After my last blog about some of the unusual critters I have encountered while either inspecting or making repairs in client’s homes, I figured that I would write about one of the most unusual. While living in California in a little town called Independence, I received a call from a client who asked me to do some remodeling in the master bath in their three bedroom two bath rambler. They had the place up for sale, but were continuing to make improvements. The area where this town is located is upper desert in the eastern sierra, on the way to Mammoth Lakes. Like northwest Washington, this area is popular for fishing, with many streams, lakes, and ponds. Both the husband and wife were very friendly “country folk”. When I entered the master bath, I noticed an unusual aroma. At first, I thought that that was the reason they had called me. As it turns out, the odor was because my client had gone fishing the night before, and had landed over two dozen nice catfish. Well, as we all know, catfish can survive almost anywhere, so he decided just to keep them in the master bath in order to keep them fresh. He preferred throwing them in the skillet while they were still flopping, and figured they would last at least a week or two. I couldn’t fault his logic about that, but questioned the salability of the home with a tub full of catfish. His wife didn’t seem to mind too much, either. Apparently, she loved fresh skillet fried catfish in cornmeal.
They wound up hiring me to do the remodeling, which took about a week. During this time, he would scoop out a few of the catfish every day with a fishing net, and she would fry them up for us for lunch. They were fantastic! Ultimately, I came to believe that selling a home with a mess of fresh catfish in the master tub was a pretty good perk. It curbed our appetites for an entire week, and that’s what I call real “curb appeal”. Allmann Home Inspection Services in Blaine, Wa. 360-371-0260 or 360-739-7361.
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