We are blessed and cursed in the real estate industry. We get to see the best and the worst of what our economy has to offer. This morning I fear I got to witness the worst.
It is 10:00 in the morning and I'm scheduled to show a house to a investor. I show up 10 minutes early for the appointment and wait for my investor. The listing says there is no for sale sign or KeyBox and so I've made my appointment through a third party. This always gives me an uneasy feeling so I take many precautions beforehand
My clients show up and immediately are nervous because of the sad state of the outside. I go to the front door and ring the doorbell, no one answers. After about a third knock someone peeks out the front window and opens the door. A naked person answers the front door dressed in only a blanket and I introduced myself.
The woman at the front door did not try to cover herself or hide behind the door. I told her that I was here or the 10:00 showing and she told me she was expecting me.
As she opened the door I counted five sleeping bodies in the living room alone. The two bedrooms each had another three bodies covered by blankets that barely cover themselves. This was probably one of the fastest showings of my real estate career. We were in and out of the house in a mere three minutes tops. We then went into a unlocked garage which had the couch with two more children sleeping on it.
My clients made a beeline for their car and drove away promising a call me back a couple hours later. I looked at my paperwork as I sat in my car, checking to see who the occupants of the house were. I thought they may have been horrible renters but it turned out that the house was owner occupied. In all there were fifteen occupants in this two bedroom home. The house was purchased in 2007 for $215,000. The listing price for this house was now $50,000 and in a short sale position.
Why has the American dream of home ownership come to this. My parents lived through the great depression and told me of times like these. But I'd never thought I would see such deplorable conditions in my lifetime.
Working with depressed properties, you would think I would get used to scenes like these but for some strange reason, each time I encounter these conditions, I feel horrible. It's not a sick feeling or a feeling of superiority, it is a feeling of despair.
Is it just me?
This post was authored by Paul Henderson. ©2011, All Rights Reserved, This content may not be reproduced or reprinted (Except for ActiveRain Re-blogging) without express written permission of Paul Henderson, RE/MAX Professionals, Tacoma, WA.
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