I've done some dumb things in my lifetime, but, I think this one takes the cake........

I received an order for an interior. I contact the POC....conversation kind of went like this....."There is no lock box.....bring a screw driver and flash light"....(screw driver?)....I ask why the screw driver......was told I had to remove screws from storm door to make entry (first red flag). The triplex was boarded up due to a fire months back...good reason for flash light...lol.

Basic info on property: 3 units, 2200 GLA, built in the mid-50's....the reason why I gave this info is to see if any of you can see where this is leading...

I show up at the subject property. I take my trusty screw driver and make entry. I turn on my flash light.....the smell was just one step from throwing up.....It's fairly obvious that the fire started in this unit.....fire department had ripped the sheet rock from the ceilings in order to gain access to the rafters.....insulation all over the floor... I see mold on the walls from many months of the contained moisture.....Anybody getting the picture yet?.....I continue walking through the burned out units taking pictures, and walking through the insulation on the floor....I see more mold......flash light starts to act up....on...off....on..off
....kind of like it was telling me to get out of there. The stupid part of me says "keep on goin'" .....POC said floors were all slab....wrong!!!!!.....partial slab and raised foundation at the rear.....wood subfloor is gone....flash light was working then....I make two trips through the units taking pictures.....so dark inside you couldn't see your hand in front of your face......flash light says "no more" and shuts down....I'm stuck in the middle unit and have to feel my way out.....I can see some light...yep, it's the front door I left open.......I finally get outside, and start sucking in some clean air (at least cleaner that what I was previously breathing). I walk the outside of the units...gas meters still in place and valve is not locked out (a bomb in the making?). Then, that little light went off in my head (not the flashlight...lol) and told me how stupid I was.

Has anybody figured this out yet, besides making entry in the first place?.......Mold?.....yep......Subflooring gone?...yep
.....here's the biggy......when was the house built?....mid-50's...exposed insulation and mostly on the floors....In homes of that era, what was usually in the insulation....asbestos...

I emailed the BPO company, called the POC, and included in my report......POSSIBLE ASBESTOS....DO NOT ALLOW ENTRY UNTIL INSULATION HAS BEEN TESTED.....In my past life I worked at oil refineries and am fairly educated in this area....Can I say it's there for sure?.....No...but, the odds are it is, due to age of property.

Now, you may ask, "why did I post this....just to show you how stupid I was?"......Naaaaaaaaa, y'all know I'm dumb as dirt already.......I post this, in hopes, that all that read it, don't make the same STUPID. STUPID, mistake I did. I wasn't paying attention and there is no excuse.

Woa man. I hope it wasn't asbestos but I will certainly learn from your mistakes.

Candy man, I guess you weren't listening to the little inner voice of reason! Thanks for sharing.

I'm sure that a short exposure to the asbestos won't hurt you at all. It was people who worked with it every day that had such bad problems. Nevertheless, we do some pretty silly things for a few bucks. I would be more concerned that the floor was missing and your means of seeing it didn't work properly. We must step back and realize that a property may be unsafe to do our job and just take enough pics and recommend that it be torn down. It probably wouldn't have taken many pics to draw that conclusion.
You all be careful out there.

I never do interiors on condemned buildings....period...It simply is not worth the pennys they pay for this info...my health and well being is much more valuable than they could ever pay me...I am fairly certain this building was plastered with condemned paperwork!!! and a screwdriver for entry!!! you might want to use that on your brain... because its falling out!!! LOL...your call... but I would have given that one back and never given it a second thought...

Alrighty! Listen to me!!! NEVER, EVER USE A SCREWDRIVER TO ENTER A HOUSE. NEVER, EVER GO INTO ANY STRUCTURE THAT HAS HAD A FIRE!!!!! NEVER. EVER.

These are basic safety concerns. If the insurance company in their infinite wisdom hasn't replaced the door, there's a reason! A burned structure can come down in a heartbeat. This isn't CanDo telling you this, it's the fire department telling you this.

The age of the structure is unimportant. What it was, is unimportant. BPO? Please, tell them to get a copy of the insurance investigator's report, a copy of the fire department's report and any local news coverage. You know that question on most forms regarding damage? Say there was a fire and leave it at that!

We are real estate agents, we are being paid as real estate agents! We are not being paid as arson investigators, insurance investigators, general contractors or appraisers! What were you thinking? That $$$$ wasn't worth it, really it wasn't.

Okay, I do have a ray of sunshine. Asbestos, unless it is friable (meaning you can see it floating in the air or see strips of it on surfaces), is a-okay. So I don't think you breathed any in.

I'm sorry if I yelled, I just cannot believe that once you got there, you thought it would be okay to continue the inspection. Land value only. Clean up costs will outweigh restoration.

CanDo

Spank me.....beat me with a bat....This has got to be one of the dumbest things I've ever done.

When I talked with the POC, he said he used to work for a contruction company that did re-habs on this type of building. The fire happened about 8 months ago....he also had made entry......not making excuses......just painting my stupidity trail.

The subject property was located in an area known for drugs and drive by's.....think this is where I was first focused...While taking the exteriors, I did note some some minor smoke trails etched above a few of the boarded up windows. The city never posted this property as condemned and there was no caution tape across all points of entry...nada...

At the time I made entry is when I should have backed away. It was fairly obvious, this was where the fire started. That little voice inside just refused to kick in....or I just wasn't listening.....at that point is when I should have passed this back to the company. I'm not sure what possessed me to go further, other than being curious.....another stupid move. As for the asbestos issue, it becomes friable when you start walking through it.....also clings to your skin and clothing....once it becomes airborne is where the danger issue lies....

There is no excuse for this type of stupidity. My focal point was the neighborhood and not the dwelling. I'll take all the heat the forum can generate......If I can reach members with this post....to make them think before acting...to evaluate prior to proceeding.....it's obvious that I didn't. As Forest Gump said....STUPID ARE AS STUPID IS.....

PS:......Another lesson learned....never borrow another persons flashlight.

I have done a few fires, all they get is a couple of pictures from the front door (or thru a window) of the damage.....THAT'S IT. Ok I will take a couple of the roof caving in.............LOL

I have been doing BPOs rather fearlessly for about a year. Unless I get to the property and it is in a rough area and I can tell someone is inside I will usually go inside. I tromp around in overgrown yards, etc. This was until "the incident". Back in August I was doing a second opinion interior. I was going around the side yard to get a rear shot when I stepped in a hole in the ground and fell down. The problem was when I fell my body twisted around and my foot stayed in the hole- in the other direction. The grass had just been cut and you couldn't even see the hole because it was full of grass. As I layed there on the ground writhing in ridiculous incredible pain completely out of sight from any neighbors or passers-by, I thought to myself "WOW I am really stupid for not paying attention to where I was walking". I laid there for a few minutes to realize that a nearby hosebib was leaking and I was now soaking wet! I got up, caught my breath, and hobbled to my car. Luckily it was my left ankle so I could still drive home. I am still suffering from the effects of that injury, but it forced me to realize two things: I am not a kid anymore and don't heal as quickly as I used to, and I need to be WAAAAAAAY more careful in these properties!

I know that is a long story to make a stupid point, but don't let yourself get hurt just to realize you need to be more careful.

Candy, if I yelled, it's because there was structural damge, my concern is for you!!!! It's not worth the $$$. The BPO company/mill/AMC will not say "atta boy"! Really they won't.

I know, I know. What's done is done. The next time, listen to your little voice, okay? Even if you have to wait a few seconds.

It just is not worth it. If someone else says they'd do it. Let them.

CanDo

I take no issue with the yelling...no worse than what I did to myself for a few hours after this adventure. I know where my head was.....just can't put it in print...lol. I'm still looking back to see how I boxed myself in....The obvious was there and I wasn't paying attention. With all my years in this business, having a maintenance backround, and serving on safty teams...just makes no sense. It's rare for me to be blind sided......and I did it to myself....nobody else to blame.

I started this thread. with hopes of reaching our members...the basics are simple...no matter how long we've been in this business, no matter what past back rounds we come from, no matter how smart we think we are.....we can still have our STUPID MOMENTS.......If I reach only one person in this forum.....make them think before they act......then, the embaressment of me telling the whole world, "I was stupid" was worth it.

This was one of those distant orders....30 miles each way. I can just imagaine what the other drivers thought, as I drove by, beating my head on the steering wheel...lol..and to top it off, I have to go back into the same area today for pictures on another order.....This should be a trip down memory lane..

You're very lucky Lacey ! In an area with municipal Sewers, it's probably just a plain "Hole". I've had people step into depressions above old deteriorating Steel Septic Tanks, and then not be able to extract their legs because the nasty old rusty corroded metal is now pointed downward and digging into their leg as they are trying to retrieve it . . . . all the while, their lacerated leg is submerged in sewage.

This happened to an adult Building Inspector working on a "Fixer Upper" I had For Sale and, luckily, he blamed himself. Since that time, I can't help but think . . . . what if it had been somebody's small child who "disappeared" into the 500 or 750 gallon Septic Tank or CessPool ?

Be thankful for Municipal Waste Water Disposal Systems and Concrete or FiberGlass Septic Tanks.

Would have NEVER entered the place,snapped a few pictures from the door. The few $$$ your making are not worth the loss to your family if somethimg would have happened. If the client dosen't understand, its a client not worth having.... just my 2cents

"That little voice inside just refused to kick in....or I just wasn't listening....."

LOL! Act first, think later! I know all too well what the aftermath of that feels like! Or...TALK first, think later..That's even worse!

E4E

When I look back at this, the little voice inside was working, especially after talking with the POC. He just didn't elaborate on how extensive the damage. The voice kept saying "You don't want to do this one". Trust me, I procrastinated on this till the end. From the exterior, it just looked like the normal boarded up home (with the exception of some small smoke trails etched in the siding). When I got the door opened, I must have had a brain seizure or the brain batteries went dead....common sense went out the window. At that point, it was obvious that entry should not be made.

When I look back at this stupidity in motion, I think I was too focused on the neighborhood (lots of drug dealers and a ton of shootings). Again, that's no excuse.....just trying to sort out the issues. It ain't goin' happen again.......trust me......this one will stay with me forever.