In the Trenches captures the odd and funny incidents that invariably happen in real estate. Here are the stories submitted this month from real estate professionals all over the country. When you're done reading, submit your own story.

Mistaken Identity

I was showing a house to a couple and their four young boys. As the group of us was standing outside, the next-door neighbor walked up to the mother and asked whether she liked the property. My client responded that she was very interested in the house, which made the neighbor happy. The neighbor said it would be wonderful to have kids living next door, and went on to explain that she had a teenage daughter who would love to have a friend live so close. My client looked back at her little boys with a confused face before realizing the neighbor was talking about me! “Oh, that’s not our daughter,” she said. “She’s our real estate agent.” I was 26 at the time, and decided to take it as a compliment.

— Erica Walther Schlaefer, broker-associate with Walther, REALTORS®, in Rochester, N.Y.

A Not-So-Refreshing Treat

While driving around a neighborhood on a hot day in search of that special house for a client, I spotted three young boys with a lemonade stand. As I often do, I stopped and enjoyed a small paper cup of lukewarm refreshment, and then complimented the boys on their great work ethic. As I started to pull away one of the youngsters called out: "Hey, mister, we need our cup back. It’s the only one we have.”

— David Griffin, broker-associate with Rector-Hayden, REALTORS®, in Lexington Ky.

Beginner’s Luck

When I first started in real estate, my husband was always looking for ways to show how supportive he was of my career. One day, I told him about how excited I was to get a listing interview with my first FSBO. He congratulated me and went on and on about how it was a wonderful accomplishment for a new agent like me. When the day of the listing interview came, I nervously pulled up to the home and was shocked to see a For Sale sign already standing in the front yard! I was even more shocked when I took a closer look and realized it was my sign! Apparently, my husband had driven over to the home earlier that day and installed my personal real estate sign as a surprise for me — and I wasn’t even sure I would get the listing! When I rang the doorbell and talked to the sellers, I realized that they hadn’t seen the sign yet. After my listing presentation, the sellers looked at each other and said that even though they were scheduled to meet with two other agents, they wanted to sign the listing papers with me. I told them: "Whew! It's a good thing you're hiring me since my husband has already put up my real estate sign in your front yard. And I have no idea how to pull that big pole out of the ground and carry it to my car without ruining my pantyhose." They ran to the front door and had a good laugh.

— Colleen Wesley, sales-associate with Keller Williams Realty, Brighton, Mich.

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