The Case Of The Pesky Alarm System
I could feel the cold siding against my face as the officer cuffed me. "I'm a real estate agent, I squeaked out" while my client looked on nervously. "Honest officer, I have the code to the alarm system!".
Just twenty minutes earlier, the heavy Portland rain had stopped for a moment as my client and I walked up the steps to the house for sale noting the wonderful curb appeal. "Ok, here goes nothing" I said to her as I opened the lockbox and read the code to disarm the alarm system.
I've been down this road before and it wasn't pleasant. The showing instructions said "Code box at top of basement stairs, punch in code XXXX". I knew I had a few minutes to unlock the door and search out the basement. "Man, I hate these things" I thought as I turned the key.
I dropped my purse (pocket book for you ladies on the east coast) at the door and with code in hand quickly went in search until I found the alarm box. I pressed in the code but one button didn't depress and there is was...the loud "Honk, HONK, HOOOONK" of the alarm. Crap!! I quickly pressed the code again and hit pound for good measure...was I supposed to hit the pound key??? The sound of the alarm started to escalate when I heard the sound of the officers coming up the steps.
It was Sunday and my electric had gone out that morning, so I wasn't dressed as professionally as I normally do (but not bad) due to the lack of an iron and hair dryer.. but I digress. The cops took one look at me in my jeans and raincoat and without asking questions pushed me up against the wall and started cuffing me.
Ok..so this tale is mostly fiction, but all of this went through my head at the intial turn of the key. Seller's I understand that you want to protect your home, but it would be nice for us agents not to have to worry about an alarm going off (which it did) when we are showing your home. Perhaps you can set it to disarm during showing hours? Pretty please??
The Case Of The Pesky Alarm System
Comments (10)Subscribe to CommentsComment