It was a cold, clear November afternoon in Vienna and the city was already bathed in festive lights. I had planned a viewing in a charming old flat in the third district - a real gem with high ceilings, herringbone parquet flooring and those wonderful double doors that give the room a very special elegance.
The prospective buyer, Mrs Bauer, a pleasant lady in her early forties, was immediately enthusiastic. While I was explaining the advantages of the flat to her - the spacious layout, the excellent location and the typical Viennese old building atmosphere - I saw her eyes start to light up. It seemed as if we had found the perfect flat for her.
We moved through the rooms and she was inspecting the spacious kitchen when suddenly there was a loud thump from the living room. A moment of confusion - what was that?
Together we went back into the living room, only to find an elderly I found a gentleman in chequered pyjamas, calmly opening the windows and breathing in the cold winter air. "Ah, the view here is really nice," he murmured contentedly before turning round to face us. His eyes widened slightly when he recognised me. "Mr neighbour! Out exploring again?" I asked, suppressing a grin.
The gentleman, whom I already knew from previous viewings, was the neighbour from the flat next door. He had obviously lost his bearings once again and had mistakenly ended up in the flat I was viewing. "Oh, this isn't mine at all," he said thoughtfully, before adding with a mischievous smile: "But you've decorated it very nicely here. Will there be a Christiantree in?" Mrs Bauer couldn't help but laugh. The bizarre scene immediately lightened the atmosphere. "I didn't know that viewings were so lively here," she said with a smile, while the neighbour calmly made his way back - not without wishing us a Merry Christmas, of course.
After this unexpected episode, Mrs Bauer suddenly saw the flat with different eyes. "I think I could feel at home here," she said. "An flat with character - and a neighbour who brings the Christmas spirit. You don't get that everywhere."
A few days later, while the first snow was falling outside and the town was shining even more festively, Mrs Bauer signed the purchase contract. As we said goodbye, she said with a laugh: "Now I just hope that the neighbour will visit me for coffee - but through the right door, please!"
This turned an ordinary flat viewing into an unforgettable story that showed me once again that the magic of property lies not only in the four walls, but also in the people who breathe life into them.
Photo: Freepik/Luis_Molinero
Customer's name has been changed
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