Usually, I have no problem. Most of my clients have outstanding taste, and they either have used the services of a professional decorator or they could come pretty close to being one. But sometimes I get "one of those".I admit, I am at a loss. My new clients have a decorating issue that I just don't know how to address. I can't find the words to tell them "that has got to go." Usually, I am fairly plain spoken, even with people that I am just meeting for the first time. My personal feeling is that if I don't tell them about something that I think might slow down a sale or turn off potential buyers, then I am not doing what they are hiring me to do.
But some times I come across things that I don't know how to deal with. People take their family pets seriously. I get that. Call me crazy, but I think my prospect's Fish n' Flush just might be a distraction.
This is a job for a Reala Stager! But he is in Chicago and I am in metro Detroit.
Yes, folks, the Fish n' Flush is real. You can buy them on line. Should you decide it's a MUST HAVE and a great use of your extra Christmas cash, please remember you'll have to take it out before you put your home on the market. We would not want the buyers to fall in love with your pet's luxurious home.
Kudos to Norm Fisher, for finding the Fish n' Flush and eradicating it from his listings in Saskatoon.
OMG - I had never seen one of these!!! That is the funniest thing I have seen in a while MF! Do your clients have it in a kid's bathroom? I would probably not do anything about it and wait to see the reactions from people seeing it. If it takes away from the showing, just let the sellers know that people are concentrating on their toilet and not seeing the rest of the house.
The toilet itself is hideous! They could have made it more modern or better looking.
MF ~ We are roaring with laughter here. I love Linda's response, she's so thougthtful of her kitties. I bet my sister-in-law would like one for her cats too.. Where can you find this fine objects de art?
kk
kk, did you click on the fishnflush site? You NEED to here sound...
All that for 300 bucks, unless you get the LED light for $25. I would get the light.
Maureen, this is awesome I love it. Such a novelty. You really should have fun with it. LOL
Good Luck, thanks Jay
Oh shucks! What a great marketing piece! I am sure I could get publicity if one of my listings had this. I just may have to have one installed in my next "funky" listing.
Here is the info from the website: The bold comments are mine.
Fish 'n Flush also makes a fun-fashion statement for the homeowner who wants to have something unique in the bathroom. What kind of fun are we talking about?
Fish 'n Flush is a great "conversation piece" that will appeal to most everyone. And what conversations do you have in your bathroom? Inquiring minds want to know.
Customers should consult their local pet store to find which fish are compatible and appropriate for your personal Fish 'n Flush tank. The aquarium has a 2.2-gallon capacity, which is a convenient size, easy to clean and maintain. Like there is not enough to clean in a regular bathroom!
Smaller fish are obviously recommended. No I was going to put in a shark or maybe a small 'gator. This would be great in Florida!
The experts at your local pet or fish store can provide additional advice and suggestions on how to maximize the appeal of your Fish 'n Flush aquarium. Some of our Active Rainers could give awesome advice and suggestions. And I bet they do!
What a great sense of humor, you guys have!
www.HomeRome.com
Baltimore,Md
I cannot believe you made that up!!! I am in total shock!!! you are so funny....I'm glad you confessed before people got really into it! Margaret, you made me crack up with "And what conversations do you have in your bathroom? Inquiring minds want to know."
Thanks for the laugh MF - LOL
What I can't believe is that I have 3 new listings that I need to put in the MLS and here I am commenting on bathroom humor.. OMG...What is AR doing to me?
Baltimore,Md
Well...
how'd you like to meditate while watching your fishies swim by? Actually, I know that my cat Fluffy (yeah, that's really his assumed name!) would have so much fun with that. He'd probably break the tank trying to get at the fish.
I did see a listing where the kid's bathroom was thematically fish...and their toilet seat had fishes embedded in it, and it matched the towels and the shower curtain.
You know I bet that this toilet would sell a house...to the kids. Oh Daddy...we just have to buy that house!
Thanks for the humor. Now, why not show your sellers a picture of this toilet and then say something:
"You know Mr and Mrs Seller, your home certainly isn't this cute..."
LOL trying to figure out just what kind of people, decor & house this charming little accessory would work with. Early to late 60's, slightly fuzzy headed type maybe? Sitting for hours staring at the fishies, along with Linda's cat, just saying WWWWWWWooooooooWWWWWWWW. LOL this is a kick.
Laurie
OMG... just when you think you've seen all the crazy things you can have in a home, along comes this! It probably compliments the singing fish. MF, thanks for suggesting we turn our speakers on or I would've missed the sound of the toilet flushing. Priceless! Linda, thanks for the suggestion of a way to toilet train my kitties.
Personally, I'm surprised I haven't come across this on HGTV's "I Want That!" show.
Monika's comment inspired me (LOL):
Check this out... I Googled "toilet planter" and came across a site that deals with anything & everything toilet tank lid related. You have to read this blurb from their site:
"Think Green - Recycle Toilet Tank Lids - go to local recycling centers. They may give them away to you for free, or you might be able to buy hundreds of used old tank lids for very little moneys and then glue them to a wall. What a great art piece that will be! Think how much fun that would be and what a great conversation piece. You'll be the talk of the town and you'll be helping our environment!"
as the commercials say... BUT WAIT!!!...
If you go down about 3/4 of the page, you'll see a photo of how you can make planters out of your old toilet tanks!
... AND THAT'S NOT ALL!!!...
If you go down to the very bottom of the page, you'll see a photo of their idea of a "fun project" - toilet flappers hanging from tree branches, flapping in the wind.
Linda & Carole.... that is how Robert De Niro got his cat Jinx on Meet the Parents trained on the toilet. lol
Maureen F.... that is funny. And so was Randy's comment... Does it come in a Salt Water version.... lol
And explaining to them that this could hinder the sale of their house.... GOOD LUCK> I don't envy you here. I'll just do their mortgage. And if they apply with me, they get a free bag of goldfish, 3 to be exact. And these fish won't even be financed into their loan.... ;o)
Leanne...That is funny!! My toilet was an eyesore as it was very real and very beat up. She had flowers growing out of the bowl and out of the tank. It sat right in the front of the house next to the driveway...couldn't miss it!
One benefit was it was easy to find the place...directions... take a left here look for the pink house on the left with the toilet bowl out font...
Michelle... LOL! Yes, I did get a visual. Can you say ouch?
That is funny. The ultimate in bad taste and good sense of humor.
But, I don't see a problem. Just put a note on the top of the toilet that it will be replaced prior to settlement "at the buyer's option".
Some folks don't have enough to do.
Lenn
Hey, except for the age part, I could be the one sitting around saying 'WOW'
Leanne, that is too much, and the flapper on the tree part, well, I've seen yards where that might be an attractive idea to them. I saw the second of those movies but not the original Meet the Parents. I guess I will have to rent it now.
Mo, I sent this to a friend via email last night (the website) who promptly made it his screensaver. LOL
I've got to get one!
Nuts, I wish I would have known about this before Christmas!
Maureen & Dmitry,
Thanks for the good hearted humor. This was a gotcha!
I'm SO disappointed that I didn't see this for Christmas!!! What a wonderful idea!!! I think this is a must have for every listing...I wonder if they really make those beautiful gurgleing sounds. I think the LED light is a must have too, but was disappointed that the toilet seat doesn't come with it!
I think I would have performance anxiety 24/7. What a conversation piece.
Too Funny!!
You might say this blog is going down the drain.
Thanks Jay
I am SOOO in the wrong line of work. I need to be out there inventing things like this... Brilliant!
...or not so much. :)
Maybe you guys could get an AR discount..look at all the publicity you have done for this company. Shucks, if they knew about it, they may even send you one free. Why not give it a try?
www.HomeRome.com
Baltimore,Md
I love this!!!! I think it is hilarious!!! My kids would love it.
This just goes to show every real estate agent needs a good stager behind them to have the really difficult conversations with the homeowners. Did you ever have those moments when you say something that sounds so absurd you can't believe a situation arose that would warrant it. Things like - the fish toilet has got to go.
Maureen you can tell them you ACUTALLY consulted a stager and the stager said (You can choose).
1.) The Fish and Flush needs to sleep with the fishes
2.) The Fish and Flush needs to be flushed.
Toilets are one of those things... that most people do not know how to install. So besides the time to go and find a toilet, and pay for it, and then pay for a plumber. It starts to be become a BIG hassle for the new home owner if the do not like it.
Flush it forward...
Me
Hey Guys, I just hope this is NOT the first post that most people read when they are introduced to Active Rain.
Go figure ...over 70 comments and it's still on a run!
www.HomeRome.com
Baltimore,Md
I love it! It would be a wise business decision for them to send you one.
Now, if they do, what are you going to do with it? Huh?
If they don't, I think all of us should chip in and buy you a fish n flush.
This is the perfect story for a newspaper. I can see this on late night TV. Leno would be a good place to start. You could really get some milage out of this one!
When all else fails, Fish N Flush finishes the deal. Flush your trubles down the drain. This is fun!!
Maureen - HOLY COW!! This is definitely a FIRST!! I've never seen anything like that at all, but I can see some potential buyers actually loving that. As a matter of fact, I just had a past client pop into my head for whom that would have clinched the sale......seriously!!
Reading all these comments was great fun! And it would be fun to see just who from AR really did order that toilet. Let's see, who wrote comments who said they loved it.......I see a few. Maybe we could set up an AR tour around the country to check out various bathroom sanctuaries...... ;-)
Ann
Maureen, this is hysterical!! I'm less and less surprised by what people have in their homes and while laughing loudly went looking for a home Stager for you to help these homeowners understand that they way you live in your home and the way we market and sell your house are two different things! Mark Reed of the 'Stuff Police' 614-266-0636 would be perfect....
and then I found out you were pulling our collective leg!! thanks for the humor
Carol
I saw that on line...before this blog, I asked my son, what happens to the fish when they flush. I OK color me dumb, and yes if you have seen my picture you know I'm a blond, but when was really concerned. So he explained to me there is a liner (insert) for the fish. OK thats great the fish are safe! He still won't let me have one.
I just loved this post and you just gotta love our sellers. If it was easy everyone would be a Realtor.
Roberta "Dove" Lee
Century 21 Olde Tyme, Norco, CA
Roberta, Loved your comment. You can't be dumb with a PhD behind your name.
But I also have a PHD camera..it's stands for "push here dummy". Welcome to Active Rain!
I just can't understand it - How did our street of dreams miss this gem.
Maureen, Just opened the May 2007 issue of Realtor Magazine. This picture is on page 49 with ordering instructions. You can even get an optional light that keeps the fish in view in the dark. And this is NO JOKE. Take a look.
Now ,this is funny!
Will they be reading the paper behind my back....hahahaha...what a post and a hoot!!!
Sorry, that is too weird for me, I am too shy to go with my WIFE in the room! I can't do the doodly with all those guy's watching me!!! ..... and all the bubble noises, I would never get out of the bathroom.....I went.......I gotta go again...I went......etc.... Thanks for the laughs, DavidC