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Alex Wolking's Funny Real Estate Stories: Naked, Haunted, and Awkward Showings!
Episode 229th January 2025 • House of Style • House of Style with Grant Alexander
00:00:00 00:16:37

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Speaker A:

Hey, thanks for sticking around.

Speaker A:

This is our exclusive bonus section.

Speaker A:

We're here to continue our wonderful conversation with Alex Wolking.

Speaker A:

So I have a few more fun questions.

Speaker A:

We're loosey goosey now.

Speaker A:

We're opening it up.

Speaker A:

Give me.

Speaker A:

I want.

Speaker A:

I want some stories.

Speaker A:

We've been talking about stories this whole time.

Speaker A:

What's the wildest thing that's happened in a showing?

Speaker B:

Oh, Jesus.

Speaker B:

How much time we have?

Speaker A:

Let's rank the stories in order of amazing.

Speaker B:

Okay?

Speaker B:

So I can't tell you how many times I've walked in on people butt, ass naked, you know, coming out of the shower, having.

Speaker B:

Did they forget that?

Speaker A:

There was.

Speaker B:

A lot of times, Grant, they are.

Speaker A:

Did they want you to see it?

Speaker B:

No, a lot of times, Grant, they are tenant occupied properties rentals that no one communicated that there was a showing or frankly, they just didn't care if there was a showing.

Speaker B:

I've had some of that before.

Speaker B:

People that are coming out of the shower, wrapping themselves up in towels.

Speaker B:

People that are having an afternoon delight I've walked in on.

Speaker B:

I had a listing once about eight years ago, where it was a big old mansion.

Speaker B:

Oh, my God.

Speaker B:

It was a really cool house.

Speaker B:

Stunning architecture.

Speaker B:

But I walked up to the attic, and it was an Italian villa style of architecture.

Speaker B:

So you had this big central tower, like a cupola, basically.

Speaker B:

Me being the naive young broker I was at the time, I was like, I just wanted to go see.

Speaker B:

The house is, like, perched really high up on a hill, and I go up the windy.

Speaker B:

You know, the circular staircase to get to the tower, and there's a noose hanging from the rafters.

Speaker B:

I still have a picture of on my phone that still freaks me out to this day.

Speaker B:

That was freaky.

Speaker A:

Did we ever learn the story behind that?

Speaker B:

I had.

Speaker B:

I.

Speaker B:

I walked in on a.

Speaker B:

At least walked in on something.

Speaker B:

But I definitely.

Speaker B:

I was with clients showing a house and later found out that, you know, there was.

Speaker B:

Well, there was a couple there.

Speaker B:

They were like, you know, scurrying away to the car.

Speaker B:

So, sorry, we're on our way out, like, okay, fine.

Speaker B:

And then the showing didn't last too long, but my clients liked the house.

Speaker B:

We're standing out in the driveway, and another car pulls in the driveway, and this woman gets out and she's like, oh, I'm so sorry.

Speaker B:

Are you guys still looking like.

Speaker B:

No, no, no, we're good.

Speaker B:

We're good.

Speaker B:

We later found out that the older man and the younger woman, that was actually the husband and his mistress and the wife had come Home and just missed them.

Speaker B:

Yeah.

Speaker B:

Did not know because I explained to the listing agent what happened.

Speaker B:

She's like, I knew something was going on.

Speaker A:

I wonder if she shared.

Speaker A:

I, you know, wow.

Speaker B:

There's a lot of that happens at realtors.

Speaker A:

I mean, they were selling their homes.

Speaker B:

That could be a way out too.

Speaker B:

Who knows?

Speaker B:

But I just found that very funny.

Speaker B:

I showed a condo once that was haunted and I became a believer in haunted properties after as many historic homes I've sold, you would think I'd believe it goes.

Speaker B:

Yeah, I didn't really think much about it.

Speaker B:

I always thought the paranormal shows were until 1.

Speaker B:

Until 1.

Speaker B:

And it was a condo that was built in like the late 90s.

Speaker B:

And I walked in and I just make it a quick story.

Speaker B:

My client, who.

Speaker B:

She's like, why is this condo still on the market?

Speaker B:

It's priced really well.

Speaker B:

And I was like, I don't know, let me look.

Speaker B:

So I started looking through the disclosures and I saw a disclosure I had never seen before.

Speaker A:

Ghosts.

Speaker B:

It was a stigmatized property disclosure.

Speaker B:

It was the owner disclosing that even though it's not material to the home, it was still something that could adversely affect a buyer's decision to purchase the property.

Speaker A:

Is that really.

Speaker B:

It's not necessary.

Speaker B:

Not in the state of Illinois, in California, New York.

Speaker B:

It is.

Speaker B:

Texas, I think it is as well.

Speaker B:

There's a couple states where you have to disclose it, but not in Illinois.

Speaker B:

And at that time, this is in Iowa.

Speaker B:

Not in Iowa either.

Speaker B:

And my client, who was a member of the local paranormal service, she's like, I don't care.

Speaker B:

Because we found out that the husband had died by suicide in the basement or something.

Speaker B:

So like, okay, well, as long as you know that going into it, she's like, all right, well, as long as he moves out when his wife leaves, when his widow leaves, then I don't care.

Speaker B:

All right, fine.

Speaker B:

So go and look at it.

Speaker B:

There was stuff kept going off randomly.

Speaker B:

There was like some Disney toys that must have been their grandkids.

Speaker B:

That the only way, I forget there was like a Merlin or something in like a globe.

Speaker B:

The only way you could make this thing go off is if you put your hand on it and touched it.

Speaker B:

Then we go down to the basement and as we approach the basement steps, the steps started making noise like somebody was walking on them.

Speaker B:

You're like, well, this is freaky Merlin.

Speaker B:

We get down to the.

Speaker B:

Must have been.

Speaker B:

We go down to the basement.

Speaker B:

Oh, we also heard footsteps.

Speaker B:

This is a one story condo.

Speaker B:

We heard footsteps in the attic above.

Speaker B:

That was creepy, too.

Speaker B:

So we get down to the basement, and we go around, and there was just this presence that was so palpable.

Speaker B:

And I was like, why do I feel like we're not the only ones here?

Speaker B:

Like, I feel like someone else is here.

Speaker B:

There's a room in the back of the basement that was like a storage room.

Speaker B:

We get up to the door, and the door on it said, dad's room.

Speaker B:

I was like, dad's room?

Speaker B:

And the guy died.

Speaker B:

Oh, God.

Speaker B:

So we opened it up.

Speaker B:

It was Dad's.

Speaker B:

It was his workshop.

Speaker B:

He had all his tools in there.

Speaker B:

And there was, you know, the tools along all the wall, and there was, like, some, you know, stuff in the middle of the room.

Speaker B:

So that kind of.

Speaker B:

You walked around the room in, like, a circle.

Speaker B:

Second we open that workshop, the temperature changed by a good 10 degrees.

Speaker B:

And we.

Speaker B:

So then we walked around to the other side to see the rest of the room.

Speaker B:

Cause there was a closet and everything else.

Speaker B:

I'll never forget this for as long as I live.

Speaker B:

My client, she gets to that spot.

Speaker B:

She turns and looks at me with this, like, deer in the headlights look.

Speaker B:

And she's like, I think I'm standing right where he is.

Speaker B:

And I was like.

Speaker B:

Her teeth started chattering because the temperature dropped another 10 to 15 degrees.

Speaker B:

So.

Speaker B:

And by the way, the air was not on.

Speaker A:

Ghosts are real.

Speaker B:

Totally.

Speaker B:

So she's like, I've seen enough.

Speaker B:

So we start going up the stairs.

Speaker B:

Well, and we go back upstairs.

Speaker B:

And again, even back in, like, the rec room area in the basement, the temperature had changed about a good 20 degrees.

Speaker B:

So we go upstairs, and we're putting our shoes on and putting our shoes on to leave.

Speaker B:

Me, being the smart ass that I am, had my hand on the doorknob.

Speaker B:

I'm like, all right, well, have a good day.

Speaker B:

The Merlin thing went off again, and I went to go, like, pull the door.

Speaker B:

I was just slowly pulling it, and I felt the door get shoved, Shot, basically, get out is what it was.

Speaker B:

I was like, okay, well, I've seen enough.

Speaker B:

Oh, yeah, I have seen enough.

Speaker A:

That's solid.

Speaker B:

That was.

Speaker B:

That was.

Speaker B:

That was my haunted ghost story that makes.

Speaker B:

Oh, yeah, I found sex toys.

Speaker B:

I found.

Speaker B:

Oh, my.

Speaker B:

I'll never forget.

Speaker B:

I had a client's home that was being staged.

Speaker B:

And, you know, the photographer was coming, and I walk in on some fun from the night before that was left over and, like, make the bed.

Speaker B:

And it was all in a day's work.

Speaker A:

Apparently ghosts and sex toys.

Speaker A:

Lay out.

Speaker A:

Are There times where I always think about this because I think about my relationship with other stylists or designers.

Speaker A:

And from the designer standpoint, I think there are incredible designers out there and they have nothing to do with what.

Speaker A:

There are plenty of people that are, you know, getting.

Speaker A:

Getting things.

Speaker A:

But I often look at other stylists.

Speaker A:

I'm like, yeah, really are.

Speaker A:

Really.

Speaker A:

Do you feel that way about other brokers?

Speaker A:

Are there some that you see that come into it, whether it's your listing or you're going to theirs regularly, that you're just like.

Speaker B:

There's definitely some cringe moments and it's.

Speaker A:

You have a nemesis.

Speaker B:

You know, I used to.

Speaker B:

And then it kind of fizzled out.

Speaker B:

It was kind of fun though.

Speaker B:

I enjoyed having an arch nemesis.

Speaker A:

I mean, something extra.

Speaker A:

It does.

Speaker A:

I mean, when you're building house of style right now, like the broader business, I mean, there's so many revolutionary things to it that there are plenty of haters and the naysayers that this isn't gonna work.

Speaker A:

I am sure I'm doing this because I believe in it wholeheartedly.

Speaker A:

But I'm also doing it a little bit to stick it to you.

Speaker B:

Sure.

Speaker B:

Competition really happens at the bottom and collaboration happens at the top.

Speaker A:

Interesting.

Speaker B:

And that's the thing I've noticed is.

Speaker B:

And that was when I was like scrappy and just let me at em.

Speaker B:

There's one agent, he and I definitely sparred.

Speaker B:

It was kind of fun.

Speaker B:

Cause it made me sharper.

Speaker B:

It was great.

Speaker B:

Just get pissed at the time.

Speaker B:

Kept him on it.

Speaker B:

Oh yeah.

Speaker B:

But also kind of kept him on his toes, kept me on my toes.

Speaker B:

And then it just ended up not being fun anymore.

Speaker B:

So he just kind of gave up.

Speaker B:

Well, there went my fun.

Speaker A:

So you gotta instigate it with somebody new.

Speaker B:

Well, I thought about that.

Speaker B:

And then the more I thought about it, I'm just like most of the agents.

Speaker B:

Really.

Speaker B:

The thing that I've seen more than anything is so many agents just do so many cringe things where I just kind of, you know, have a face palm moment where I see, you know, I'm never gonna knock an agent who's trying.

Speaker B:

If an agent's trying, you know, they're trying with video, they're trying with marketing, whatever.

Speaker B:

I've been that agent.

Speaker B:

So I mean, by all means, I'm not gonna sit and judge somebody.

Speaker B:

Cause I've definitely been in their shoes.

Speaker B:

I see it a lot on the high end when you can tell when an agent doesn't necessarily work with a lot of clients in that Price point in that space, you can kind of tell.

Speaker B:

And it's not necessarily a bad thing.

Speaker B:

They're learning.

Speaker B:

But what's really bad is when agents start pretending like they know everything and they end up getting information wrong and.

Speaker A:

Don'T have the ability to pull.

Speaker B:

They don't have.

Speaker B:

Or ask the right questions or ask somebody who would know the right questions.

Speaker B:

I've been guilty of that.

Speaker B:

And it's a.

Speaker B:

I see it a lot, especially with newer agents getting their license.

Speaker B:

And, you know, there's some agents who just talk too damn much.

Speaker B:

They.

Speaker B:

They.

Speaker B:

They won't shut up because their clients like, trying to place, oh, I want.

Speaker B:

I could put my furniture here.

Speaker B:

I could change the wall color to this.

Speaker B:

And then agents just yammering, yammering, yammering, yammering.

Speaker B:

I mean, how many times did you and I go into showings from, like, this agent will not shut up.

Speaker B:

Oh, my.

Speaker A:

Just like, I just want to walk through the house really quickly.

Speaker B:

Well, especially.

Speaker A:

I'll make my own decision.

Speaker A:

I don't need you.

Speaker A:

Like, tell me how wonderful everything is.

Speaker B:

Especially suburban agents, because they are so nosy, like, well, how many kids do you have?

Speaker B:

And where do kids go to school?

Speaker B:

Like, God bless them.

Speaker B:

They're just trying to make conversation.

Speaker B:

But sometimes that information is just not necessary.

Speaker B:

And also, it's none of your business, too.

Speaker B:

So it's just a little invasive sometimes.

Speaker B:

So sometimes I just gotta.

Speaker B:

I did have a showing a couple weeks ago where I actually told an agent, I pulled them aside.

Speaker B:

I'm like, hey, just let them look.

Speaker B:

Just.

Speaker B:

You may want to pull back a little bit.

Speaker A:

And they were.

Speaker B:

They were kind of offended at first, but I said in a very friendly, disarming way.

Speaker B:

And they actually, they called me later, like, hey, just thanks so much.

Speaker B:

Like, and they opened up like, this is my first big client I ever had.

Speaker B:

And I was like, listen, I've been in your shoes.

Speaker B:

Try this next time.

Speaker B:

But I always.

Speaker B:

I didn't just offer up advice like, do you want my opinion on this?

Speaker B:

And they're just like, oh, yeah, sure, that'd be great.

Speaker B:

And they like, you know, very sweet.

Speaker B:

They followed my career and they saw some other listings I had, and they were, you know, I found, you know, I had so many great mentors growing up.

Speaker B:

When I was coming up in the business, even before, when I was going, I went to open house because.

Speaker B:

Not just to see the product, but to learn about the agent and watch them work.

Speaker B:

And I learned from just watching people.

Speaker B:

I think mentorship seems to be gone in a Lot of the new generation, across all industries, people just want to go and be a star.

Speaker B:

They don't want to actually grind and hustle to get to where they, you know, where we've all had to work really hard to get to.

Speaker A:

Absolutely.

Speaker B:

I mean, my joke last year when I made the top 100 in Chicagoland by Chicago Magazine, I was like, well, if that isn't my brand, I don't know what is top 100.

Speaker B:

But we came in right at number 100.

Speaker A:

That's all that matters.

Speaker B:

So on brand.

Speaker B:

But that was a.

Speaker B:

But that took a lot of hard work.

Speaker B:

And also.

Speaker B:

And people go find somebody to help you if you don't know what you're doing for sure.

Speaker B:

I cannot preach that.

Speaker B:

I think people are too.

Speaker B:

I think especially younger people are just too proud to ask.

Speaker B:

God, I sound like, what do you want to know, kid?

Speaker A:

That's okay.

Speaker A:

That's okay.

Speaker A:

It's partially your vibe.

Speaker B:

It really is.

Speaker B:

It really is.

Speaker B:

Well, I remember there was that one broker that I sent you.

Speaker B:

She was wearing some flats, like, had this fabulous scarf.

Speaker B:

And I was like, grant, make me look like her.

Speaker B:

I was like the description and shout out to Marlene St.

Speaker B:

George with Jameson Sotheby's.

Speaker B:

I want to be her when I grow up.

Speaker B:

Her style is incredible.

Speaker B:

She had this fabulous gray hair and she's very like Palm beach, but also Midwest.

Speaker B:

And like just her house was phenomenal.

Speaker A:

Like, oh my God, I love the direction.

Speaker B:

I think I sent you her headshot multiple times.

Speaker B:

Like, her jewelry was phenomenal.

Speaker A:

All right, he's serious about this.

Speaker B:

She just.

Speaker B:

She had it.

Speaker B:

Oh, yeah, right.

Speaker B:

It was like, this is a very sophisticated woman, probably in her 60s, 70s if I had to guess.

Speaker B:

I'm like, God, I want to be her.

Speaker B:

I want to be her now.

Speaker B:

I don't want to be her when I grow up, I want to be her now.

Speaker B:

But that was.

Speaker B:

And of course, like, what other 30 year old millennial saying that about and like it Me.

Speaker A:

Hell yeah.

Speaker B:

It is.

Speaker A:

Hell yeah.

Speaker B:

Go look her up.

Speaker B:

Marlene St.

Speaker B:

George with Jamison.

Speaker B:

That's the only other broker I'm gonna plug.

Speaker A:

There you go.

Speaker B:

She's got style, man.

Speaker A:

Oh, she does, yeah.

Speaker A:

Lastly, what is your biggest pet peeve of clients that they do that you're like, oh, man.

Speaker B:

Oh.

Speaker B:

When they don't listen, like, we have been over this multip.

Speaker B:

Or I think in any industry, whether it's.

Speaker B:

I'm sure all of your medical clients can tell you, well, Google said this or I googled this and I researched that and all of A sudden, now they're the expert.

Speaker B:

Like, no, that's not how this works.

Speaker B:

Is what you just researched an option?

Speaker B:

Yes.

Speaker B:

In this particular situation, it does not make sense.

Speaker B:

And here's why.

Speaker B:

And a lot of times they'll back off because they're just like.

Speaker B:

Well, they just had to ask.

Speaker B:

They're just like, you know, if you Google your symptoms, you're always going to have cancer.

Speaker A:

Right.

Speaker B:

So I'm like, that's.

Speaker B:

It's no different.

Speaker B:

And that is so frustrating.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

So frustrating.

Speaker B:

Yeah.

Speaker B:

It's just like, really?

Speaker B:

Or, you know my other favorite, don't.

Speaker A:

You know who I am?

Speaker B:

That's right.

Speaker B:

Or you.

Speaker B:

When clients want to ask your advice, especially if they're selling their house.

Speaker B:

Well, what do we need to do to sell this?

Speaker B:

Well, you need to paint this, you need to clean this, you need to update that.

Speaker B:

Well, we don't want to do all that.

Speaker B:

Okay.

Speaker B:

Then you're not going to get top dollar and you're not going to sell right away.

Speaker B:

So just be prepared for that.

Speaker B:

It's like they want your advice, but they don't actually want to take it and implement it.

Speaker B:

People have to.

Speaker A:

They want to know, but make their own decision.

Speaker B:

Correct?

Speaker B:

Correct.

Speaker B:

So, you know, I think that's probably.

Speaker B:

And listen, I'm guilty of it, too.

Speaker B:

We're all guilty of it.

Speaker A:

That's natural.

Speaker B:

Totally.

Speaker B:

That's probably my biggest frustration.

Speaker A:

I like that one.

Speaker A:

That's a good one.

Speaker A:

I resonate with that.

Speaker B:

Of course.

Speaker A:

Definitely hits.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

Well, thank you so much.

Speaker A:

You have been absolutely fabulous.

Speaker B:

Thank you, Dan.

Speaker A:

I appreciate it.

Speaker B:

It was a pleasure seeing you.

Speaker A:

For all the viewers and listeners, thank you for hanging out with us for this extra exclusive bonus content.

Speaker A:

If you like this, keep coming back for more exclusive content each week.

Speaker A:

And tell your peeps to check out the House of Style podcast.

Speaker A:

I can't wait to see you there.

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