What would you do?

I would have warned them that they were trespassing and should stay off the property.  If your liability carrier finds out that you, as the "property manager" for the REO, are increasing their risk that someone can get hurt or possibly break in to the proprty, then you could be a contributory cause any claims, which could be denied by the insurer.

Since they were trespassing it probably would have been best to call someone. You don't want them to go there again???

I have been in that exact same position. I work with a lot of vacant properties. In the past when I have had kids on the property I have asked them to move on as it was a liability for the owner to have unsupervised kids on the grounds.

Depending upon what the kids are doing of course you handle each situation a little differently. The goal is to protect the asset which you are entrusted to sell. If you are able to steer the kids into doing the right thing then so much the better.

Being young doesn't mean breaking into a house. I agree with the first comment. If someone found them there and they said you gave them permission? You would lose that client and could be responsible for anything that happens to them or the property. Your duty is to your client!! I think we could lose our licenses here in So Cal for something like this. I know that something like giving out the lockbox combo code can be a disciplinary action....so allowing kids to spend the day in a bank-owned property certainly is. Be careful. I would probably take this post off the internet.

The obvious - they're trespassing.  If this were one of "my" Foreclosure homes, I would have contacted the bank and asked for their direction.  If these "good" kids accidentally burn down the house and it was discovered that you knew they were hanging out there, I would think you might have some culpability...

Hi Michael,  Not sure of the relationship between you and the lender but they would probably prefer that you try to keep trespassers away from the property.

They are trespassing.  I would have asked them to leave or called someone.  They could vandalize the home after you leave.  You don't know them or what they will do.

I'm not sure what I would have done.  However, I do believe that you placed yourself in great danger by entering the home knowing that it was a break in and the people were still inside.  As agents, we hear horror stories everyday about other agents getting killed simply for doing their jobs, and most times are not aware that they would be attacked by their clients.  You had a choice to remove yourself from harm's way, but instead got in the thick of it. I probably would not have entered the home. 

Also as the listing agent, isn't it your fiduciary responsibility to protect your client's interest, being the bank or homeowner?  What if those kids decided after you left they would vandalize the home. Or worse hurt someone in the home and got away with it.   Would you tell your client you saw the perpetrators or not?   We are faced with many moral dilemmas in simply trying to service our client's interest; this was one of those moments.

My personal thoughts about this are stated in the previous comments...I would have told them to leave, NOW!

It's one thing to protect your client's interest and another thing if you are saying that he should be a security guard because that is not our job.

WOW, nobody mentioned the real problem. WHAT were these kids doing in the house? And would you want your kids in doing it?

Vacant houses are magnets for bad behavior, underage drinking, sex, gambling, even good ole skipping school.

This lack of reponsibility by an adult is dangerous.

I was helping a builder clean up his unfinished homes so they would show better, $325,000 brownstones and in one of the unsecured units we found used condoms on a piece of dirty cardboard.

I told him right there I would take my sign down if he did not make sure kids could not get into his units. Think about your daughter in that filthy foreclosure, better yet think of the type of guy that would take her there....

Michael, I would seriously remove this post before licensing authorities, REO companies, anyone else sees it.