With all these birthday people, cake is in order!

Happy Birthday to you too, Linda!

A very belated "thank you" to all....and, barb43....the cake was great.

PS: Linda.....I saved a piece for you...lol

So don't leave us hanging...what happened???

Oh my gosh... I am sooooo embarrassed. All you nice folks that were checking in to see if I was OK and I wasn't even keeping my eyes on on this post. I've just been so busy the last couple months, that I rarely log in anymore. When I do, it's 5 minutes here or there. But yes... all is well with me and "THANK YOU" all for asking!

There have not been any new incidents since my last post. DEA dropped the ball with me as soon as I agreed to give them the name/address of the suspecting party in question. You may remember that I was hesitant to do that, but I was kind of damned if I did and damned if I didn't. I thought it sucked that the DEA didn't get back to me like he promised. He said he would, even if they revealed nothing. So I really don't know anything more than I did 2 months ago.

LATEST UPDATE... the past owner is still occupying the property. He has an attorney that keeps getting stays granted from the judge on the Eviction. A new lockout date is set for Wed, the 27th. I am NOT looking forward to this (2 dwellings, a huge barn, another out building and a threatening occupant).

So I get a call from my Eviction attorney last Friday telling me that the occupant's attorney scheduled another request for Stay with the Judge. Court date is Tues (tomorrow, one day before the lockout day) but the attorney doesn't think the judge will grant another stay again. I have to assume they are still in the property with ALL their stuff. My AM emailed me and told me to take a good inventory and photos.... this should be fun!

I'm just wondering how long the sheriff will stay. Inventory could be an all afternoon event there, and I know the sherrifs aren't planning on staying all afternoon. When they leave, I leave too! I've never had to go to a lockout. Occupants always left before the date or agreed to CFK. This is a first, and it's not a great situation since it's a secluded rural property.

Any suggestions Candyman (or anyone else)??? Again, thank you all for your concerns and PLEASE forgive me for not checking the post again.

I received an email this morning from a friend. After reading it, I thought about how this would apply while completing interiors. It's an interesting read, especially when you consider what we go through to get pictures (trash 4 foot high in house....tall grass in yard, etc.). Pay close attention to how these are activated. I could be over reacting...better safe than sorry.

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/bottlebomb.asp

I just reviewed this post. There's ad that popped up that wasn't in there when I posted it....please ignore.

CandyMan,

Your post inspired me to add a thread on dangers. This is a very important post!

Liz

Not overreacting at all Candyman. Thanks for sharing.

I had a great order yesterday.........

I receive the order on Thursday......call POC (pre-list agent)....try and get some info prior to entry.....agent has an attitude....just got to love this type.......I asked her anything I should look for (hazards)?.....her attitude just got worse......this should have been a red flag for me.

Yesterday afternoon, I make entry......As I entered, I noticed a smell that would have the average person blowin' chunks. Preservation company had been there but hadn't finished. The further I went into the house, the worse the smell. It was like somebody had perfumed the orginal odor to cover it up....No power on at the property...being careful where I stepped. It finally dawns on me.....somebody had died in the property and the odor was from a body that had decomposed......I make my break for the front door.....yes, I can see the light.....has to be the exit......as I hit the front door, I let out a long exhale....not good enough..I can still smell it.....So, I say to myself, "Self, let's call it a day and come up with another game plan. Today is a new day...first stop is to head to Ace Hardware and purchase a mask. Here's the fun part......Client only allows 18 pictures of which 6 are comps, then exterior and interior shots, and the rest for damages. I counted at least 20 damage shots on my first trip in.....this should be fun. This will be my last order of the day......will take care of the others first.

Wish me luck as I attempt to complete this "Star Trek" order (go where no man has gone before.....lol).

Candyman- Try putting a little Vicks Vapor Rub in the mask and then put it on. You won't even notice the odor in the house. Have had to use this trick more then once and it works well.

I took your advice.......It toned the smell down a bit...It still gave you that chunk blowin' feeling. I should have worn a Scott Air Pak......the kind that firemen use. To top is off the preservation company set off some bug bombs since my first entry......With all their required pictures, I only had two shots that I could upload....bummer.....Let them try and figure out why the high damage report from two pictures...not my fault....lol.

Never had to deal with THAT thank heaven.

It's worse than when there's OBVIOUS mold everywhere, yet no one warned you. One LA told me the ceiling is fallen in, be careful, and when I get there the whole back of the house's ceiling was fell, and it was CARPETED with fuzzy black mold. The whole attic was black.....thanks REO. I really wonder what becomes of those homes, and what will happen 10 years down the line when people start getting sick from buying these REOs.

last week I had an interior bpo I contact listing agent and tells me property is vacant and in good conditions. I go to property start taking pictures, I go to the second floor, open the door of master bedroom and there was 2 pitbulls that scare the hell out of me... Thank god I close the bedroom door on time.... I was unable to take pic of the master bed. I explained bpo company why I was unable to take master pic. They just reassigned the order and didn't get paid.... I spoke with one of the managers and he tells me there were going to "investigate" the situation... lol you gotta be kidding me.... This is the last bpo I'm doing for this company....

Not to bring this thread back to life, but, I think this may be worth posting.

About 5 days ago, I got an interior order. I call the POC and she says "there's no lock box on the property". The property is vacant and the power is on. She then informs me " the keys are in a little metal box on the wall of the house by the a/c". Hello?.......like a breaker box for the a/c?.....and the power is active? I arrive at the subject and it's raining cats and dogs....puddles of water at the base of a/c. Do I or don't I?......I slowly open up the breaker box.....yep, keys are there, about 2" from the 220 volt bare wires. Having worked for a local power company for 3 years, I pretty much know what conducts electicity with me for starters..lol. I took the chance and somehow "snaked out" the keys, using non-conductive material. I make my inspection and take a ton of pictures. Now, I have to put the keys back in "the little metal box on the wall". I open the door, push the keys back in with a little rubber hose, close the door, look skyward, and say "Thank you, Lord".

Was I stupid?.......kind of sort of......moist air is a conductor.....used about 18" of an old windshield wiper hose I had in my car....would not recommend this proceedure for those with shakey hands.....Actually, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.