Wake Up - we're here to see the house....
Today I was showing some Paia Maui homes for sale to some new buyers, let's call them John and Sue. We managed to get into one home on very short notice, the agent gave us the lock box number and said it was OK.
It looked a little like someone might be home... pickup truck in the driveway, junk in the yard. I thought it was going to be vacant. So I knocked on the door and got no response. It was about 11 in the morning. I opened up the front door and peered in, and shouted out "HELLO". No response again. I let the buyers in to have a look at this property which is listed as a short sale. John walked down the hall to check out the bedrooms and turned right around and headed for the front door saying "let's get out of here, someone's home!". The tenant had been sleeping, but woke up when John entered the bedroom. I don't know who was more surprised, the buyer or the tenant.
First impressions mean a lot when it comes to real estate. This kind of thing really puts buyers off a listing and you can never undo that feeling.
Luckily the next home we saw was just the opposite, neat and tidy, with a smiling seller to show us around. What a difference. 
Agents - Don't let a bad showing give your buyers a black eye!
Buyers - If you're thinking of moving to Maui Hawaii, please let me help you find the right home.
Georgina M. Hunter R(S) e-Pro ~ 808 283-0635 ~ EMAIL ~ www.EastMaui.com
Diabolical! You can see how the tenant would think it was the Marshall, and the buyer would imagine it was someone up to no good. Definitely one for the books!! Sure you handled it with grace and tact, Georgina! Best,
Juliet
Georgina, I'm so glad you found another home....what a shame this happened (I believe it would scare me!)
Juliet - that was it - we got out in a hurry.
Carole - here on Maui we havent' had any really bad things happen to Realtors... yet.
That's freaky, Georgina. Was the person staying there a squatter or the seller who was trying to get a few more days out of the property? I'm glad the next property gave the buyers a much better look!
Kathy