At a commercial during Survivor on Wednesday evening, Hick said,
"Oh. The realtor called me. She said that another agency was showing the Flip House today, and the couple looking at it said they smelled gas. Realtor told the agent that the house is all electric. No gas. She said the couple only smelled it by the front porch, not IN the house.
I called the gas company. I was driving by later, and seen the Gas Man was there, so I stopped. I've smelled gas there before too, by the front door. There's a valve in the ground, from when there used to be gas, but it's capped off.
The Gas Man said it was so windy that he probably wouldn't be able to find out where it was coming from today. He said they always check at least a 3-block radius, but today the smell could have blown in from anywhere. He had a tester that he put down in the ground by the gas pipe, but didn't get any reading. He checked the valve, and said it wasn't leaking. I didn't ask if he was coming back another day or not. But he couldn't find anything wrong."
"Well, in a way this is good news, to hear that somebody was looking at the house."
"Yeah. Realtor said they have an appointment to show it tomorrow, too. I don't know if it's her, or another agency. So it's getting traffic, anyway."
Funny how Hick was so nonchalant about this development. I told The Pony on Thursday morning. The Pony also took it as a good sign.
We never know if anybody's looking at the Double Hovel. It's not like Realtor can report such things, being busy with other properties. The only clue would be if we saw cars there while driving by, or if an agent left a business card like Hick found in the Beauty Shop one time.
Maybe this is a ploy by lookers to get Hick to come down on the price.
ReplyDeleteI don't think so. Maybe if they'd made an offer. Then they could use it as something wrong, to bargain about. Just walking through and looking at it, there's no real point in saying they smelled gas, except to prevent an explosion if there's actually a leak.
DeleteThey still have time.
DeleteYes. Most people contact a bank about a loan before they make an offer.
DeleteI thought realtors were supposed to keep you informed of people looking and how many per week or at least some form of communication. Isn't that part of how they earn their commission?
ReplyDeleteWe've never had a realtor tell us that stuff. Not even the one who worked for Century 21, and was a friend of Hick's from hanging out at a neighborhood bar. I'm sure they'd give you some general information if you called to ask. Otherwise, I think showing the house, and doing the paperwork at closing, is how they earn their commission.
DeleteWhen we sold, the agent showing the house would wait for us to come home after the open hours were finished (we were just in the park across the road) and tell us how much interest people showed and how many people came through.
DeleteWe've never sold a property with an "open house." I suppose some realtors do that with more expensive homes. Ours have just been shown by appointment. Usually if a house is occupied, the tenants get a 24-hour notice of when it will be shown. So they can straighten up, and be out of the house.
DeleteThe good news is there is activity. You may make that sale soon.
ReplyDeleteThat's how we feel about the activity. Hick wants to rent the houses after the first of the year, through a management company that will collect the payment, and do the paperwork for eviction if a tenant doesn't pay. That's the main drawback of renting these days. Renters have more rights than the owners. The Pony and I would rather wait until March or April before renting.
DeleteOf course the property would still be for sale, even if rented. It just makes showing it more difficult for the realtors.