glue them to a wall. What a great art piece that will be! Think how much fun that would be and what a great conversation piece. You'll be the talk of the town and you'll be helping our environment!"

as the commercials say... BUT WAIT!!!...

If you go down about 3/4 of the page, you'll see a photo of how you can make planters out of your old toilet tanks!

... AND THAT'S NOT ALL!!!...

If you go down to the very bottom of the page, you'll see a photo of their idea of a "fun project" - toilet flappers hanging from tree branches, flapping in the wind.

Linda & Carole.... that is how Robert De Niro got his cat Jinx on Meet the Parents trained on the toilet. lol

Maureen F.... that is funny. And so was Randy's comment... Does it come in a Salt Water version.... lol

And explaining to them that this could hinder the sale of their house.... GOOD LUCK> I don't envy you here. I'll just do their mortgage. And if they apply with me, they get a free bag of goldfish, 3 to be exact. And these fish won't even be financed into their loan.... ;o)

Leanne...That is funny!! My toilet was an eyesore as it was very real and very beat up. She had flowers growing out of the bowl and out of the tank. It sat right in the front of the house next to the driveway...couldn't miss it!

One benefit was it was easy to find the place...directions... take a left here look for the pink house on the left with the toilet bowl out font...

Michelle... LOL! Yes, I did get a visual. Can you say ouch?

That is funny. The ultimate in bad taste and good sense of humor.

But, I don't see a problem. Just put a note on the top of the toilet that it will be replaced prior to settlement "at the buyer's option".

Some folks don't have enough to do.

Lenn

My guess is that if your sellers google your name it might not take them long to figure out how you feel about their toilet. :) It took me a while, however, to convince myself this wasn't some kind of a hoax! I'm from West Virginia and I'm still in shock.

Jeff, since I do know about the google your name trick, I am very cautious about writing about my real clients. This is just another story about the one that got away.

I love it! You should decorate your house for your own enjoyment, but at least remove stuff like that when it's time to sell, lol.

Hey, except for the age part, I could be the one sitting around saying 'WOW'

Leanne, that is too much, and the flapper on the tree part, well, I've seen yards where that might be an attractive idea to them. I saw the second of those movies but not the original Meet the Parents. I guess I will have to rent it now.

Mo, I sent this to a friend via email last night (the website) who promptly made it his screensaver. LOL

I've got to get one!

Nuts, I wish I would have known about this before Christmas!

Maureen & Dmitry,

Thanks for the good hearted humor. This was a gotcha!

Thanks for the laugh, Maureen. I saw this advertised in a magazine earlier this year but it was much more fun to see you writing about it...and the fact that someone actually has one. Good luck! Maybe it will be a selling feature! :)

I have officially seen everything now. I can safely pass to the next life, this one is complete.

I'm SO disappointed that I didn't see this for Christmas!!! What a wonderful idea!!! I think this is a must have for every listing...I wonder if they really make those beautiful gurgleing sounds. I think the LED light is a must have too, but was disappointed that the toilet seat doesn't come with it!

I love the fish'n flush! This is a must have for the sportsman.:) My two favorite things in one neat little package.

This FishNFlush probably would be easier to sell than the "shoe house" was in St. Paul.

Soooo - do you have to get new fish each time you flush! :-) What a way to "go". A little distracting when using the throne?

Maureen that pic is priceless! As a serious animal lover I know my cats would have loved it but... as a smart businessman I'd definitely lose the toiletquarium before putting my own home on the market no matter what the cats thought! ;-)

If you can't hide it celebrate it!

I would be proud to call that toilet my own!!!

Quite the contrary, I would make it the center piece of my advertising and marketing. It certainly would create a tremendous amount of traffice and interest, if nothing else!

I think I would have performance anxiety 24/7. What a conversation piece.

Too Funny!!

MF - in Latin America we celebrate "April Fool's Day" on December 28th and call it "The day of the innocent" - IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE DOING HERE?

Oh, Ines, a new holiday. And I haven't even finished celebrating Christmas yet. I did not know about the day of the innocent. I just needed to figure out how to fit that fish n' flush in to a real estate related post after I saw it. I felt an obligation to share it with my friends at AR.

PS. What does it say that my most commented upon posts recently have been the fishn'flush and the speedo men?

and you did it so well MF - BTW - it's not a new holiday, it's the same old "April Fool's", it's celebrated on a different date. You did a great job with the fishn'flush and the Speedos - I think it says people want humor in their life.

I just meant it was new to me. I haven't heard of it before. But should we be on the look out tomorrow for something from you? I guess you can't really tell us that now.

yeah, go figure! I've stopped trying to guess which posts will attract the most comments. There is no rhyme or reason at times.

Gee if I saw some fish food floating in the tank while I was using the toilet I think I would lose my lunch. Kind of cute, yet gross all at the same time. I actaully did some toilet posts last August on St. Paul re, I amy have to add this to my collection.

I was also thinking Craig Schiller is going to really like this toilet :-) 60 comments on toilets; gotta love it!!!!

Oh too funny. Thank you for the laugh. What a great way to help relieve the Christmas holiday stress!

You might say this blog is going down the drain.

Thanks Jay

Just when you thought you had seen it all......LMAO -Charles

I can't believe they want $299 for this thing!!

Oh come on Craig, the fish are worth $100 alone

I am SOOO in the wrong line of work. I need to be out there inventing things like this... Brilliant!

...or not so much. :)

I clearly have no taste as I want one

DEC

2006

I hope you get one, Brian. It is clearly a conversation piece. I want one too.

Maybe you guys could get an AR discount..look at all the publicity you have done for this company. Shucks, if they knew about it, they may even send you one free. Why not give it a try?

www.HomeRome.com

Baltimore,Md

I love this!!!! I think it is hilarious!!! My kids would love it.

This just goes to show every real estate agent needs a good stager behind them to have the really difficult conversations with the homeowners. Did you ever have those moments when you say something that sounds so absurd you can't believe a situation arose that would warrant it. Things like - the fish toilet has got to go.

Maureen you can tell them you ACUTALLY consulted a stager and the stager said (You can choose).

1.) The Fish and Flush needs to sleep with the fishes

2.) The Fish and Flush needs to be flushed.

Toilets are one of those things... that most people do not know how to install. So besides the time to go and find a toilet, and pay for it, and then pay for a plumber. It starts to be become a BIG hassle for the new home owner if the do not like it.

Flush it forward...

Honey, that's funny!

Anything to make you laugh, dear.

Hey Guys, I just hope this is NOT the first post that most people read when they are introduced to Active Rain.

Go figure ...over 70 comments and it's still on a run!

www.HomeRome.com

Baltimore,Md

Margaret, I am going to drop a line to the folks at fish n flush to see if they would like me to sample their product! Your idea. Let's see where it goes.

I love it! It would be a wise business decision for them to send you one.

Now, if they do, what are you going to do with it? Huh?

If they don't, I think all of us should chip in and buy you a fish n flush.

This is the perfect story for a newspaper. I can see this on late night TV. Leno would be a good place to start. You could really get some milage out of this one!

When all else fails, Fish N Flush finishes the deal. Flush your trubles down the drain. This is fun!!

If they send me one I will definitely install it AND blog about it. As for Leno, they do belong there...

Ardell can back me up on this one... The only thing missing from my Seattle home is a Fish 'N Flush toilet! LOL!

DEC

2006

I heard from the Fish n' Flush folks. They said they have gotten some orders referencing this post! OK folks, who bought it??? Now I really want one.

Maureen - HOLY COW!! This is definitely a FIRST!! I've never seen anything like that at all, but I can see some potential buyers actually loving that. As a matter of fact, I just had a past client pop into my head for whom that would have clinched the sale......seriously!!

Reading all these comments was great fun! And it would be fun to see just who from AR really did order that toilet. Let's see, who wrote comments who said they loved it.......I see a few. Maybe we could set up an AR tour around the country to check out various bathroom sanctuaries...... ;-)

Ann

I will buy fish for whoever first says they bought the tank and posts a picture! I want to see a real fish n' flush in action.

Mo awesome lol. Now Margaret may be right, you could get a free one! Brian said he wanted one, maybe it was him!

JAN

2007

Don't tempt me Maureen. . . . Naww, my wife would never let me put one of these in our house. But maybe I could put one at the office?

Do it, Stefan, please! When we go up north next summer I will stop in to see it. I really want to see one live and in person.

JAN

2007

What happens when you sit down for a little reading time then uh-oh

Maureen, didn't I see that toilet at your house last week?

JAN

2007

Maureen, this is hysterical!! I'm less and less surprised by what people have in their homes and while laughing loudly went looking for a home Stager for you to help these homeowners understand that they way you live in your home and the way we market and sell your house are two different things! Mark Reed of the 'Stuff Police' 614-266-0636 would be perfect....

and then I found out you were pulling our collective leg!! thanks for the humor

Carol

MO, I was at lunch with four friends the other day who all work in same proximity as I do; anyway, we are all in the middle of the conversation when one of them looks at me and says 'you sent me a toilet.' I had to think about it for about 15 seconds and then I remembered, yep, I emailed the fish and flush :-0

FUNNY~~!!

JAN

2007

Did anyone ever buy one? Inquiring minds wanna know :-)

JAN

2007

That's a first for me! I guess we can all be thankful that only the tank is transparent?

JAN

2007

I saw that on line...before this blog, I asked my son, what happens to the fish when they flush. I OK color me dumb, and yes if you have seen my picture you know I'm a blond, but when was really concerned. So he explained to me there is a liner (insert) for the fish. OK thats great the fish are safe! He still won't let me have one.

I just loved this post and you just gotta love our sellers. If it was easy everyone would be a Realtor.

Roberta "Dove" Lee

Century 21 Olde Tyme, Norco, CA

JAN

2007

Roberta, Loved your comment. You can't be dumb with a PhD behind your name.

But I also have a PHD camera..it's stands for "push here dummy". Welcome to Active Rain!

JAN

2007

Florida Real estate appraiser Hi Maureen.. ok you got me!! December fools!!! I didnt see this post before. I'm late to the party! This is one funny contraption.. what will they think of next. I can see why you wrote the post, even though your sellers dont have one!! haha.. for a minute there I was thinking like Roberta Lee.. I envisioned the fish rising and falling with every flush.. nice to see they have a separate tank from the flushing water. UP & Down we go!!! hee heeee

FEB

2007

Whoa! I'm with Linda Davis on the very first comment to this post. But just wondering if I can potty train our cats and get rid of the cat box?

FEB

2007

From the ridiculous to the sublime....

FEB

2007

My girlfriend bought me a wall mounted fish-tankfor Christmas and I love the thing. Everyone that comes over usually thinks the fish are fake and are amazed that I have live fish in a wall hung tank. They have all sorts of stuff like this on hgtv.com in the products section or the "I want that" section.

MAR

2007

I just can't understand it - How did our street of dreams miss this gem.

MAY

2007

Maureen, Just opened the May 2007 issue of Realtor Magazine. This picture is on page 49 with ordering instructions. You can even get an optional light that keeps the fish in view in the dark. And this is NO JOKE. Take a look.

Now ,this is funny!

Fish N FLush

MAY

2007

How funny that they put it there, Margaret! You have a good eye. I checked it out yesterday after you mentioned it.

Maureen, Bet there sales have greatly increased because of you post! You have a 100 comments on this post! WOW

Think about all those poor fish in that tank.

AUG

2007

Will they be reading the paper behind my back....hahahaha...what a post and a hoot!!!

Sorry, that is too weird for me, I am too shy to go with my WIFE in the room! I can't do the doodly with all those guy's watching me!!! ..... and all the bubble noises, I would never get out of the bathroom.....I went.......I gotta go again...I went......etc.... Thanks for the laughs, DavidC

DEC

2007

OMG I just came across this again, and it as funny now as it was a year ago..

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