Alice Dahlgren saves a closing at the last minute
Simple solution saves carpet and closing!
With the clock running, Alice works on an unexpected problem.
It's still hard for veteran Oklahoma City Realtor® Alice Dahlgren to believe that plain white vinegar could save the day and save a closing.Rust! That's right. Plain old simple rust stood in the way of a closing. But let's go back to the beginning of the story.
Alice had sold the home. It's the afternoon before closing (that's the big event where the money and keys change hands) scheduled for 10 the following morning. Movers have finally cleared the premises of the last of the heavy furniture, including a large metal filing cabinet. Now it's time for the buyer's final walk-through. It's discovered that a significant rust stain remains where the filing cabinet once rested! What to do?
The buyer is asking for compensation for new carpet as a result of the rust stain. Relying on the advice of a carpet vendor, Alice considers replacement costs. Thinking there might be a way to remove the rust itself, Alice decides to explore this option.
Alice asks her husband, an engineer, if he knows of a chemical that will remove rust. "Hydrochloric acid!" he answers.
Knowing such a strong chemical would remove the rust as well as the carpet, Alice realizes she needs to come up with another solution, offer compensation to the buyer or postpone the closing.
"I guessed a household acid might work. At first I thought of lemon juice, recalling my mother used it to remove rust from clothing. But I was afraid lemon juice would leave a residue on the carpet. I thought I needed a clear solution," she says.
It was then she thought of vinegar - plain, clear, white vinegar, which is actually diluted acetic acid.
Back to the action . . . Alice arrives at the scene of the problem at 8:15 a.m. sponges, rags and vinegar in hand. With closing now less than two hours away, she begins applying vinegar to the nylon based carpet and realizes the rust is responding. It's coming out! She works for more than an hour. Total success!
Alice notifies the buyer's Realtor that the rust stain has vanished and asks the agent to re inspect and confirm the success to the buyer. There will be no need to escrow money for replacement or repair. The closing takes place as planned.
"It was a truly happy ending," says Alice. Since that time she has learned that another ordinary household liquid, club soda, is effective on spaghetti and red wine stains - for carpets and clothing, too.
Alice Dahlgren started her real estate career in 1981. Holding numerous advanced industry credentials and awards, she consistently ranks among the top 1% in local and national Realtor sales performance. Her many honors include membership in the RE/MAX Hall of Fame, an honor based on her distinguished career. Alice is associated with RE/MAX First which serves the metro northwest area of Oklahoma City including Edmond, Yukon and Mustang. She may be reached at 405-843-8448 or toll free at 1-800-749-8866.
