In the Trenches
Tell Us: What's Your Funniest Story?
"In the Trenches" captures the odd, funny, and unusual incidents that invariably happen during the course of a day in the real estate business. To see your story on this page, use the link above to send in your humorous anecdote!
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Need a laugh? Read the odd and funny incidents from real estate professionals across the country. Then, submit your own!
0901_inthetrenches
Need a laugh? Read the odd and funny incidents from real estate professionals across the country. Then, submit your own!
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In the Trenches captures the odd and funny incidents that invariably happen in real estate. Here are the stories submitted from real estate professionals all over the country.
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Our monthly humor column captures the odd and funny incidents that invariably happen in real estate.
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Our monthly humor column captures the odd and funny incidents that invariably happen in real estate.
May 2008
This monthly feature captures the odd and funny incidents that invariably happen in real estate.
March 2008
In the Shadows
¿John Hicks, director of MLS Outreach and New Product Development, CVR MLS, Richmond, Va.
Locked Out
¿Shar Benson, broker/owner, CRS®, GRI, Roosevelt, Utah
Out the Window
¿Lana McDaniel, Realty Executives Classic, Shawnee, Kan.
February 2008
Tech Novice Mistake
¿Wanda Looper, CRS, GRI, Churchill-Brown & Associates, Oklahoma City
Gimme my Cake Back!
¿Debbie Palmer, Palmer Properties of Virginia, South Boston, Va.
Forgotten Agent
¿Jeff Hefel, Dubuque, Iowa
Best Laughs of 2007
November 2007
What's Behind Door No. 1?
— Sherry Goodman, The Goodman Group of RE/MAX, Denver
In Deep Trouble
— Susan Burke, J.T. Fields REALTORS®,Fort Wayne, Ind.
Open House Lesson Learned
| — Tracey Edwards, sales associate for Coldwell Banker NRT, Elk Grove, Calif. |
October 2007
A Grave Discovery
— Jason B. Combs, ABR®, Coldwell Banker West Shell, Milford, Ohio
Ghosts in the Cellar
— Stephanie Grandstaff, King Realty Co., Marengo, Ohio
September 2007
Mysterious Voice
— Patrice DeVille, William Davis Realty, Dallas
Who Let the Dog Out?
— Robert Moreno, Preferred Real Estate Group, Tracy, Calif.
Cat on My Tail
— Alicia C. Romero, CRS®, GRI, The Wells Group, Durango, Colo.
August 2007
Ahoy, Client!
— Phyllis Crosby, GRI, RE/Max ACR Elite in Tampa, Fla.
Snakes on a House
— Pat Solomon, CRS®, Master Key GMAC Real Estate, Bossier City, La.
Thanks for Your Opinion, But …
— Teresa McCants, John L. Scott S.C.O.R.E., Ashland, Ore.
July 2007
Cheap Thrills in Real Estate
— Gloria L. Wade, ABR®, Keller Williams Realty, Hendersonville, Tenn.
Drop the Pretzel and Back Away
— Bret White, Coldwell Banker Bain, Lynnwood, Wash.
The Invisible Seller
— Pamela Frey-Primiani, Coldwell Banker Elite REALTORS®, Medford, N.J.
June 2007
While You Were Sleeping
— Bob Ream, ZipRealty, Austin, Texas
Buy or Else
— Paula Bean, e-PRO®, Orlando Real Estate Professionals, orlando, Fla.
Is That Man Dead?
— Sheila A. Hoppis, Hoppis Real Estate, Oklahoma City
May 2007
What Else Could Go Wrong?
— Kim Chitwood, Keller Williams Realty Connections, Newnan Ga.
April 2007
What Are You Lookin’ At?
— Rebecca Pennington, Watson Realty Corp., REALTOR®, Jacksonville, Fla.
Unlikely Roommates
— Sue Lindsay, Coldwell Banker Burnet, St. Paul, Minn.
And Stay Out!
— Bruce Nemovitz, Realty Executives Lakeshore, Milwaukee
March 2007
My Big Open House Debut
— Tammo Wilkens, Prudential California Realty in Rancho Cucamonga
Not the Traditional Showing
— Mike Mason, Keller Williams Realty, Miami
Are We Interrupting?
— Alta Graham, Tarbell, REALTORS®, Upland, Calif.
February 2007
Oops, Wrong Luncheon!
— Lynn Lenton, managing broker for Jay Cole Realty in Atlanta
A Toy that Sweetened the Deal
—Randy G. Morley, The Home Brokers Inc. in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Wig with a Hole in It
— Romesh Shonek, CRS®, GRI, Fonville Morisey Realty in Durham, N.C.
January 2007: Best of 2006
Give Thanks to Proofreaders
— Kathy Harrington, Metro Brokers/GMAC, Atlanta
An Innocent Question
— John R. Johnson, Tarbell, REALTORS®, Temecula Valley, Calif.
The Disappearing Two-Flat
— Chuck Stuparits, Imagine Realty, Oak Brook, Ill.
I Thought It Was Your Dog!
— Missy Horst, Coldwell Banker Graham & Associates, Madison, Miss.
December 2006
Dang Fleas!
— Hank Ebert, Long and Foster REALTORS®, Roanoke, Va.
Beware of Loose Deck Boards
— Deb Jackson, TopPros Real Estate Inc., Overland Park, Kan.
Ever Feel Like ‘Target’ is Written on Your Forehead?
— Sheromie Vittachi, White House Properties, Westlake Village, Calif.
November 2006
Pot Pelly Pigs Included
— Cindy Wine, Century 21 Diversified, Indianapolis
I Thought it Was Your Dog!
— Missy Horst, Coldwell Banker Graham & Associates, Madison, Miss.
Cocker Spaniel Cinches the Deal
— Dave Chapman, Landmark Realty Inc., Edwardsville, Ill.
September/October 2006
Unexpected Visitors
— Sue Kelly, Coldwell Banker Tony Hubbard Realty in Clermont, Florida
A Sweater in July
— Pam Gervais, Remax NW Territories in Cypress, Texas
That’s Not the Sink!
— By Haley Hwang, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Glenview, Ill.
August 2006
A Mimosa for the Road
— Gena G. Winstead, ABR®, a sales associate with Intracoastal Realty Corp. in Wilmington, N.C.
Out of the Mouths of Babes
— Kelle Sparta, a former real estate practitioner, created and runs classes for the Relational Real Estate certification program and is a certified trainer for ERA. She also authored the book “The Consultative Real Estate Agent” (AMACOM, 2005).
Time for Some Fresh Air
— Susie Gruber, CRS®,GRI, a sales associate with Professional Realty Consultants of Lee County Inc. in Cape Coral, Fla.
July 2006
Mistaken Identity
— Erica Walther Schlaefer, broker-associate with Walther, REALTORS®, in Rochester, N.Y.
A Not-So-Refreshing Treat
— David Griffin, broker-associate with Rector-Hayden, REALTORS®, in Lexington Ky.
Beginner’s Luck
— Colleen Wesley, sales-associate with Keller Williams Realty, Brighton, Mich.
June 2006
But How Does It Smell?
— Lisa Wright, sales associate with Weichert, REALTORS®, Stout & Associates, Katy, Texas
A Fire Sale
— Lorena McMullen, ABR®, GRI, associate broker with RE/MAX Alliance in Livonia, Mich.
Awake to an Opportunity
— Furtesha Carter, broker with American Heritage, in Nashville, Tenn.
| May 2006 The 11thCommandment — Roger B. MacDonald, GRI, associate broker with Realty Quest Inc. in Nashua, N.H. Connect Me to Will, Please — Halina D. Kraszewski, sales associate with RE/MAX AllStars in Niles, Ill. A Surprise Visit — Bob Burnett, sales associate with Michael Saunders & Co. in Longboat Key, Fla. Give Thanks to Proofreaders — Kathy Harrington, business coach with Metro Brokers/GMAC in Atlanta April 2006 Great View of the River — Sam Richards, broker-owner of Richards Real Estate in Rio Vista, Calif. A Tight Time Frame — Dixie Touzalin, sales associate and training specialist with Realty One Real Living in Cleveland The Window Shimmy — MaryAnn Caulfield, sales associate with Colwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Deerfield, Ill. March 2006 Sparkling Clean … but Sopping Wet — Brian Burns, sales associate with Century 21 Metro Alliance in Maricopa, Ariz. Directionally Challenged — Charles White, broker and president of Kendall Real Estate Group Inc. in Ballwin, Mo. What Not to Wear — Kelly Clevenger, sales associate with Coldwell Banker, Wallace & Wallace in Knoxville, Tenn. Neighbors by Any Other Name — Roger Howard, broker-owner of 1st Home Realty, Indianapolis. February 2006 An Innocent Question — John R. Johnson, e-PRO, sales associate with Tarbell, REALTORS®, in Temecula Valley, Calif. Stepping Into Trouble — Linda Joy Sala, sales associate with Century 21 New Heritage in Hampshire, Ill. I Believe This Belongs to You — MaryAnn Caulfield, sales associate with Coldwell Banker Residential in Deerfield, Ill. January 2006 The Disappearing Two-Flat — Chuck Stuparits, sales associate with Imagine Realty in Oak Brook, Ill. ‘What Does That Stand For?’ — Rick Gienapp, sales associate with Dick Davin Real Estate in Iowa City, Iowa Surprises Behind Doors No. 1 and 2 — Randy G Morley, an associate broker with The Home Brokers Inc. in Colorado Springs, Colo. December 2005 An Indecent Proposal — Scott Gordon, broker with Crescent Realty Group, Hanover, Mass. That Didn’t Hurt One Bit! — Jennifer Foradis, sales associate and relocation specialist with Prudential Select Properties, Mentor, Ohio. Keep an Eye on the Kids — Gary Kolar, sales associate with RE/MAX Legends, Alta Loma, Calif. November 2005 Flyers With Kid Appeal |
— Karen Smithee, sales associate with Prudential California Realty in Cameron Park, Calif.
Only a Bruised Ego
— Linda Anderson, sales associate with Exit Realty Center in Franklin, Tenn.
Beware of Dog … and Bird
— Dan Roda, broker-associate with RE/MAX Properties Inc., Colorado Springs, Colo.
October 2005
A Shriek of Horror
— Gerry Montelongo, broker for AVALAR Real Estate in Ventura, Calif.
This is Just a Test
— Jacquie Kellogg, sales associate and property manager for Arizona Mountain Properties in Flagstaff, Ariz.
What's Under the Board?
— Kirsten Englund, sales associate with Greg Malik Real Estate Group, Atascadero, Calif.
September 2005
Take Off Your Pants!
— Susan Gruber, CRS®,GRI, sales associate with Professional Realty Consultants of Lee County Inc., Cape Coral, Fla.
A Squeaky Clean Showing
— DeAnn Connolly, sales associate with Rose-Marie Frantz & Associates, Frederick, Md.
Why I'm Afraid of Models
— Carol Kerr, mortgage account executive with Bank of America, Fernandina Beach, Fla.
August 2005
Stamping Out Termites
— Joanne LaPhan, sales associate with Paradise West Realty, Spring Hill, Fla.
A Victorian Waterfall
— RuthAnne Salvatore, ABR®, sales associate with McCaffrey Realty Professionals, Brookfield, Conn.
Don't Let the Cat Out
— Kara Jensen, ABR®, CRS®, broker-associate with Realty Alliance, Mesa, Ariz.
Don’t Stick Around to Find Out
—Susan Flanagan, associate broker with RE/MAX Realty One in York, Maine
Full Disclosure
— Kathy Stankard, sales associate with Century 21 Westward Homes in Franklin, Mass.
Please Hold the Copy
— Catherine Tallant, sales associate with RE/MAX Allegiance in Alexandria, Va.
June 2005
Kidnapper or Client?
— Marlene Shelton-Giles, ABR®, GRI, associate-broker with RE/MAX 1st Olympic, REALTORS®, in Lynchburg, Va.
Trapped at a Listing
— Susan Mead, GRI, broker with Prudential Northwest Properties, Hillsboro, Ore.
An Accidental Buy
— Joyce Crane, sales associate with ZipRealty, Dallas.
May 2005
To Attract Clients, Aim for the Mercedes
— Katharine Hadow, sales associate with Burgdorff ERA, REALTORS®, in Summit, N.J.
Don’t Wear Stilettos During Showings
— Sheri Weisbender, associate broker with RE/MAX Westside Properties, Brentwood, Calif.
Where’s My Closing Gift?
— Mike Travers, associate broker with Jack Conway & Co. in Bridgewater, Mass.
Buying for the Amenities
— Anna Schulte, sales associate with Dawn Shumway & Associates, Houston
Say Hi to Dad
— Joanna Conlon, senior sales associate with Showcase-Century 21 Real Estate in Colts Neck, N.J.
Renter Beware
— Rachel Lynn Rodriguez, sales associate with Gloria Nilson GMAC Real Estate in Kendall Park, N.J.
Lifting the Mood
— Nellie Robinson, owner of Lakeside Realty in Gun Barrel City, Texas
March 2005
A Tied and True Way to Impress Clients
— Terri Raybourn, sales associate with Keller Williams Realty, The Metropolitan, in Houston
Warm Greetings
— Crystal Hipkins, sales associate with Keller Williams Realty in Winchester, Va.
Always Carry a Plunger
— Billy Bob Brown Jr., e-PRO®, sales associate with Long and Foster, REALTORS®, in Arlington, Va.
February 2005
A Scary House Preview
—Dawn M. Braga, salesperson with Weichert, REALTORS®, in Alexandria, Va.
Lost in Translation
—Mitchell S. Feldman, associate broker and office manager for Madison Estates & Properties Inc. in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Interesting Conversation
—Jane Beattie Shepherd, CRS®, GRI, broker-owner of Beattie-Firth Inc. in Charleston, W.Va.
January 2005
The Caravan Circa 1963
—Herbert I. Rosenkrantz, a retired broker-owner of Rosenkrantz, REALTORS®, in Redondo Beach, Calif.