Hawaii Real Estate | Hawaii Relocations | Hawaii Home Buying & Selling

Great post!  A good reminder that not everyone is welcome and bad behavior does not have to be tolerated. I cannot believe he asked if he could have a beer. Some people are just clueless.

Sally, what a great post!  Thank you for sharing!

Sally, what a great post!  Thank you for sharing!

That's one way to get asked to leave an open house!  Several ways actually, just because it's open to the public doesn't mean basic respect and manners aren't required

Wow, did that really happen?  They asked for a beer??  That's beyond bizarre!  And just downright disrespectful all the way around.  I hope they didn't give you any trouble and left when you asked them to!

Great post! I can remember back in my teaching days seeing parents show up for parent-teacher night and you could smell the alcohol! Some people are really clueless!

You meet all kinds at open houses.  Better luck on the next one.

Well said Sally! Unbelievable how some people behave. I used to work in retail and some of the women were just pigs. I hate to say that but it's true. I wanted to ask them if, when they bought new clothes from my store, they then went home and threw them on the floor like they did in my dressing rooms. Just disgusting.

Wow Sally this sounds like a bad situation.  Drinking parents and kids running wild.....not good. And to think they're driving around drunk.  Good grief. Maybe a call to the police would get them off the road.  Scary stuff - and with children at risk.  And your homeowner - and you.  They needed to simply leave.

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I hope nothing was missing from the house. The kids being sent upstairs to divert your attention while the adult checked out whatever could be pocketed? And one for the road! Wow! You should have asked them to pose for your camera phone so could show identify them in the upcoming line-up.

I once had a couple come through with their child who touched everything in sight. I finally had to ask the child to stay with his parents and do not leave their side. The parents got upset with me but gheez....where is your common sense. Being the visitor was drunk I know I would have asked him to leave.

Sally,

I'd rant!I might even write and rewrite the letter.

I'd never send it!

Bill

Wow, Sally, that was some open house guest. I've seen some bad behaior but that takes the cake. And of course driving around stinking of alcohol and with kids? Hmmm, one has to wonder about their judgement.

Jeff

Holding open houses for occupied homes is always a challenge.  I hope you had another agent or assistant with you to help out. 

You have to be prepared for all kinds when you open the doors.  I hope you got some good leads.

Sally

Outstanding post, some people don't respect themselves or other people or their property. It a sad state of affairs.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

Sally: Great post! And so true ... why is this post not featured yet? Hopefully it will be as soon as possible!

Hi Sally...Gosh, once he opened the refrigerator door I thought is this going to need a call to the police.  Have never had anything like this happen and sure wouldn't.  I congratulate you on keeping your calm and I'm happy nothing worse happened.

Kate

Drinking, driving, kids going to open houses, bad.  Your blog gave me some ideas should it ever happen to me.

Sally:

I guess that family goes to open house for entertainment and free beer.  They were not on their best behavior or maybe they don't have a best behavior.  Thanks for the entertaining post.

Sally - That is a tough position to be in.  You are so right that we should step forward and take control if something like this happens.  The trust and confidence the seller has in us is in the balance.

Sally, first, I hope you weren't alone in the house. That is pathetic, and honestly, they should have been escorted by someone in a uniform from the home. Did they drive there?

Just thinking out-loud... how pathetic.

Let me show you this... (walking to the front door)

It really is something when 'guests' think they have free reign to gallop around someones home because there is an Open House.

I did exaggerate a bit but the thoughts were certainly there.

Etiquette comes to mind :)

I love this Sally...i actually was so croweded at one open I had to ask a participant to leave since she was snapping photos without asking me & talking to who knows ...perhaps her partner in crime!  I need to do a follow up blog to this one...people are just so amazing in their lack of respect sometimes!

Ho awful!  I hate it when that happens... especially when people don't keep an eye on their children, like it's MY job!

Sally,

Wow...

The perception that we are in a buyers' market seems to encourage some really poor behavior on the part of some so-caled "Buyers."

Sally - Wow sounds like an experience we had recently at an open house we did. People come in with no respect and to show up drunk and casually rummage through the sellers home is completely unacceptable... Believe me we've been there... Sorry to hear you were too... Best of luck

This is amazing. I have to admit that I have never had people this rude. Although I have encountered people who do not keep as close an eye on their kids as they should. 

It takes all kinds out there. Just be safe at your Open Houses. This person sounded like a true character.

Every time I think I've heard it all...Great post!

This reminds me of one of my open house nightmares. A family with four children came to see the house, or rather, the bathrooms. I finally realized (as I try not to hover and make people nervous at my opens) that the mom was in the upstairs bathroom with the children. Meanwhile dad held me hostage in conversation. After multiple toilet flushes, I finally said, something like, "Um, I don't think my sellers would be too excited about opening up their bathroom to the public." He laughed it off and joked  about kids and bathroom emergenies. Argh!  It was obvious that the only reason they stopped in was for bathroom services. I couldn't believe it.

Maybe they thought "open house" meant it was open to anyone and anything?  I don't see anything wrong with opening the fridge (if it's included in the deal) but asking for beer?  Pure craziness.

When the child went upstairs would it have been possible to her everyone else upstairs too. Splitting up the party seems to exaberate the danger.

Yikes! Better luck next time. What a nightmare! I am having an open house this weekend. Fingers crossed no one mistakes it for a kegger!

What changes will you make in future open houses to prevent this from happenning again?

Wow..you are so nice to put it that way! I can't tell you how strange things can get at our staged homes during open house....seriously weird:) Thanks for a great positive posting on a real irritating issue!

What a buffoon you met. That person probably wasn't invited to Mother's Day at his own mom's house!

That is incredible...I have heard some crazy open house story's but none like that....did they leave when asked? Just another reason I do less and less open houses....disrespectful people. I think that is why they have raised the coverage for e&o insurance at open houses. LOL

They sound like delightful people!!  I bet you are sooooo disappointed you don't get to work with them.

I remember my worst open house "guests" had a small girl (around 6 or so), who kept sticking her fingers down her throat.  She ended up throwing up as a result.  They tried to run her to a toilet, AND they'd fed her some sort of red kool-aid type thing, so I had this lovely trail of vomit going through two rooms, up a flight of stairs, and down the hall.  I think the girl must've been possessed to have that much cherry red vomit.  -sigh- Good, good times.

That is absolutely terrible.

#36 In response to your question.....

What changes will you make in future open houses to prevent this from happenning again?

I Have NO CONTROL OVER OTHER PEOPLE....only myself. I can't stop people from coming in to my Open House drunk. I have no control over their asking questions about everything BUT the home when they are in that state of mind. I also put a sign in the front to PLEASE REMOVE YOUR SHOES.

What would you do?

I would not have been so nice. I would probably have asked them to leave.

HAHAHA!  I feel for you- that doesn't sound like a fun Mothers Day (hope it was better when you got home).  I distinctly recall a new construction customer who would come in with his wife EVERY Sunday, head right to the sales center bathroom (which was next to the reception area) and EVERY Sunday, create a need for an obscene amount of air freshener. Was glad when they closed- although his wife probably misses at least Sunday without needing a can of spray!

Wow, looking for a beer Sally. I think they were just there for the freebies.

Sally - What can you do differently? A couple of things come quickly to mind ... 1) Always have someone else with you at an open house, 2) If 'guests' are drunk and behaving like this, call the police immediately, 3) Have disposable shoe covers, a doormat, and/or a spare towel so visitors don't bring the "rainy day" inside the home.

It's important for all agents to think these situations through and have plans in place so that something like this doesn't end up on the evening news. 

It sounds to me as if you handled the situation well, Sally. 

These people sound like real losers. I hope the sellers realize the risks we take when we hold houses open. 

Folks: 

I do my best to handle myself professionally with whoever comes in to the home. We can't always have someone accompany us to Open Houses and the whole purpose of this post was to prove a point. Not all "guests" act appropriately and MANY will ask off the wall questions about items in the home or do weird things.

I'm also fortunate that there was no muddy feet coming into the home this past Sunday and all were at least respectful to remove their shoes.

The rest was exaggerated...but the smell of alcohol on the parents breath was real ...and the child just copied the parents and asked questions about stuff in the home :) :)

John...loosen up :)

Sally,

I wonder sometimes why people come if they are not really interested in the home...   it's not like there's a buffet or something being served.. :)

I had to laugh at that one.... asking for a beer from the fridge!  What a way to spend your mother's day!

I'd call 911 ASAP ...

Oh my goodness. That is the worst behavior I've heard of in ages. How rude!

Sally: you made that story up, right????

Wow, Sally.  That just doesn't sound like a fun "guest" to have in an open house.

Sally -- OMG, he asked for a beer?  Is this for real? I never heard of such a thing.  All the more reason to have someone accompany you on open houses. Too much crazy stuff going on.

Wow! The nerve of some people! I'm just glad he ended up leaving without causing any big trouble.

Gretchen

I always get really nervous when people arent watching their kids! I mean who knows what people could have in their drawers and cupboards that a child could get hurt with. 

Gina:  The story is true....but exaggerated a bit to be on the humorous side...although I have had some doozies and most of you have.

Needless to say...we do our best. I had one who signed in and was honest.....they put down they 'were killing time'. lol

I had buyers who were almost this bad (no beer), but the kids were as you describe.

It doesn't matter that the lender had told me these people were good;  I'm not very patient if I have to start teaching etiquette.

Thanks for the story Sally. It's amazing how customers, whether serious or just 'browsers' can so easily forget that they houses they are looking at are someones' homes

Never had one that bad. But we've had showings that were almost that bad. So sad some people just have no respect for others property.

"Your child then ran up the stairs and started to fly open closets."

My personal pet peeve!  :)

Sally ~  Congrats on the very well-deserved Feature and Daily Drop!  This is so on the money; thanks for saying it OUT LOUD!!!

OMG..some people never cease to amaze me. Things like this makes me wonder how some people were raised.

Great post! I have a little sign at my Guest Registry that says...'At the Sellers request, and for security purposes, please sign the guest registry.' It's always by the door, and I actually fill it in for them so they can't say they're Ziggy Stardust or John Travolta. If they refuse, they are not allowed in. I've only had one argue with me before quietly leaving. 

Outdoor Signage States: Open House. NOT: Comfort Station, Bathroom Available for Public Use.

Good post. I loved comment # 23.

Wow, that's CRAZY!!! You did a good thing, escorting them out. 

If drunk parents drove to my open house with children in the car, I would take note of the license plate and call the police as soon as they left. 

Love the suggestion of taking their picture so they could be indentified in the line up!

People truly are clueless - I showed property to a family once who let their children jump on the seller's white couches. I had to tell them to get down & ask them to respect other's property while the parents did nothing. I finally told the parents that if the children didn't sit & behave the showing was over!

I usually put out a bowl of candy and a plate of cookies. Had a lady come in with her 3 kids. Now they did adhere to the sign and remove the shoes, and they seemed well behaved. No running around or yelling or anything.BUT the kids asked if they could have a cookie and a piece of candy. I said "sure"if it is ok with your Mom. No problem the Mom said. Then the kids proceeded to eat all the cookies and all the candy and I couldn't beleive my eyes. They looked so innocent and hungry, I hated to say anything, so stupid me- I just let them eat it all.Lesson learned- DONT PUT OUT ALL THE COOKIES AND ALL THE CANDY. Just put out a little at a time. Needless to say, I had nothing left to offer for the rest of the day-LOL

I have not experienced anything like this yet, but I know it's coming.  It's just a matter of time.

Wow!  Some people just don't have the sense to conduct themselves in a civilized manner.  I'm pretty sure you held the open house early in that day - wasn't that too early for the average person to be THAT hammered, even if it WAS Mother's Day?  ;)

Given security and privacy issues nowadays, I'm suprised anyone does open houses anymore.  Too many weirdo's or people just looking for personal things to steal, etc.  The internet is the best tool for selling a home and you can have pictures galore, along with videos of the entire home and neighborhood ... all to show off and keep creeps at a distance.

If someone really wants to see the home, call the listing agent and get pre-approved first.  When you're serious, you can come in.  If I were a seller, that's what I would require.

Eric #75  If you lived here you would understand that Open Houses here DO work. The majority of my listings sell during Open Houses and my buyers have attended an Open House (when I could not attend with them) and called me to view it again and put in an offer.  I AM THE LISTING AGENT and the seller requests Open Houses. I also have many sites with my listings on them with virtual tours and more. Again....it depends on the local area and neighborhoods to determine if an Open House will work. Oahu is densely populated and Open House's are the Sunday event where buyers will jump from neighborhood to neighborhood to view properties for sale.

Alex #66  How do you know they are telling you their real name? 

For most people, it's hard to tell a lie A; while looking you in the eyes, and B; standing with their family. I say 'most,' but after I tell them why, serious buyers will be honest. When I get home, I look up name, numbers, addresses to make sure everything jives. 99% of the time, during my follow-up call within 24 hours, they were honest. There is 1% that will give a fake number, or an honest mistake, but they can never fake number, name and address, so when I call them, they are surprised, but appreciate hearing from me after my hard work to get the right info. I owe it to my clients to be thorough.

If we sat down and tried to think of every scenario that "could" happen at an open house, we wouldn't have time to sell homes. Sorry you had to deal with this Sally. Unbelievable about their behavior!

#78  Alex....you sound like me...that's what I do when I get home!  In fact, I google online contacts before responding.  Great follow through and detailed indeed! 

Jackie...You got it!  Bottom line...it's all in the manner of how i handle it....in this case it was a neighbor family so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they had a luncheon and had a few glasses of wine or something....needless to say...they did not ask for a beer lol

Speaking of bathrooms, I had someone leave a giant turd in the toilet.  They went to flush but the toilet backed up so they just closed the lid. Later on at the open house I was with a potential buyer sniffing around in the bathroom because she "smelled something". It wasn't until a woman asked permission to use the bathroom that we uncovered the issue.  I was mortified but looking back, it is rather funny.

Of course they make up names when they sign the guest register (#78), or they fill it out illegibly, or they fill it out partially. Reluctance to fill out the register is my main complaint about open house attendees (other than the fact that they never buy the house).

It is a private residence, and the homeowner would never open the door and let in every stranger who happens to ring the doorbell. A homeowner would open the door and wait for the stranger to introduce herself and state her business--and rightfully so. I believe that we should expect no less of the visitors on open house day.

In short, the agent who is responsible for the property on that day has a RIGHT and a NEED to know who has been in the house, just in case something goes wrong. Security of personal property is not as big an issue if the house is vacant, so I'm less likely to feel like an unarmed guard.

Sally, as I read more and more of the blogs describing the Realtors' daily activities, trials and tribulations, I'm amazed, horrified and most of all thankful. I'm thankful that I don't do it for a living for fear of going to jail after hurting someone for some of the stupidities perpetrated on Realtors. LOL. My heart goes out to you guys.

Open houses don't work in this community, so I have no tales from them. But I have had children in my office whose parents let them run wild. There were times when my secretary had to stop her work and follow them around just to keep them from pulling files out of the cabinets and playing on agents' computers.

One warm summer day when the door was standing open a 2 year old wandered out the door and across the parking lot because Mom wasn't paying any attention. Luckily someone else in the office spotted her and went running out before she got run over.

Slob.If he was a serious buyer, opening fridge, cabinets, closets, would be tolerable, but sounds like this guy goes to open houses like some people go to yard sales. Just something to do to kill time. Good thing there wasn't a football game or NASCAR race on tv, or he would have asked you for the remote.

Another reason not to hold open houses - truth is we have way too little control over what happens during an open house.  and, this person got back into a car with his child?????

Ann....that's a big YIKES!

Marte: For sure that is just as bad as we get all of the same in our office too!

Congrats on the feature-- I had a guy walk into my open house with his dog on a leash.  He actually just walked the dog right into the house.  I could not believe it. You are one of my favorite bloggers... and I featured you in my Collage Contest photo-- Thanks for all your great posts!  Kathy

I don't know whether to mad with you or laughing at the description you wrote...I am trying to imagine the looks on your face while this was happening...but the seriousness of the situation is that I have seen these types actually doing a coordinated case of the place for later use...perhaps a call to the local constable next time.

(When I go to an open house or to any client showing...although never drunk...I do look in the refridgerator as a wealth of knowledge can be learned by what is in the fridge and how clean the edge of the dishwasher is).

Wow, I've never had an experience like that one!  I can't believe they asked if they could have a beer out of the owner's fridge.  I really like what you said, if you can't sign in when viewing someone elses home than you aren't on the guest list.  No fun having to keep an eye on their child either.

Kathy....serious?  That is really bad. I almost forgot about that contest!  I have time ..thanks for the reminder!

Mike...mad at me?  Aww.  I don't hide my expressions well and in the end all ended well :) 

Patricia: That was exaggerated ....but I've had people look in the fridge before too.

Sally, very funny...asking for a beer...what's wrong with this picture it is not a party, but an open house! Ccongrats on the feature!

Wow! That sounds like a chaotic open house! Good to have it over with!

Sounds like the open house from hell.  I hope you were not there alone with these people.

Sally:

On Mother's Day even!  I can't believe someone had the guts to act that way (and I assume he was driving too???)  Yuck.