Re: ‘House horrifies Rookie Realtor‘ (May 24)
Dear Rookie:
Guess you’ve lived a sheltered life.
First, one-third of all the homes in the United States have firearms, and if the children are taught to respect them properly, they are less danger in the open than if the children are sneaking a peek at dad’s rifle or shotgun without knowing safety rules.
Second, you may have to go into a rental house with the tenants all stoned on something and try to present it to your buyers. Been there, done that. No, it isn’t fun, but it’s life.
Third, there is a certain amount of privacy owed to the residents of any home, and if you’re going to start calling the police, you’d better know for sure that, for example, the photos you saw weren’t staged as some family joke, or that the owner really isn’t a collector of memorabilia.
Finally, lose the attitude that something can’t possibly happen in this or that neighborhood. It could lead you to make a statement that borders on steering.
Bob Ziesmer
Dear Rookie:
I have been a Realtor since 1968, as a licensed agent, broker and a licensed appraiser in Michigan. In all those years, and the hundreds, if not thousands, of houses I have been in, I have seen some dirty, nasty places. However, I have a hard time swallowing this story due to the fact that if a licensed real estate agent listed it, I doubt that agent would put it on the tour and further, why wouldn’t other agents that toured the home report the same story. Sorry, but it seems to me that somebody is looking for 15 minutes of fame or has an incredible imagination, or is nothing more than a storyteller.
Jak Mha
Roseville, Mich.
Got tips, ideas or advice for the Rookie Realtor? Send them to Rookie@inman.com.
