Is Your Listing a Must See to Appreciate?

I showed a property this morning that was labeled by the listing agent as "Must See to Appreciate."

Now that is an interesting statement.

• What did it mean?
• Would you like to guess?
• I will help you out.  The listing gives you nothing to hang your hat on.
• No pictures to start with.
• The zoning was mislabeled.

The listing gave you a few hints as to the status of the property:

1. It was one of the lowest priced homes in the area.
2. It is only 4 years old.
3. It had a large lot.
4. It was on the market a long time.
5. It was tenant occupied.

An interesting thing I observed on the public remarks was a statement to call the listing agent for more information.  The contact information for the listing agent is on the agent's showing instructions, where the public can't see.

I called yesterday to make the appointment for 9:30am today.  The agent indicated that there was a lockbox and to knock in case the tenant was home.  Ooops a red flag.

Ms. Realtor, will you call the tenant to be sure it is ok for us to go?  She replied that she would.

We arrived at the property to find it was a flag lot.  Another detail left off the listing. 

The house is backed against a step hill that looks like a mud slide waiting to happen; possibly the reason for no pictures.  There was a BIG electrical box with two buttons labeled pump 1 and pump 2 that was at the front of the parking stall outside against the hill.  In the parking stall there was a large round steel plate that reminded me of hatch for a missile tube.   Hmmm that must be for moving the water coming off that hill somehow. 

There were also two cars in the driveway.  They must be home.

I walked up the stairs and across the porch, stepping over the doggie doodoo.  You read that right.  It was right in the center of the deck.  Ok a little dog poop is not going to slow me down.  I knock on the door.  No answer.  So as I have done hundreds of times I retrieve the key from the lock box and open the door.  I call out hello anyone home?  No response again.

As we entered the home we see the TV is on.  Someone must be home.  I call again and still no response.  I look back towards the three bedrooms and the doors are closed.  I tell my clients we need to cut this short and move them outside.

What an interesting listing.

• I doubt the agent ever called the tenants.
• The listing had no pictures, left off key information and was flat wrong in several cases.
• That big hill made up most of the square footage on the lot, leaving not much usable land.
• The steep muddy hill almost touching the home looks to be a huge issue.  What a lousy place to build a house.

Well I saw it and I did not appreciate it.  That was one other thing that the listing agent had wrong in the listing.