By Tim Binnall
In a strange story out of Canada, a realtor has been fined a staggering $20,000 for secretly swigging milk from the refrigerator of a home that he was about to show. The very weird case reportedly began last summer as Mike Rose was preparing to put the finishing touches on the purchase of a home in the city of Kamloops, British Columbia. Prior to the arrival of his clients, the prospective buyers, the realtor found himself particularly parched, which proved to be problematic as there was no water to be found in the refrigerator. What it did contain, however, was a carton of milk, which Rose vigorously chugged and then returned with what one presumes was the hope that the homeowners would be none the wiser.
Alas, that was not the case as Rose's proverbial party foul was caught on camera (as seen above) and, at a subsequent showing a few days later, the homeowners raised the issue by knowingly asking him if he had something to divulge about his prior visit. Realizing that he had been busted, the realtor simply replied "the milk?" Although Rose attempted to make things right with the homeowners by profusely apologizing, the ill-advised quenching of his thirst wound up being disastrous for the realtor as the sellers banished him from their house, his clients cut ties with him, and his milk miscue was covered by a local media outlet which showcased the footage of the incident as it unfolded.
For his part, a regretful Rose attributed the unfortunate event to stress in his personal life coupled with a new medication that had left him dehydrated on the day in question. While that very well may be the case, it does not explain why he didn't just grab a glass from the cupboard rather than secretly drinking the milk directly from the carton. Amazingly Rose's troubles went beyond the public humiliation brought about the video of the blunder as well as losing his commission on the sale of the home as, following an investigation which concluded last month, the British Columbia Financial Services Authority, which oversee realtors, fined him a whopping $20,000 for what he conceded was "conduct unbecoming" of his profession.