Unusual open houses this year in Queensland

A PIG in a bath, many nude surprises and plenty of getting locked out . . . open-for-inspections can be a hazard for real estate agents.

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A PIG in brine in the bathtub, many nude surprises and plenty of getting locked out . . . holding an open-for-inspection can be a hazardous exercise for Queensland real estate agents.

As the year winds up agents have reflected on some of the funny incidents they have dealt with when holding open homes.

One agent was stuck with a six-year-old when his family left without him and another had to fish a potential buyer and then her thongs out of the home's pond.

While most open-for-inspections for agents are run of the mill, some stand out more than others.

Kelvin Spence from Harcourts Browns Plains was doing an inspection with a lady in the home of an Islander family.

"I was following her through a two-way bathroom when she gave a scream and fell backwards almost into my arms,'' he said.

"Upon looking to see the cause of the fright I found it was a pig in brine being prepared for celebrations. It looked very much like a human body.''

Moto Waters of Ray White Surfers Paradise Group ended up in the water when she tripped and fell into the swimming pool in front of the prospective buyers.

Craig Loudon, of WJ Tobin, had a large family turn up and it wasn't until they drove off that he realised they had left one behind.

"The parents didn't have a mobile phone and I didn't want to be alone in the house with the child so I remember calling the owner and saying `I have a problem here', so the owner ended up coming home and we eventually contacted the parents. The buyer who left the child behind said, `oh thanks', and that was an hour later.''

There were plenty of home owners caught in the nude, amorous adventures stumbled across and even an affair between agents uncovered at open homes.

Instead of being a witness to amorous shenanigans, Amanda Becke of First Residential Realty managed to become the focus of it after showing an East Brisbane home. She texts potential buyers thanking them for attending and also each night sends her husband who works in a North Queensland mine a goodnight text message.

After a huge day they became mixed up and the message for her husband went to all her contacts.

"The boss and all my male colleagues thought it might be my new way of getting deals over the line. I just thank God it wasn't a video and the text message was loving and not raunchy.''

Instead of getting locked out of the house, Dwight Ferguson of Ray White Ascot recalls one of his agents locking potential buyers inside a Clayfield home. It wasn't until the owners came home that they were let out. "Lucky the owners saw the funny side,'' he said.

Dogs featured prominently in agents' tales of woes.

In Cairns a neighbour brought his elderly dog into a vacant property for a look and the animal promptly left a deposit on the floor of the master bedroom.

"I was wandering around like 'what's that horrible smell?', and found the poo in the middle of the room. The neighbour had to pick it up with his hand as there was nothing else.''

At Cooloola Cove a Raine and Horne agent opened the doors and was hit with an overwhelming odour.

"The previous owner was in a relationship breakdown, and had fled and left a full fridge/freezer of food. He had not paid his bills so the electricity had been cut off. I managed to get the fridge out of the house. The first buyers came early and found me on my hands and knees scooping rotten food into garbage bags.''

Katrina Walsh of Ray White Broadbeach was showing off dual international John Brass's home when two boys who were playing on the fence let out his alpacas.

"I had to chase after them running through long grass with high heels and a long skirt. A lady who was looking at the house decided to help me round up the alpacas and one spat right in her face. She still bought the property though.''