Articles

Winter Safety

Please consider that safety is a major concern in the winter months, especially when showing a foreclosed home.  As it gets colder, sometimes the homeless break into these properties to find a warmer place to sleep.  Before entering a foreclosed home, it may be a good idea to do a physical inspection of the outside of the home first.  Does it look like any of the windows are broken, or open? Does it look like any of the doors are open?  Do you see footsteps in the fresh snow, where there should not be any?  Is there any trash that should not be there?  If you see anything that seems amiss, it is better to call the Listing Agent, before entering the property to check on these things first.  It is always better to be safe than sorry.  It also may be safer not to enter the property, or to wait until your buyers get there.  Also, many of these properties do not have power, so showing in the dark, especially when it gets dark at 5pm in the winter also presents challenges.  You may not see a step down; you may not see a staircase to the basement. You may not see a hole in the floor.  Nothing is more important than your safety.