OK, I'm mad; and I'll admit it! I'm also sore with a bump on the back of my head, a six inch bruise on my backside, a sore right ankle, a swollen left knee, and a generally sprung rib cage (no treat, especially since I had open heart surgery five months ago).
It was a wonderful day to show houses, and that's what I was out doing this afternoon. One of the houses for which I had an appointment has the lockbox on the back door. No problem there. Thanks, listing agent, for specifying in MLS that the lockbox is on the back door. It saved walking around the house, but it would have been nice to also warn me that the back door steps DOWN into the house.
The doorway is several inches higher than the floor, so I stepped off into thin air. No sooner did I open the door to step inside than down I went. Not gracefully. All the way down. Hitting my head on the open door and pulling down the curtain, rod and all, on top of me. I hit my back on the threshold as I slid unceremoniously into the kitchen. "All you alright?" my anxious clients asked.
"Give me a minute. Nothing's broken, but I need a minute," I said while rubbing my head. I rolled over to my front side and eased myself up on to my knees and then to standing position.
After I finished showing two more houses and bid my clients goodbye, I stopped by one of those immediate care doctor offices, just to have someone check me out. To my surprise, the doctor would not examine me, telling me instead that I had to go to the hospital because I had hit my head. No kidding, she wouldn't even look at the bruises or feel the small bump on my head. I've had enough of hospitals for a while, so I assured her that I would be fine.
Though I feel pretty sprung all over and look pretty gimpy with a slight limp, I decided against the hospital because I have no double vision and only a very slight headache. It's been several hours, and what I really need is a painkiller and bed.
So, why am I mad? I'm mad because a simple little sign on the door that says STEP DOWN (you see them everywhere) would have saved the day. I'm mad because I cannot be the only person who has ever stumbled into that house (if the listing agent doesn't know that, the seller surely does). And I'm mad because the dang lockbox could easily have been on the front door!
I did send the listing agent an email, telling her of the incident and asking her to put a sign on the door. Listing agents and sellers do have a responsibility to try to anticipate dangers, and trip hazards are among the most common dangers in the houses we market. A drop-off into the house is a definite trip hazard!
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24 hours later update: I slept last night as long as the pain pill lasted, not too bad considering it was also the Daylight Savings Time switchover. I'm still limping a bit, but I made it to church and back to the office to deal with a counter-offer. The listing agent DID phone me this afternoon to see how I am and to apologize. She promised to put up a sign, though she said that she has not had any previous problems. That's all I want--to be sure nobody else falls.
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