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OCTOBER 2017 • VOLUME 22 • ISSUE 6
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THE
PENINSULA AT
ROUGH HOLLOW
A PRIVATE LAKESTYLE NEIGHBORHOOD
ON ROUGH HOLLOW
scary tales in real estate By Riki Markowitz
I
f you ask a real estate professional what is the scariest thing that can happen on the job, you may get a few anecdotes about strange sounds in an empty house or seeing a mysterious person on the property one minute and gone the next. But lots of REALTORS have personal stories that are much scarier than a confrontation with a confused spirit who hasn’t found his way to the other side yet.
Scary Credit Mishaps
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Michael Nasserfar, branch manager at Envoy
Mortgage, had a client several years ago. “Hours before closing, an auto loan popped up on his QC audit.” When Nasserfar asked about the last minute loan, he said, “I didn’t buy a car! I cosigned for my girlfriend.” Oh, well that explains it. The client disqualified himself for the new home and the girlfriend – who moved on long ago – got a brand new Mustang. So how does Nasserfar keep overly generous clients from making loan-disqualifying romantic gestures? “I warn them not to open any new lines of credit, buy appliances, co-sign for a car or boat.” Nasserfar says that clients know the do’s and don’ts today, but he doesn’t take any chances.
Shawn Rooker, with Realty Austin, received a call from a client. She found a dirty glass and dish on the kitchen counter. Whoever ran her open house helped himself to a beverage and PB&J, but not soap and a sponge. So how do you trust a colleague won’t make himself at home during a slow open house? “There’s not much you can do,” says Rooker. You just hope that agents know to be professional— an agent who doesn’t keep his hands out of an owners’ cupboards is committing a reportable offense. One inappropriate agent can make an entire agency – and industry – look bad.
Spooky Viral Stories
Featured Event October 18th, 9 a.m. Austin Board of REALTORS
2017 REALTY ROUND UP
In Texas, sellers are not required to disclose when a house like this one is haunted.
Near Dallas, H5 Auction advertised an old colonial home that had “endless potential.” But snapshots of the home weren’t exactly welcoming. Several messages were scrawled in a thick layer of grime in the kitchen: “Get OUT!” and “666.” In addition to the satanic mark of the beast, there were missing drawers and cabinet doors dangled from hinges. Appliances were covered in rust and countertops harbored pools of rancid water. Not exactly the type of home that would wow a buyer at first sight. Around town and online, people were convinced the house was haunted. But others believed this was something kids would do for fun. The auction house eventually explained that the owners scrawled the messages to prevent break-ins. This is a sales strategy that could only work
What Would You Do? Would you disclose that a house is haunted? Give us your answer at www.myrealtyline.com in the age of social media. On Facebook, the listing had an 88 percent higher interaction rate than other posts. When the house did sell, it was sight unseen. The entire transaction occurred over the phone. So maybe the owners were onto something.
Real Ghost Stories If you search online for “scary real estate stories,” there is no shortage of creepy tales.
Front Page: Continued on page 28
Features of the Month Column: ABoR—ABoR Town Hall: A Two Way Conversation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 3 Column: WCAoR—The Scary Things We See in Real Estate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg. 7 Column: HBA—Careers in Construction Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 15. Column: WCR—Let Hope Arise!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 22 Associates in Progress: Sunfield in Buda. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 25 Associates in Progress: United Lending is now Benchmark Mortgage. . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 27 Upcoming Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg. 33