What is a realtor to do on foreclosed propery inspections?

Mary,

You've got to be a little careful this time of year. Even though it's still Fall, many of the lenders have winterized their newest properties already. In our market, the property preservation contractor charges for two trips, one to "de-wint" and one to "re-wint". It's more than just shutting off the water at the meter. Most property preservation companies add an "anti-freeze" type of product to the piping in unheated spaces and they have a specialized machine to remove that from the pipes.

Yes, I've had the request to turn on utilities for a buyer, too.  Some lenders and/or property management companies have the electricity and gas turned on so the home can be kept at 50 degrees for the winter months. Others do not. All properties seem to get winterized around October 15th. Most winterizing includes draining water heaters and even blowing standing water out of the lines.

I've had buyers that just took the plumbing system 'on faith' and hoped for the best (minor problems only), and those that hired a plumber to come out, de-winterize, and inspect the entire plumbing system. 

It seems reasonable that the bank would then have to pay to have it re-winterized.  That wasn't addressed in their addendum, so my buyers would not have been obligated to reverse the condition contractually. This is great information for buyers that are interested in this type of property, Mary.