House hunting has been an entertaining adventure, and like any adventure it included some unexpected and amusing detours. After sharing a few of our “close but no cigar” finds, we thought it would be fun to spotlight some of the outright no-way-no-how houses we encountered — they were too memorable not to share.
First up: a colossal split-level. From the street it seemed like a typical split-level home, until we stepped inside and realized it had six floors. Yes — six. That’s six times the number of levels we’re used to navigating. While the attic and basement weren’t fully finished, the vertical layout was still shocking. Here’s an artist’s sketch to give you a rough idea of how it was organized:
Then there was the truly dark house. Not “limited natural light” dark — this was “no electricity” dark. When we arrived the lights were out; whether the owner hadn’t paid the bills or a storm knocked power out earlier, we never learned. The agent, determined to give us the tour anyway, used our cell phones as flashlights. It was about 6pm on a cloudy day, so even without the power the house felt especially gloomy. To be honest, the darkness probably hid a lot — the place didn’t look very clean when we could see parts of it.
Speaking of cleanliness and staging, we also toured a house where the owner’s idea of staging was to leave an enormous shoe collection scattered across the master bedroom floor. Imagine piles of high heels spread everywhere — not organized like a display, just chaotic stacks blocking the path. The mess was so extreme we couldn’t even step into the room. Maybe it was intended to showcase the owner’s fashion sense or how many pairs they owned, but it came off more cluttered than curated.
We’re sure we’re not the only ones with wild house-hunting anecdotes — what strange staging choices or unexpected surprises have you encountered while looking at homes? It’s always amazing what some sellers think helps a property sell. Have you seen anything that made you laugh, cringe, or simply walk away? We’d love to hear your stories.
Photo credits: dark room image and shoe photo courtesy of their original photographers.
P.S. We announced this week’s Target gift card giveaway winner — check the announcement to see if it’s you.