Beware of pets...

This is a short story with a HUGE lesson learned.  I was working with a client that wanted a newer home, less than 10 years old.  Three to four bedrooms and at least 2 full baths.  Simple enough, there were plenty of homes on the market.  Although not necessarily easy, with loads of choices it can be difficult to narrow it down.  Again, manage expectations of the client.  J

The second home we went to see met all of the criteria for her “must haves”.  The current owners had a cat but you would never know it walking into the house.  When I spoke to the Listing Agent (LA), she had asked that I make sure the cat did not get out the front door.  Not a problem.  Actually we didn’t even see the cat when we entered.  Didn’t bother me at all…I’m not a big cat lover anyway.

So we toured the first floor.  Beautiful kitchen, huge living room, hardwood floors…just great.  As we went upstairs, the cat came bombing by us with its tail on fire.  I think it was the cat…just a white blur streaking by us.

We looked at the four bedrooms, the full bath and upstairs laundry room (this was a huge bonus!).  The last room we went into was the FROG.  The house had a 2 car garage so the room was pretty big.  It had two small doors on either wall that opened into storage areas.  Something to keep in mind is what is people mean by “storage area”.  Is it an area that is currently configured for and used as storage?  Or is it an area that can be used for storage?  One means spending money, the other does not.

In this case, the first door opened to an area that had plywood laid out and a light bulb fixture.  Perfect.  We went over to the other storage door and opened it.  Before I could even reach in to see if there was a light, that white ball of fur went flashing by into the finished storage area.  The area that was also open to the rafters of the rest of the house.  You know with just the right amount of space for a cat to get through.

So, there I was with a client in a house, that by any objective standard, was perfect for her.  Perfect except for the cat that was now running around inside the framework of the damn house.  Now what?  I hated cats, even if I could see the cat to get to it.

My client crawled into the storage area to try and coax the cat out.  I’m thinking about what I’m going to say to the Listing Agent or heaven forbid, the Owner.  So, my client is inside the frame trying to find the cat, calling out “here kitty, kitty”.  Kind of cliché I know.  Meanwhile, I’m pacing the room trying figure out what to say.  I dialed the LA’s cell number as my stomach is twisting in knots.  I didn’t let the cat out the front door, I just let it get into the frame of the house. 

As her number begins to ring, my client called out that she had caught the cat!  NICE!  That meant I would not have to explain losing the cat to anyone, let alone the LA or the Owner.  That was a huge relief.

So the lesson I learned was to always beware of any pets in a house that I am showing.  And if you are listing your house and you have a pet?  Make sure they don’t get lost in the framework of your home.