The funny side of a grim market

Working as a real estate agent isn’t as fun as it once was. It takes longer to sell homes. Sales prices are stagnant. The days of multiple offers on properties are long gone. Come to think of it, selling a home isn’t as fun as it once was, either.

But that doesn’t mean that we can’t sneak in a few laughs at what is admittedly one strange industry.

Late last year, for instance, I interviewed an agent in suburban Chicago who had been hired to sell a home that had not too much earlier been the scene of a grisly murder/suicide. On the day of his first appointment with the sellers, the agent arrived early to walk the property. In front of the house, he noticed teddy bears and notes circling a large oak tree. It was a hot day, so the agent stepped under the tree and into the shade. Once there, he bent close to the tree to read the mementos, all having to do with the victims of the murder/suicide. It was a touching scene.

The family returned and the agent walked across the front lawn to meet them. Family members told him how much their father had loved the home, especially the old oak tree in its front yard. In fact, the father loved that old tree so much, the family spread his cremated ashes around the lawn immediately circling it to honor his memory.

Nodding solemnly, the agent looked down at his dark pants. He noticed then, to his horror, that dust covered them from his shoes to his knees. Yep, it was dear old dad, or what was left of him.

The point of this story? There isn’t much of one. It’s just a reminder that no matter how bad the residential real estate market gets, there’s always room for a laugh or two, even if it does stem from gallows humor.