Ladders, Lovebirds, and Other Life Lessons

​​​​​In Tuesday’s RECON​, we invited real estate agents to share the most embarrassing things that have ever happened to them when showing a house. And m​ost embarrassing, of course, means funniest.

Here’s a handful of stories submitted by readers. They’ve been edited for clarity and length.

• I had a new listing and was excited to measure each room before posting it on the MLS. This was an older home, and everything was going well. H​​owever, I was curious about a large room/closet just opposite the stairwell on the second floor. It could be advertised as a study nook, so my decision to take measurements was made. The minute I stepped inside, the door closed and I was locked in. T​​here was no hardware, only the hole for the handle. Of course, my phone was in my purse downstairs. Luckily, the room had a window and the back door downstairs was open, so there were options. I could jump out the second floor window or scream for help. Luckily, someone drove by and heard me yelling. He brought his screwdriver, released the latch and sent me on my way. Lesson learned: Always carry your phone, tools, and a drop-down ladder when measuring a second-story room, and check out all the locks before stepping inside.
• A client applied for a VA loan. I asked if her son (who was there with her) was the veteran that qualified for the loan. The man was indeed a veteran, but he wasn’t her son. He was her husband.
• The listing agent was viewing my home for the first time. During her tour, my dog ran up to greet her and proceeded to throw up all over the carpet at her feet. To make matters worse, my dog had been eating "you know what" from the lawn, and the smell was just unbearable! Neither of us knew what to say, so I just apologized repeatedly while taking my dog outside. I scrubbed the carpet while we discussed how to market my home.
• Years ago in Houston, I was checking out construction of an apartment building I was responsible for. We were doing a walk-through of all units. Some were already occupied. We had a set of master keys. We would knock on the door and, if no one answered, use a key to get in. When we opened the door of one unit, it was occupied (furnished) so we announced loudly, "Manager! Hello?" No answer. We went in. Went to the bedroom and there were the newly married occupants in the throes of what newly married couples do. We left quickly.​​