That time I trapped my clients on a balcony...
Imagine a day in the middle of the hot summer in Texas. 🏜 Oh boy, what a day! A HOT DAY.
I had been showing a lovely couple beautiful Hill Country homes for a couple of weeks and the house scheduled for that day was unique because of the wonderful views. 👀 The home was vacant, so you could truly appreciate all of the flooring details, light fixtures and finishes. Needless to say, everything was going great. We were laughing, imagining where furniture would be placed and as we made our way upstairs, I could hardly contain my excitement when the time came to walk out on the main balcony to show off the gorgeous view. 🏠
One of my clients had walked in front of me to open the balcony door to walk outside and did not realize that when doing so she had clicked the button to lock the door from the inside. 🔒
I walked right behind them, and I noticed a wasp nest 🐝nearby, so in true realtor fashion I closed the door behind me. The second I heard that “click” I knew the door was locked. In a blink, I had stranded us outside on the balcony. Did I mention it was the summer? In Texas? 😱 But the embarrassment did not stop there. I have a habit of placing the house key 🔑 right by the front door or on the kitchen island. I learned to do that after misplacing a key once (a story for another time). Imagine my face when one of my clients said, “well surely you have the key Debbie.” NOPE! The key was safely placed by the door, where I knew I would not misplace it… INSIDE THE HOUSE!
I tried everything to get back inside. I called the listing agents 📱 but they were probably out to lunch or something. I tried breaking in with an old credit card one of my clients offered and I even considered using my ninja skills to climb down the balcony, a thought that quickly evaporated once I realized it was a 20-foot drop. If I am being realistic, I am also no Tom Cruise, so that stunt would have probably turned out badly. 😅
So, there we were, stranded outside like a bunch of castaways on a deserted island 🏝️, sweating in the middle of the incandescent Texas sun. 🌞
Finally, after what felt like hours, I had the bright idea 💡 to call the front gate of the neighborhood! THANK YOU, GOOGLE, FOR THE PHONE NUMBER!
Our savior arrived in a small white Ford Fiesta 🚗, a beautiful sight! He was truly our knight in shining armor rocking the jingling sound of our most desired item! A KEY 🔑!! He saved us! His name was George.
I didn't know whether to hug George or high-five 🙌 him, but I settled on a little bit of both as soon as we were finally able to get back inside. My clients were relieved, and I was just grateful no one had collapsed on the balcony. The listing agent eventually called back to ask if I had questions, to which I replied, “no questions but the balcony is beautiful!” 😅
My clients did not buy that house, but eventually did find their forever home! This is a picture of them on their closing day. We have since become wonderful friends and our balcony story is the subject of many laughs.
That day I learned… AND PLEASE TAKE NOTES, to always double-check the locks before stepping out onto any balconies. Lesson learned, folks. Lesson learned.
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