As a newer agent, I spend every Sunday trying to pick up a buyer or two at an open house. The house I held open this past Sunday has given me pretty solid traffic when held open previously, so I was expecting a pretty hot open house. Nothing could have prepared me for how hot this one was... in fact it was ON FIRE!
After about an hour of steady traffic I was standing in the kitchen with a neighbor when we saw a bright flash of blue light shoot up from the oven/stove. Since it was a gas range my mind assumed the worst: a gas leak. I called the fire station to have them come check it out. While waiting on them to arrive we noticed smoke billowing out from the back electric panel on the stove. Apparently the flash was a giant spark caused by a short in the range's electric panel. The wonderful smell of burning plastic filled the home.
The fire department sent a full ladder truck with lights flashing and two fully-uniformed firemen rushed in to save me from the smoking stove. Needless to say, my open house attendees exited, and the neighbors lined the streets to watch the excitement. With a giant truck in the road and police officers directing traffic it made my open house look more like a parade with about 15 spectators lining the street.
Of course, the fire truck couldn't scare off a couple groups who tried to ask me questions about the home while I was trying to discuss the fire with the firemen. I was frazzled.
We got the breaker to the stove shut off and the gas line capped, and the firemen actually asked for my card. And the best part- the stove picked the 2 hour span while someone was actually in the house to malfunction instead of while the place was vacant.
I must say, it was my most exciting open house.
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