I walked into my office a few weeks ago to find an esteemed colleague in a state of total shock, amazement and disbelief. To give you some background, my colleague had a fabulous old victorian listed that was totally renovated and was truly a showcase property, except for one thing. The trees planted in the front of the house to provide privacy from the road were dead, obviously doing nothing to enhance this lovely home's curb appeal. This was discussed with the sellers, and from a conversation with them it was assumed that the trees were replaced.

In a few hours the closing was to take place on this home. Now, as a normal part of the closing process, the buyer does a pre-closing walkthrough with their Agent. In the Ithaca area, this is usually done about an hour prior to the closing, but can be done the night before. Before signing on the dotted line, the buyer and their Agent check to make sure the home is in the condition that they expect it to be, that all conveyances contracted for are in the house (stove, refrigerator, etc.), that lights are working, the appliances are working, the seller has finished moving their belongings out, etc.

The Listing Agent is preparing to leave for the closing when the phone rang. It was the Buyer's Agent. The trees which had been assumed to be replaced looked a bit odd so they took a closer look and found they were instead spray painted green! (This is most likely the seller's only claim to having any sort of green thumb, and probably index finger.) I assured the Agent that someday we would laugh about this, and a successful closing ensued never the less.

This was a bizarre occurrence and I'm not suggesting that buyers walk the property to ensure that all evergreen trees are what they seem. By and large the pre-closing walkthrough goes off without  a hitch. This is presented more as a humorous aside to an otherwise normal part of the closing process. But I do take my digital camera to a walkthrough, just in case!