While at an open house today, I got the following instant message from my wife:
Ann: While you are there take some better exterior photos. Today is sunny, and the old ones were taken on a cloudy day.
Smart idea. The last time I was here, I didn't get anything from the rear of the home either, which is a shame because it is so much larger from the back. No one had arrived yet, so I shot downstairs and out the back door to snap a few exterior photos from the large, fully fenced rear yard.
And locked my shirt-sleeved dumb arse outside of the house in a yard completely surrounded by a 6-foot fence with pointy things on top. Now, mind you, the front door was quite unlocked. I was just trapped on the wrong side of the fence.
With pointy things on top.
It is funny how the mind races when something like this occurs. I left my phone inside. My laptop was on the kitchen table. Was it opened to an embarrassing web page? What to do? Hope nobody comes to the open and discovers what a dope I am? Hope someone arrives and opens the back door?
Wait. Fences have gates.
Locked gates.
So after a few minutes of chilly weather with no coat spent weighing my options, I came upon a plan. I needed to scale the fence with the pointy things and climb over it without hurting myself. I am not dressed for that. I am too fat. I am too old. I am too trapped.
Climbing the fence was actually easy. Getting my fat posterior to a position where I could jump down to the other side was the hard part. Muscles I haven't used in quite some time (obliques come to mind. Left obliques) were summoned to the effort, and those muscles are not pleased with me right now. And jump I did, right into snow which got into my shoes. Wet feet were a small price to pay for freedom.
I straightened myself out and walked calmly inside the still-empty home, puffing. My wife and her stupid ideas!
- We Are Westchester County, NY Real Estate. Reach Phil at (914) 723-8900.
- J. Philip Faranda, Broker-owner, J. Philip Real Estate, LLC. 2010 Vice President, Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service.
- I am one of New York's premier short sale REALTORS.
- J. Philip Serves Briarcliff Manor, Ossining, Croton, the River Towns, Westchester County, and the bedroom counties of New York City.
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I am sure you will always remember, greetings from Burbank CA
I'm impressed at your climbing abilities!
Hahaha.. thats too funny! I'm glad you were able to scale the fence and land in one piece. Hey at least you got the photo huh? LOL
That had to be downright depressing, however you are nowhere near the first onr to do this, I had clients wanting to write a offer, we pulled up to the office, the person on phone duty left early, and my keys were on my desk, the clients were from about 5 hours away, and my extra keys were at home an hour away, good thing to have a great wife, I took my clients out to dinner, and my great wife brought me the extra keys without missing a beat.
Eric Ristey
wilandandhome.com
I would have paid to see that my friend (LOL). I'm glad it turned out well for you but must admit I am LMAO over here. I love candid moments. They make life soooooooo interesting. ;-)
Okay, I have not done that yet, but I have had other adventures. Real Estate is an adventure, and hey, you walked away with a story to tell!
This WILL BE just another great chapter in the book you will one-day write about your career in real estate!
You made my monday morning, I love these stories, you can't make this stuff up, it's good to be able to laugh at ourselves and remember to not take ourselves so seriously.
Oh boy...Now I haven't done that....but I have locked my keys in the car while out showing property!
I think of all the things i have ever lost ....I miss my mind the most! LOL
Usually that stuff only happens to me. I am sure glad to hear unlucky things happen to other people too. Glad it all worked out well for you.
When I was locked in the sunroom of a home I was fortunate that my cell was attached and called for help.
LOL - getting locked out is no fun, locking yourself out is even less fun, talking about it is funny .... at least for those of us reading about it
Awesome real estate post. I’ll definitely recommend it to other. Thanks
The only time I got locked out accidentally was during Freshman orientation in college when we all had to stay on campus in the dorms. I had gone to the bathroom down the hall during the wee hours of the morning only to return to a locked dorm door (it locked itself from the inside) and all I had on me were PJ's and a robe. I made it out to the administrative window in the only building with lights on and the person on duty there didn't have access to a spare key to my unit. So I made it down Broadway and I don't remember how but I got myself an egg sandwhich at Tom's Restaurant (now made infamous in Seinfeld - you'll recognize the pink neon all-capitals RESTAURANT of Tom's Restaurant). I think they took pity on me and saw I was famished, but seemed I wasn't the first one to walk in under these circumstances. LOL