All of us at times get lax when it comes to our personal safety when we go about our busy days and those of us in the Real Estate Business are no different than anyone else and at times we take things for granted as after all it's just another day but we can never ignore to do the things necessary to insure our safety.
Today an agent in my office went to show a vacant property that is bank owned (REO) and her first mistake was not letting anyone know where she was going and the second mistake was she ignored the signs in the property that someone may be living there illegally. There was food on the kitchen counters and toiletries in one bathroom that looked fresh but in her excitement to show the home she ignored them.
Upon entering the master bedroom with her buyers she showed them the large bathroom and then proceeded to open the door to the walk in closet and lo and behold there was a homeless man hiding inside. Startled by the unexpected encounter the agent and the buyers made a hasty exit out the front door followed by the intruder who ran down the street in the opposite direction.
Fortunately no one was hurt today with the exception of some rattled nerves so please use this as a reminder to always be prepared and put your safety first especially when showing vacant properties.
With more foreclosures and squatters it is very important to be aware. Very scary.
All the best!
Thank goodness everything turned out ok. The guy probably was scared as well, but he could easily have done someone harm. We do need to be careful.
This happened on a Realtor tour - Knocked on the door, rang the bell, and upon entering announced REALTORS. Said Hi toi the fella and his mate under the covers in the master bedroom. For some reason they did not wan to get up.
This house was vacant, but neighbors had been taking care of the property.
Thankfully, I have yet to run into anyone hiding out in an empty house, but I did walk through a vacant property the other day and notice signs that someone had been hanging out.
Hasn't happened yet...but I still need to be on guard.
Thank you for the reminder. We need to be careful previewing property when we are alone also.
It is important to put safety first. Also never meet anyone at vacant homes.
It is important to put safety first. Also never meet anyone at vacant homes.
Cameron: Great reminders for people to always take precaution. You can never be too safe.
All the more reason to carry a stun gun.
I hate showing and holding open vacant houses. Creepy!
waiting on my chl. way to go joe horn!
Like you said, sometimes we get lulled into complacency because we are focusing on the other aspects of our day. You can't be too careful these days, stay alert to your surroundings.
Cameron - thanks for the reminder. It appears to be a good theme.
I used to work for the construction group at a large company. Every morning on a job site there was a 5 minute safety meeting for all workers. Our injury and accident rate was in the lowest 1% of the country.
We need to reinforce this in our business.
Working in an active adult community in Arizona we show empty homes all the time, especially this time of year when the "snowbirds" have flown the coop. It is VERY easy to get complacent.
Yikes! That is pretty scary! Thanks for reminding us to be safe.
KEVIN, The squatters are increasing in numbers.
ELAINE, Luckily the guy was scared and bolted out the door when he got the chance.
DAVID, Squatters who didn't want to get out of bed, Classic!!!!!
JL, We are seeing that more and more.
WILLIAM, keep the guard up and hopefully you'll never run into this type of situation.
SANDY, Try not to go alone just in case.
JIM, Meeting at a vacant is the worst thing an agent can do.
CHRIS ANN, And I know how you LOVE the REOs. LOL
LUCY AMANDA, Like the way you think.
JULIE, And they are boring.
GREG, Whats up my man?
AL & JODEE,Amen to your comment.
MIKE, Constant reminders do work.
KATHY, Falling into a bad routine is very easy.
MEL, Your welcome. Lucy can hook you up with a good stun gun.
Technically, is the person who hangs out in a vacant property still a homeless person, because they have found a place to live then.
No but they become homeless again when they run out the door.
All the more reason to carry depends. Stun gun or not, I would pee my pants.
AMANDA, For some reason I find that hard to believe.
Cameron, it definitely pays to be observant as well as careful - and to have contingency plans.
STEVE, I couldn't agree with you more. Thanks for stopping by.
Yes, Lucy is good for that.
Maybe he was waiting on his never ending short sale approval and looked homeless. LOL
The thought always crosses my mind. You can never be too safe.
I'm hoping that both the listing agent and the police department were notified. This is a safety issue that needs to be addressed immediately.
MEL, Amanda carries a loaded 9 millimeter I'll bet.
MIKE, LMAO on that comment!!!!
TIM, Thats for sure.
JOHN, I don't know the answer to that as for once it wasn't my listing that had something stupid happen.
Yep, we can't get one house ready to go on the market for the neighbors breaking in and destroying what we fix. I am advising seller to sell as it, try to break even financially and get rid of it. We should be really careful.
good post..I agree with you..we must be careful..always let someone know where you are going..
SARAH, Gotta love the neighbors who throw their crap over the fence into the yard of a REO.
MICHAEL, It's a crazy world and we must be careful.
The homeless are having to sleep somewhere and where better than a vacant REO. Good advice to all of us.
Oh my gosh, that would scare me to death! We don't have too many foreclosures here in Huntsville...let alone, squatters, but this is a good reminder about vacant property, period! You just never know.
FYI--TSA will take away your stun gun.
I was goosed by Ed Begley Jr. at the last vacant home I showed. Freak.
THat's wild! I'm glad it wasn't one I was showing. I would have freaked out! I have found someone in bed in a basement bedroom one time. The client opened the door and found them. We had thought no one was home. They didn't get up either.
Thank goodness she wasn't alone, previewing the property.
C. Thomas Howell is all hands, too.
Go Go Gadget
There are so many agents that do not consider their safety when showing homes especially the vacant ones.
This is something we all need to be on the alert for. With so many vacant homes and people having hard times none of us can be too careful.
What a scare wakeup. Thank you for sharing this and hopefully making more of us take our safety seriously.
CAMERON - Thanks for sharing this story. Every once in a while, we need to hear these to serve as a reminder that safety is nothing to take for granted.
A few months ago a agent in Wisconsin was killed....the caller said he was just driving past her listing could she show it to him now...we have all been there...she didn't have her cell phone..though if you are hit over the back of the head, not sure that helps. It was in a quiet community,,,hadn't had a murder in decades...show properties alone to people I don't know...not any more.
Spooky stuff, I show vacants, not my wife. My sisiter calls me when she arrives at a vacant and the conversation revolves around the fact that she will call me back with info in a couple minutes. Couple years ago in Atlanta there was a guy picking agents by their picture in the weekly magazine. There was a heads up alert and a female agent met him at a home, she let him in first and noticed he had his hands behind his back. She caught a glimpse of gloves and rope and she bolted. They caught the piece of *&#@.
Good post, Bring a cell phone at all time and have a flashlight with extra batteries in the car.
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It's bad enough to find the owner without warning in bed or in the bath tub, but a homeless squatter in the walk-in closet would have made me scream out loud in fear! Thanks for the reminder and it Might be Wise to walk around the outside of a vacant home first prior to entering.
Cameron, I have had experiences where an unauthorized person or persons were living in a vacant property we were given to manage. You have to be very careful to look for signs of habitation in homes that are supposed to be vacant.
Hi Cameron...
This is a topic we can't post enough about. It amazes me that sometimes folks get so distracted that they overlook the obvious. The obvious being the reason I do not leave my home without my .38 Saturday Night Special. Have gun will travel :) I would have scared the Crap out of the homeless man hiding in the closet. I would have known he was there. I'd have sensed his presence just cuzz...Well...It's a gift :)
On a different...I left you a great comment on "Broker Bryant's" post. You know...The one with the Charmin. I would post the comment here but alas Blogging Etiquette dictates I can't leave lovely links all over your Blog. When you have a moment go read my comment to you and have yourself a good long laugh on me :)
Happy 4th to you and yours. I have go blow something up now. Kaboom :)
TLW...ROAR!
On Feb 2, 2008, an enthusiastic and beautiful young realtor, 24 year old Lindsay Buziak, with her whole lifetime ahead of her, died on the job in Victoria. She was murdered while showing an upscale, but vacant, home in a good neighbourhood to a 'prospect' whom she had only met by telephone, that day, never in person.
No arrests have been made. Ths investigation is ongoing.
Carrying a handgun is not an option, or our culture, in Victoria - our sidearms are cel phones and PDAs, not guns. But there are many common sense steps one can take to minimize these potential risks. It begins by bringing the risks into your consciousness.
Thanks for the post, saftey is very important!
Robert Swetz
Congrats on the feature, stalker Cameron!
Don't even get me started on "The Hoff." Never show property unless that nutcase is accounted for and guaranteed not to be on the premises.
Thanks, we often forget that things can happen, and times have become more difficult
Thanks everyone for your comments and since I have been in the process of moving I havn't had a chance to answer each one of you.
Hey Paul and Lucy Amanda.
oooh too scary... that is why I always take my (retired) husband with me.
Homeless, how about wild animals that make it into the house for shelter. I usually try to make as much noise as possible before I open the front door and step inside, then I still call out that I am entering the property once or twice, specially to those dark basement in properties that have the utilities turned off.
Always use you gut instincts. If you feel the least bit unconformtable,,,, then it's always better safe than sorry. I make sure to carry protection!