Crazy Sh*t In Real Estate With Leigh Brown

Summary: If you’re going to sell your home, at least put some pants on. That’s what today’s guest, Jay Thompson, wanted to say to a pair of home sellers. Listen as Jay talks about the time he rolled into a showing only find both owners at home and buck-naked. Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:38 – Introducing Jay 01:12 – “Perfect” in real estate doesn’t come often nor last very long 01:43 – Most of Jay’s crazy stories involve naked people 01:55 – Jay setup a showing, seller said she’ll stay out of their way 02:12 – And then the woman answered the door, naked 02:32 – Turned out the seller was a nudist 02:42 – Jay and his buyer toured the house quickly 02:48 – Jay’s other naked story 03:12 – Jay opens the door with the buyer 03:30 – Jay heard the shower turned off 03:39 – The owner stepped out of the shower, naked 04:41 – 1/3 of every realtor group Leigh asked,

Summary: Realtors aren’t supposed to be morticians, right? But what if you’re asked to confirm if the home seller is really dead? That’s the story today’s guest Jean Richer is here to share! Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:37 – Introducing Jean 00:49 – Jean comes from Ontario, Canada 01:32 – Start of Jean’s story 01:55 – The other agent didn’t want to meet 02:14 – The agent was supposed to show up to the property at noon 02:32 – 4 o’clock still no answer 02:53 – The agent had until 6pm to reject or accept the offer 03:00 – The agent calls the owner’s brother 03:23 – Agent asks Jean to accompany her to the house 04:10 – It was odd – the TV was still on 04:14 – They walked in and called the owner’s name 04:40 – Jean peeks through the bedroom 04:50 – Jean sees the owner’s feet under the covers sticking up 05:10 – The owner is lying on his back with his hands

Summary: “When there’s something strange…in your neighborhood…who you gonna call?”—ever since dealing with some ghost-hunting clients and selling a haunted house, Colin Cameron has been singing the Ghostbusters theme song big time. Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:39 – Introducing Colin Cameron 01:03 – Colin is operating in Southern Pennsylvania, about an hour from Baltimore 01:50 – 2 years ago is when Colin jumped into the real estate business 02:18 – One Sunday morning, Colin got a call from a pre-approved client, Pam, using a USDA loan 03:10 – Pam wanted to buy a house listed for $ 115,000 03:25 – Right off the bat, Colin could tell Pam wasn’t usual thanks to her email address—“rikihealer” 03:52 – Todd and Pam met at the house 04:08 – As they go through the house, Pam keeps her boyfriend Steve on FaceTime 04:10 – Colin had to sell the house via FaceTime 04:

Summary: What would you had an open-house scheduled, but hours before it’s supposed to start, you show up to find the place littered with empty beer bottles and naked people from a Halloween house party thrown the night before? Paula Clark can tell you what she did in that situation during this week’s episode. Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:31 – Introducing Paula 02:51 – Paula’s crazy story 03:09 – A bachelor selling his home contacted Paula 03:39 – Paula told him her plans for selling the house—which included an open house 03:45 – Seller called Paula to inform her of his Halloween party 04:23 – Paula wanted to push the open house (originally scheduled for the day after the party) to another day, but the client refused 05:10 – Paula arrived at the house at 10:30 AM 05:28 – After ringing the bell a few times she hears laughing and giggling 05:44 – Paula peepe

Summary: Have you ever had your client turn out to be a major player in a drug cartel? Todd Ferris has. Listen in to this week’s episode of and he’ll tell you all about it. Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:33 – Introducing Todd Ferris 01:10 – Todd is married to Megan Ferris 02:01 – Todd’s top 3 list 02:08 – Guns, drugs, and a potential kidnapping situation 02:30 – Todd and his wife were visiting a property 02:39 – There’s a guy on the couch with a gun 02:50 – Apparently he was a security guard and did not know about their visit 03:35 – Todd was working with a rental home 03:50 – A family was looking for a rental home and they signed the lease 04:08 – After 2 months, Todd got a call from the landlord about the tenant 04:20 – Todd saw on TV that the family was involved in a drug cartel 05:25 – Todd maintained his professionalism and resolved the situation

Summary: Today’s guest, Megan Ferris shares not just one, but five of the craziest! Listen as Megan talks about drunk home owners falling down the stairs, tarantula-laden surprises, and a much unwanted gerbil.   Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:30 – Introducing Megan 00:55 – Megan is a broker agent in Indiana 01:12 – Megan also has a podcast 02:23 – Megan’s top 5 craziest stories 02:53 – #5 – The Drunk Seller 03:30 – In Indiana, sellers aren’t usually there in the property 03:37 – They didn’t know the seller was there 03:48 – Drunk seller led them through the house, bumped into the agent, and fell down a flight of stairs 04:14 – Seller followed the buyer all the way to the car and asked if they were making an offer 05:00 – #4 – Side Table Surprises 06:03 – #3 – Animal Attacks 06:33 – Gerbils and Tarantulas 07:30 – #2 – Keys 07:59 – Megan dropped the key on

Summary: From crazy squatters to different animals lurking on the property…from a machete-wielding weirdo to a suspicious-looking neighbor, today’s guest has seen it all. Listen as Julie Nikolaou shares her outrageous and eventful experiences with a bank owned property she’s currently handling in Appleton, Wisconsin. Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:37 – Introducing Julie 00:59 – Julie deals with bank owned properties (OREO) 01:43 – The start of Julie’s story 02:03 – The ‘caretakers’ were not supposed to be in the property 02:15 – They were squatters 03:05 – Turned out to be “artists” 03:40 – Julie told them “Get evicted or leave on your own” 03:55 – Meeting the executor of the estate 04:02 – There had been death in the property 05:11 – There were many creatures and ‘habitats’ in the property 05:37 – The pond 05:57 – The horses next door had been attacked

Summary: Have you ever driven your clients around in reverse?—Peter Brewer has. In fact, he’s driven his clients around an entire island in reverse when the gearshift in his car stopped working. Hear Peter talk about that wild story and more during this week’s episode of Crazy Shit in Real Estate. Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:27 – Introducing Peter 01:12 – Peter is based in Brisbane, Australia has been in real estate for 35 years 01:21 – Started out as a regular salesman…now he’s an industry leader 02:12 – Real estate is all about perseverance 02:22 – Peter’s story happened Bay Islands in 1980’s 02:56 – This is when it was about doing stuff the hard way 03:00 – Mostly uninhabited 03:15 – Selling between $7K and $8K 03:53 – Dumpy old cars on each island 04:35 – Not only won’t the car start, but it won’t go into drive 05:09 – Car was stuck in reverse, so P

Summary: Ask yourself how it would feel to stand in the same room where an abusive husband is berating his wife about money? Can you feel the tension? Can you see the danger and the risk? Cassie Wells can because she lived that exact moment. In today’s episode of CSIRE, Cassie will share her crazy story and talk about some important real estate rights you might now be aware of. Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience.  Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:30 – Introducing Cassie Wells 00:41 – Cassie entered real estate in 1995 00:46 – Cassie works with Crye-Leike Realtors 01:32 – Cassie’s past client referred her daughter 02:01 – Her client refinanced the house and took the proceeds 02:16 – Cassie and the wife listed and sold the house 02:30 – Right before closing, Cassie was told the abusive husband was expecting cash 02:57 – Cassie prepared with the title lady 03:27 – The husband had to come in to sign fo

Summary: If you’ve been in real estate long enough, there’s a good chance you’ve run headlong into a hoarders—hoarders are everywhere!—and your next client could be one. Listen as today’s guest Sharon McRill shares her outrageous experiences with hoarders—from finding a single ruby earring in a room with piled up stock perspectives, to discovering photos from the 1930s and tracking down the original owner. Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:30 – Introducing Sharon McRill 00:41 – Sharon is the owner and founder of Betty Brigade 00:58 – Sharon works with hoarders 01:43 – You have no idea what you’ll find in a hoarder home 02:18 – Sharon got hired to an estate sale inside the house and get all the stuff out 02:32 – Her client hoarded stock perspectives from 1960s until she died in the 2000s 03:02 – There were two rooms full of perspectives 03:11 – The crazy part? The

On today’s episode of Crazy $hit In Real Estate, Leigh sits down for an interview with The Real Estate Geek, Tony Iacoviello. Listen as Tony talks about the time he wandered into a nudist mobile park, only to end up selling and listing many of the properties in there. Tony will also highlight other nude encounters and explain how he handles a lack of clothing in the professional setting. Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:37 – Tony’s introduction o 01:00 – Tony does real estate in Toronto, Canada o 02:24 – Tony seems to attract nudists 03:36 – Tony’s first story starts with the mobile home park o 04:53 – Tony started working in a nudist trailer park o 05:02 – Meet a lot of clients there 05:10 – Nudists don’t mind if you show up wearing clothes 05:25 – “You’ll hear a lot of stories there” 06:20 – Trying to be a professional, Tony took his first meeting with grace

Summary: Do you smell smoke?—Wally Conway did. While one Jacksonville realtor was busy working about the house painters being able to finish their work, Wally was busy extinguishing an electrical fire that almost took a house up in flames…   Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes:  00:30 – Today’s guest is one of the best known home inspectors in the United States, Wally Conway 00:45 – Home inspectors see crazy things, but they also HEAR crazy things 01:05 – Kids Say The Darndist Things? 01:15 – Well after 22 years, 30,000 homes, and 60,000 agents, Wally also knows that Real estate agents say the darndist things as well 01:36 – The craziest thing Wally has ever seen was in the Ortega neighborhood of Jacksonville 03:20 – No buyer at this point, just painters and the listing agent 03:35 – “Hey Wally, I smell smoke” 04:00 – Fire was coming out of the electric meter can 04:25

Summary: Snakes, raccoons, dead cats?!—Those are just a few of the unsightly critters home inspector, Jeff Baker, has run into during the course of his career. Listen as Jeff takes the CSIRE audience through the oft overlooked UGLY side of home inspections.   Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes:   00:30 – Today’s guest is Leigh’s FAVORITE home-inspector in the Charlotte, NC market…please welcome Jeff Baker to the show 00:38 – Leigh and Jeff have done at least 1,500 inspections together 01:01 – He’s not cheap, but he IS honest which is priceless 01:53 – The UGLY side of home inspections 01:59 – A lot of times, the ugliness is due to animals 02:10 – Cats under the foundation 02:52 – Motionless fur...andddd possibly decomposing 03:33 – New tub, new panels, but in one corner the panels were separating 04:04 – Move the panels and, sure enough, there were 3 dead cats…the cats w

Summary: Think working as a home inspector is a cake-walk?—tell that to today’s guest, Russ Hensel, who’s been forced to endure some pretty brutal inspections including one where the home owner decided to punch him in the face.   Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes:  00:30 – Today’s guest is a very highly regarded home-inspector—Mr. Russ Hensel out of Southwest Florida 00:50 – “If it needs an inspection, we do it.” 01:27 – The Craziest thing?—people with the nicest houses are the WORST to do inspections for, they take everything personally 02:20 – One home owner punched him in the face 02:43 – What do you do then?—he’s an 80 year old man, you can’t call the cops on him, and you can’t hit him back! 03:30 – Don’t let your clients assault the home inspector! 04:00 – A home inspection ISN’T a personal attack, but people WILL take it that way—mentally prepare for it 04:50

Summary: Meet Kamal Cheeks, the man who’s reinvigorating the metro Detroit real estate market one property at a time. Listen as Kamal takes us through dark days of Detroit real estate, when properties were selling for as little as ONE DOLLAR, to the brightening horizon of today’s market. Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:30 – Today’s guest is one of the leading realtors from Detroit…please welcome Kamal Cheeks to the show 00:44 – Also the current president of the Detroit Association of Realtors 00:55 – Focused on preserving property rights in the Detroit area 01:05 – Detroit has been through some craziness unlike anywhere else in the nation 01:20 – Currently in the recovery stage, but struggling still 01:45 – Defining how Detroit is struggling 02:05 – The majority of properties are WAY less than you’d see across America 02:25 – Brick, 3 BR houses are selling for $500

Summary: Meet Nobu Hata, a former real estate agent who’s turned to the dark side…just kidding. Nobu actually makes realtors life’s better for everybody involved in the home selling/buying process by working as they Director of Member Engagement for the National Association of REALTORS®. Sit backand relax as Nobu shares a supernatural experience from one home-showing “hell” never forget. Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:40 – Leigh welcomes Nobu Hata to the show 01:02 – How Nobu got out of real estate 01:59 – Nobu’s crazy real estate story 02:25 – It was cold, dark, and Nobu was on his last of the day 02:38 – The third story of the home was a finished attic 02:47 – Immediately, when we walked into the home Nobu had a bad feeling, a feeling that only increased as he moved upstairs 03:23 – Nothing happened, the showing finished, and Nobu walked out only to realize he le

Summary: “Real estate is a sink or swim industry” according to Nancy Minor, real estate extraordinaire for the Metro Atlanta area. Listen as Nancy shares her more than 30 years of experience, and that hilarious time her first high-priced showing went underwater…literally. Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes: 00:33 – Today Leigh welcomes Nancy Minor! 00:43 – 8 agents pushed Leigh to get Nancy’s story on the show 01:59 – She has been in real estate for 30 years 02:15 – Nancy’s story 02:25 – Got a call offering to work with the company’s president 02:44 – Nancy did everything to show off 03:15 – She got a client to preview a prestigious neighborhood 03:30 – Being a new agent, Nancy never had shown any high priced homes before 04:35 – Neighborhood agent got a page – Nancy was left with her buyer 05:22 – The dark room 05:42 – She flipped on the light and whoops! She’s under wate

Summary: In Episode #3, Leigh invites Manhattan real estate titan Patrick Lilly onto the Crazy Shit in Real Estate Podcast. Listen as Patrick shares one of his most embarrassing listing pitches, and gives good credence to the saying “if you break it, you buy it.”  Time Stamped Show Notes:  00:20 – Introduction for episode #3 00:32 – today Leigh is talking to the KING of Manhattan real estate, Patrick Lilly 00:45 – In 32 years of selling, Patrick has seen it ALL 01:11 – Patrick’s the king of “real estate porn” ;) 01:20 – Patrick got a call for an expired listing, the day before a major holiday, and the owner wanted to meet with him 01:45 – Drove to Manhattan, put together a listing pitch 02:00 – Struggling to remember his name annnnnd forgot it! 02:24 – Turned out the guy was a former broker 02:35 – Called Patrick’s pitch bullshit 03:33 – Patrick destroyed the potential client’s mother’s chair 04:10 – This isn’t going very well, is it? 04:55 – Discussing life down in North Carolina 05:10 – If you want t

Summary: In Episode #2, Leigh invites her dad and real estate inspiration, Darrell Thomas, on the Crazy Shit in Real Estate podcast! Listen as they discuss the formidable floating interest rates of the late 1970s early 1980s, the regulations impeding the industry, and why consumers are no better today than they were 40 years ago. Time Stamped Show Notes:  00:20 – Introduction for episode #2 00:34 – Everybody meet Leigh’s dad, Darrell Thomas! 00:50 – Leigh’s dad’s background 01:12 – He has no enemies and no grudges 01:33 – 1978, one of Darrell’s first real estate transactions 01:50 – Interest rates going through the roof, home loans were practically only accessible through Savings and Loans companies 02:07 – What was a crazy interest rate?—21% with 10 points 02:40 – That’s the ONLY money that was out there 03:20 – Quadplex investment property for a client, couldn’t find someone willing to front the money 03:33 – Enter the wrap around mortgage 04:!0 – This was landline only or face-to-face only business

Summary In Episode #1, Leigh welcomes a bright, bushy-eyed world to the very first episode of her brand new podcast, Crazy Shit in Real Estate!—a podcast that will shatter the HGTV-induced veneer of real estate, and celebrate the challenges of working in this wild, wacky business. Listen as Leigh talks about her vision for the podcast, and tells her very first crazy-shit story.    Show Notes 00:20 – Introduction of the very FIRST episode of Crazy Shit in Real Estate with Leigh Brown! Eric Paskin 00:30 – Leigh shares her background in real estate 00:36 – Huge presence in the Charlotte, NC area 00:42 – Has been in real estate since 2000 01:00 – There isn’t a single thing they teach you in pre-licensing that prepares you for what real estate really looks like 01:12 – HGTV is television-crack, but it’s not REAL real estate 01:34 – This podcast will highlight the REALITY of being a professional realtor 02:32 – In 16 years, Leigh has seen it all—even a red velvet, master bedroom upholstered ceiling 03:40 – Leig