The Listing I didn't Get!

This week's attack of Hurricane Sandy brought back a very scary, and somewhat funny memory that happened to me a few days after Hurricane Lee devestated Central Pennsylvania last year.

My husband agreed to go with me to a listing appointment at a vacant home that was located along the Conodoguinet Creek in Cumberland County.  I knew the home had recently been flooded, but was asked by an estate attorney to give a market value for the home. 

We could easily see where the flood waters had reached as we went into the house to gather information.  My first stop was the basement, but I could see from the staircase that there was still several inches of water in the basement.  I was not dressed to trek through the deludge so I looked around and walked back up to the kitchen.  My husband soon decided he wanted to see if he could get the exterior basement door open and descended into the basement.  

Suddenly I heard a blood curdling screem, heard splashing and sloshing, pounding up the staircase and the sound of a panting man slamming the basement door behind him.  There barely able to catch a breath was my very frightened husband trying to tell me he saw a big snake swimming in the basement.  Honestly it was hard for me not to laugh, a water snake?  They are harmless . . . or are they?  

After we returned home and I did a little research on water snakes just to prove to my husband that he was a "sissy"; after all, everyone knows that water snakes are harmelss. 

But instead, I found this: 

Calling a water snake harmless needs qualification. Pick up any big water snake improperly, and you'll get snakebit for sure, and probably bleed. But the rows of tiny teeth really do little more than scratch. 

All this to find the attorney already had a Buyer for the home and had no plans to list the home with Joy Daniels Real Estate Group. He only wanted a "free" pricing opinion on the house.  This is one listing I didn't get - that I won't forget!