How do you guys do this. Since we have a pretty dead market and a ton of foreclosures, I have been doing BPO's. They always say not to contact the homeowners. OK no problem there. But I am having more instances where there are people outside on the porch when I go to take pics. I usually just wait a while and go back later. recently though I took the front and address pic and drove off. Then went aropund the block and circled back to get street scene. A guy came running out of the house screaming at me what the hell do I think I'm doing. I drove off and he jumped in his car and started chaing me down. This made me nervous because my son was in the car with me and who knows if the guy was armed. I lost him in the sidestreets of the neighborhood, but it was scary.

Sooo... How do you guys handle this when people are there? Especially when it is a foreclosure situation and the folks are not gonna be happy to see someone doing work for the bank!

Thanks in advance for all you input!

Never had anyone chase me...but I always take the street scene and street sign first. That way I can take the property photos and by the time someone sees me, I'm out of there before they could react.

Safety issues.....after the fact maybe,important though....

Keep a cell phone very handy. 911 can be useful.

Keep track of the streets you're on. Again, 911 can be useful, but only if you know where the heck you're at.

Know the quickest exit back to something that looks like civilization.

Keep your paperwork handy if you need to produce something for the authorities that shows you've been contacted to take said pictures.

Some of these folks are quite...."stressed" to say the least. Be careful and if you're headed to the war zone, leave the kids home and take the biggest friend you can find. The cost of an extra lunch is more than paid back with peace of mind.

If you can do your BPOs when the rest of civilization has yet to wake up, it's also a good thing. In Cleveland, I'm normally on the East Side now at 6:30-7:00 in the morning as daylight is rising. Since I've done this, the troublemakers are normally asleep and there are no block or house parties happening.

For interiors, I always do them in daylight but never that early in the morning and I'm normally on the phone with someone when I do an interior on a vacant property (this is typically my assistant on the other end of the phone). I'll just chat about what I want for lunch or something the whole time I'm snapping away on the inside but someone will always know where I am at.

Like Concepts05, I always shoot street, home then address. The last 3 BPO's that I have done had people in the front yard. I drive a van with very dark tinted windows, so I just jump in the back, snap my shots and get the heck outta there.

Like BPO PRO, I hit the not safe to be at alone areas very early. Also, cell phone is close at hand, I stay in my car, and have this really wicked looking tool that I use to pound in signs that works well at detering the nuts to stay away.

Unfortuantely, I learned the hard way. Been chased, guys have flashed guns at me, been accosted by hookers, dealers, & crazies.

I think one thing we can do is not assume the worst when people follow us. Would you not feel uncomfortable if you saw someone photographing your house?
I had a guy follow me down the road a couple of days ago. He honked his horn and pulled up next to me at a stop sign. I politely rolled down my window and he asked me what I had been taking photos of. I told him I was a Realtor doing a market analysis. He told me he was wondering because it was his buddy's house I was photographing. Without getting into it with him I just let him know that I needed pictures in the area.
He ended up wishing me a good night. Why does everyone assume that these people are going to be armed or mean?
This does not apply to KT. If they have a gun run!!!!

If I didn't expect the worse in some areas, I'd most likely be dead. These are areas where people get shot, raped, robbed, you name it, all the time.

The stuff I mentioned that I've delt with, none of it was a one-time thing. I'd say, maybe at least once, and usually 2 or 3 times a month I encounter something like that.

Well let me ask this then, why not just take the pics and if people ask say I was hired to do a market analysis of the home and show them the paperwork. Heck I could even ask if they wanted to be in or out of the photo.

I simply won't mess with it, all it took was one close call. I don't have to live in these places to know what happens in them. If I don't feel comfortable or I have issues geting the BPO done because of safety concerns I'll asked to have it re-assigned. I normally will make two attempts but one of my earlier interiors required the whole "tuck, duck, and roll" because two yahoos got into a shoot-out in the middle street and I'm praying they didn't run into the vacant house or a stray didn't fly my way.....

I know Cleveland has got its pockets and any other Realtor who has worked opinions in the inner city for an extended period of time will probably tell you (at least KT and I are) don't even take the chance. Just go.

I don't usually talk much about the dangers of bpo's in a public forum for whatever reason, but I felt compelled to this time. I have been chased,and I didn't assume he was armed, I just drove along on my merry way UNTIL he was 2 inches from my bumper and then tried 3 times to run me off the road. I got the police involved and he was charged with aggressive driving, a misdomeanor here in Virginia. His vehicle became his weapon! We went to court, he was found guilty BUT it was not as easy as just showing up and telling what happened. It sucked, and still does! My ethics were questioned by not only his attorney but the judge as well because they do not have an understanding of what we do. Being a witness, I only had the opportunity to answer the questions I was asked, and it made me look awful. He was found guilty, but is appealling it which means I have to testify all over again. Seriously, if you see people, or if there is a chance they see you, it is NOT worth all the drama I have been through just to get a damn picture for a company who doesn't give a crap about you. I do all BPO's during work hours or very early in the morning. 4 pm hits, and I don't do any more unless I know it is vacant. Priorities, and common sense from now on. Should have known better.

What I do is place myself in their shoe and ask,Who is taking picture of my home? I would not have to ask that question if the person did not looked over dressed and had some good size identification on vehicle.
Always ask What Would make you react, and avoid doing it yourself.

95% of the time people know the whos and whyfors of someone snapping a pic of their home.

As far as the other things you mention, for me, it's about drawing as little attention to myself as possible when I'm working.

I have been chased 3 times, 2 in one day. Twice, I just drove to the nearest police department and pulled in- one guy took off, the other pulled in next to me and asked why I had been taking pictures- they'd had vandalism a few weeks before and were being paranoid (not an fc bpo). The third was the one who followed me about 20 miles, ran my tags and was calling me for awhile- that finally stopped. I have had few orders since then, but try to be a bit more careful to not be seen if possible, and keep the paperwork handy in case I'm ever questioned about it...

Ditto, on everything else that has been said...but, PLEASE, don't take your child with you...this is a job and not a joy ride on a Sunday afternoon to take pictures of clouds. It wasn't all that long ago I was caught in the middle of a gun fight. It was an interior with vagrants living in it...but the point is you never know what or when something is going to happen.

I try not to be noticed, but I have been chased twice and yelled at more than once. I have started taking street scene first, as others mentioned. Those crazy photo requirements that we sometimes see now put us in real danger--subject front, both sides, up street, down street, across the street.

The most frightening chase was once when I was on a gravel, county road in the middle of the day, trying to locate a property when there were no mailboxes or markings.

Since I'd driven so far, I decided to take photos of several of the properties (single wide trailers and cabins that mostly looked uninhabited). I heard a vehicle approaching from behind so I jumped back in my car and started moving (I was out of my car shooting a photo through a weed-infested fence row--BAD IDEA). Sure enough, the guy was after me. Apparently, he had seen me taking photos of his cabin back down the road. I guess he had to get dressed or something, because I was certainly on about my business by the time he caught up with me.

Looking in my rearview mirror, I could see that he was shaking his fist at me and trying to get around me. I stayed in the middle of the road and floored it. He followed me until I got on a paved road and finally stopped. My plan was to drive to the nearest town and straight to the police or at least call for help as soon as I got a cell phone signal.

Eventually, I got a photo of the subject property from the vendor and cross-referenced it with the courthouse. I did have a photo of the residence in question. When I enlarged the photo (I always shoot high resolution), parked in front of the cabin was the truck that had chased me.

My broker said the place could have been a meth lab.

Do them early, and not on weekends. Take the photo’s from your car; I had one chase me on the freeway!!! I will always take the picture no matter what, I will never drive back to a location, since gas is high and my times is valuable. Always point your car to an exit, not a dead end or one car wide alley.

what we have to go through to bring home a check....a lot of times if the door is open ,or people in front of the house i will get out of my van and tell them im with the mortgage co, and need to take some pictures. to update the files.....never had a problem....even the dope guys will stand to the side so that i can take a pic....LOL ..half of the time they know what you are doing there since they havn't paid the note.

Mybe this tread should be posted as a sticky. It might make new agents think twice about getting involved in the BPO business. I don't think that newbies understand how stressful and/or dangerous it can be, and all this just to make $50.00.

Kolah, that is a good idea. I get asked about them all the time and I tell my chase stories, and they think I am crazy and never ask me again. I didn't have ANY clue about the dangers of doing these until I read of incidents on here.. We did BPO's for 2 years before we had any incident at all, but the one we had really messed with my head. Im definately more aware of my surroundings, and I don't go to these alone anymore.

By the way, I agree- don't take your kids, it's way too risky.

Great advice. I thought it was a nice chance for some alone time with dad on a nice little ride. I never realized I was literally risking my life for these people for so little money. I too snap the street scene from my car a few houses down so as not to attract attention. The front pic is usually pretty easy too. It is the BS address verification close-up that takes the time to zoom and where the risk comes in. To me it seems like they are saying they don't beleive that we will actually take a pic of the right house so they want a close up of the address, if there even is one on the house. But keep the responses coming and I agree that this should be a sticky subject.

There is another thread, forget the name right now that talks about the tricks and tips for the Address Verification. Basically u can nail two birds with one stone......

I believe the thread was "Address Verification Photo Tip" or something like that.....

As far as address verification - BEFORE I take the photo of the house (camera on my lap) I quickly look to see if the number is on the house itself. If it is, then I take just one front photo knowing I can zoom in and crop on my computer when I get home.

Kolah, another good idea...making this a sticky. My area is generally safe. Here is what I do, just in case. Takes about a second.

I write the address on a piece of paper, but change the street address a little bit. For instance, instead of Robinhood, I could put Robinway. If someone aproaches me, I can show them the sheet and say that I was hired to take pictures at this house for a siding company quote. The homeowner will then point out to me that I am on a different street. I can apologize and leave--safely, I hope. It's just another option.

I doubt if I will ever have a situation like some of you deal with regularly. Good to know you have the street smarts to take care of yourselves. Imagine handing my little sheet of paper to a really bad guy and trying to sell him on the siding quote story. Where should I wire your flowers.

One thing for sure--our clients do not want us to endanger our lives in any way, or irritate the homeowners. They just want us to do the best we can, and it sounds like we have all been trying to do that.

Don't forget the "hood phone network." The bad guys all have cell phones. I went to do an exterior in a bad part of town. Since there were people in the front yard, I waited for a few minutes about a block down. When the folks finally drove off, in a BMW with flashy rims,I went down there to take my photos. There was someone across the street, and apparently my activities attracted their attention. This person got on their cell phone. As I was getting done, that BMW came careening down the street, and I beat it out of there. A couple of quick turns, and I was out of sight. And yes, all for a $55 eterior.

The same thing happened all the time when I was in police work. You stop a car, and go to arrest somebody, and here come all their family members driving up, all mad. And how did they know? My arrestee did not call anyone, and I sure didn't - it was the Hood Phone Network! This works well in REO land where nobody much works for a living, and most everyone is just sitting around on the porch or in the house all day long, and everyone has a cell phone.

Be careful out there!

I have this situation right now and am on the fence on what to do. I took an interior in a not so nice part of the city because I had 4 other exteriors in the same direction. The AM was suppossed to mail me the key. So I waited for the key until the last day I could in order to get the other orders in on time,no key. So while I am out in the area I figure I'll drive by and take the exterior and street photo. Well I got chased and while I was driving away(it was a one way street) some lady was in the middle of the street steering her shopping cart. NO WHERE to go!!! I tried not to panic and made no eye contact. One man approached my car and started banging on the car window. Well the lady finally pushed her cart aside and I was out of there!
So then I get back to my office and email the AM and explain my safety concerns and all she emails back is "Let me know when you get the key". So this week passes and Saturday the key arrives but I am terrified to go back.
Now if I ask to reassign, will they not send me any work? will my score go down? I do not know what to do, any suggestions?
I do alot of work for them and am afraid I will jeopardize my relationship.

If you are that concerned about your safety then I would ask to have it reassigned. Nothing that we do is worth your life and health, if you ain't got those you ain't got anything. Just tell them the truth and move on. If they are going to try and force you do it even though you have legit concerns then perhaps you may be better off without them.

On a side note, I had to do the same things months back. When I was noticed dashing out of the house during the shootout I told them "Sorry, the house was a deathtrap if I stayed and if my photos of what I had are not good enough you'll have to reassign it."

Very understanding of the situation and I have not lost my business with them. If you have a family to think about it is all the more important that you think on this. Just my 2c.

I say get out of this type of work if you cannot handle the stress and possible dangers of the industry. You committed to doing the job and have the key in hand. Go to the home early in the morning and take the pics or don't do anymore jobs again because you are too afraid. Imagine if you became a police officer and the first time you got shot at you decided its not for you anymore. That doesn't happen because generally you should be prepared for all the dangers your job has. If you are not willing to take on the all the responsibilities then as I said, get out of this side of the business.

When I am approached by the occupants, whether friendly or hostile, asking why I am taking pictures of their house, I would tell them that their lender is selling the note and the new lender/buyer wanted pictures of the property. This works every time. If they are in default, they seem happy that some one is finally coming to their rescue, and this gives them a false sense of hope.

I always use the "lender is probably selling the note" explanation, even if I suspect/know it is in foreclosure. Though I try to avoid any contact at all, sometimes I have asked a neighbor to verify a location when no addresses are visible.

I'm with the others, I am up at the crack of dawn before anyone else is up. If there is someone outside I come back or if that is not an option I have learned to hold my camera low enough and it's not seen - or at least the folks outside don't know what it is, then I casually drive off like I was just stopping and looking around for another house.

And make sure that you don't have a fancy camera that might attract undue attention - you may seem like a minnow that is thrown into the shark tank - a tasty meal for the local thieves! For BPO work, an older digital camera works just fine.

Number one, always think ahead of time!
I would suggest not scrimpping on your camera either. I use a Pentax Optio with 10X digital and 10X optical, I can get an addres on a mail box and moss on a roof over a block away. If I need to get close the camera is silver and my phone is a Treo and it is also silver close to the same size so I have my phone on my ear than a quick change, take a picture than change again. I have taken a picture with a porch full this way once.I also do not want to attract attention so depending on the area I drive a Jag with heavily tinted windows or a Jimmy with factory privacy windows and only one is down so people on the other side can't see what I am doing. I also try to find a listed house or FSBO close by. If there is a FSBO, change the conversation to, do they know the owner? Can you drop there name when you contact the FSBO? Have they thought about selling or know anyone buying or selling. It seems no one likes to talk with a salesperson long, unless they are planning on selling, at which time you offer to do a free CMA for them and get some great shots.
And always be cheerful and smile, a
friend of mine said you can call some one anything as long as you say with a cheerful smile. Think about it if you call someone a crazy s.o.b. with a joking smile no problem, say the same thing with anger and narrowed lips, get ready to block the punch.
Basically be prepared for anything and remember your other job - selling real estate.
Oh and have a great day!

Great tips, Bard. I want one of those 10X cameras. Down here in Texas, a lot of people spend a lot of time in their yards with the barbeque pit and the picnic table. I have to take my pics before 4 PM or I run a high risk of the homeowner sitting on the front porch.

I also had a couple of episodes. One lady told me to get away from her home and when I proceeded to take the photo she ran in the house like she was going to get something then ran back outside and started shaking something in her hand.I kindly told the lady that I'm only doing my job and please don't come to close to my car or I will be forced to protect myself. I carry pepper spray and mace. You just have to be careful and stay safe as much as possible because these people are already upset that they are loosing their homes, they become very irate and feel as if their world is crumbling. We just don't know these peoples mindset, it can take just as little as a photo to really set them off, you never know.

Never been chased, but my URL is on my car, and I've been called a couple of times and questioned. I tell them the lenders typically check on their investments from time to time, and I am not told the specific reason for the request. So far that has worked fine, and I haven't lied.

Bard, my partner has a 10x and it is amazing!! He bought it on ebay for $100 or so.
I also drive an old car that has been through the ringer...at least on the outside but it still gets 34 mpg and no one give it a second look. Try to always remember my baseball cap, too.

Is it just me, or does it bother anyone else to feel a need to explain our actions? The last time I checked, photography was not illegal. I know, I know, we must always be professional, but, does anyone else ever have a desire to tell someone who asks what are you doing, "I'm minding my own business...what the f@*k are you doing? Get away from my car before I get angry!" Does anyone else feel this way, or is it just me? And again, no, I would never respond this way in reality, but, i have to tell you, some people really push the envelope sometimes!

ACTUALLY, what I always want to shout from my window as I drive off is simply, "Call your bank, or better yet--make a payment!"

LOL @ lizl!! Yes, that is a good one too!

The majority of the BPO's we do are not in default. Please understand that.

That's true, Real Deal, but I'm still tempted to rattle the cages sometimes.

The majority are not in default, that's true; most are portfolio purchases. But it does get to you sometimes that people get so bent out of shape because someone is taking pictures. I had one man come out one time and tell me I couldn't take photos of the house across the road from him. I told him I could take pictures of anything I damn well please as long as it was from a public roadway. He paused and said, "oh well---okay"

The majority of mine are in default. Most of my BPOs are in a city not too far from me. Approx. 1/3 of the residential sales there are REOs. I'd say 75% of my total orders are because of default.

Ky realtor, you are so right! As long as we do not cross over onto private property to get a photo, we have every right to do what we do! Also, just like you, Makin' Money, most of my bpo orders are in default as well. I scan the local paper that advertises the foreclosure postings in my county, and it has almost become a game to see which of the properties that I inspected the previous week have been posted!

I get chased on a routine basis, and it is not just the "bad" area's. I have had women throw glass jars at me, been chased down and blockaded by people in cars, been accosted in the backyard of a foreclosure, etc, etc. Had to call the COPS on several occasions because people just do not understand that the streets are public. All in the "nice" parts of town. Seen a lot of good recomendations in this list, but one of the mostt important for me is that if I am not familiar with the area streets, I do not take photo's until I have turned around and made a second pass by the property to make certain I have a get-away route. Can't tell you how many times I've been trapped in a cul-de-sac before I finally learned. Also, getting photo's at 30 MPH works if you have a fast shutter!

Does anyone note on the report that they are chased? I had one today. My photo was really blurred and I didn't get the house. I got a good picture of the guy racing down his driveway and waving his arms at me.
Just wondered. To me it seems a bit unprofessional to note something like this on the report but I should be able to let them know why I do not feel safe going back for photos and why their photos are so terrible. Besides being chased the house really can't be seen from the road.
(By the way I did stop the car when he cut me off on the next road and just told him I was doing a market analysis. Blah blah blah.)

Yes, I have noted in numerous reports that reason photo was unclear or couldn't get all the pics required for the report was due to the occupant approaching the vehicle. I don't think it is unprofessional to note that in the report. These banks/BPO companies know that many times the homes are in foreclosure and there could be hostile home owners. As much as we might complain about these companies' policies and requirements, I really don't think they want to see us get hurt. I've never had anyone demand I go back and try and get better pics or more pics. They accept the report with what I've got. Once I took pics from two blocks away (there was vacant land in between). I just zoomed in as much as I could with my camera. I noted in the report that this was a dead end street with numerous young men in the street and it was not safe to take closer pictures. Report was accepted. Once I talked to a CC rep and she said that they never want their vendors to be in an unsafe situation and if that means no pics at all, that is ok - just note it in the report with the reason.

Thanks Makin Money. I checked tax records today and looks like they just refinanced in Sept. If I had been smart and looked this up ahead I probalby would have told them it was a picture for the bank.

The thing is this area is know for drugs and the lady was really screaming ," You freaked me out taking pictures of the house!"

Personally I would think it was odd if someone was taking pictures of my house but I don't think it would freak me out unless I had something to hide.

What if your RE logo and phone number are on the side of your vehicle? Do people get suspicious when a realtor is taking pictures in a neighborhood? Would it be bad to hand out your card to anybody asking what you are doing?

I wouldnt hand out a card. If someone is staring me down when im taking pictures, i say "im taking pictures for the bank". If they start yelling at me, I will usually yell back. I have a short temper and dont put up with stupid people. I wont yell if im in a really bad neighborhood though. I had your idea before I started doing bpos, but I wouldnt do it anymore. I dont want those people to have my name and number.

No way. I'd take a different vehicle. I've had enough whack jobs in my life thus far without asking for more. As for handing out a card, I'd be outta there before someone would ever be able to get that close my car.

I have my website emblem on the back of my car and a consult a realtor license plate frame.Most of the ones that have chased me have not been nice enough to hand a card to.
I do have one guy that chased me a while back, when I see him now I waive and say hello and let him know I am taking pictures of someone elses house, not his. He was just concerned about his friends house but is now cordial with me.
I have found that some that have followed me had just completed a loan, so the photos were most likely for portfolio aquisition.
They just want to know why you are photographing their house. We cannot assume they are in foreclosure. I get nervous and forget this sometimes. I ramble on about doing a market analysis in the area etc.
Now before I go I try to look up the properties first and get a clue what the bpo is for. If the property just sold, not in foreclosure.. Just refied, not in foreclosure etc. Hope this helps me to handle the chasers better. If you stop and talk and are brutally honest they cannot chase something that's not moving!

I have been chased a couple of times... The first time I was getting pics of a property that looked abandoned I guess it belonged to the neighbors because they came running toward me (about 4 of them) with objects in their hands... I didn't hang around to see what they had or wanted as I was in a not so nice place... Usually if someone is outside or gets a chance to ask why I tell them that I am doing a CMA for a neighbor and I needed neighborhood pics so that I could compare properties... It usually works pretty good.... JUST BECAREFUL EVERYONE!!!

bpo's are not the problem for me, it's the reo listings.did a check on 7 or 8 this past weekend 3 were broken into. the 1st one i had to pull my gun, some guy was upstairs getting high, when i came through the front door (that was kicked in) i could here someone up stairs they jumped out the 2nd story window.....lol..the stories i could share. oh he left a candle going with empty crack packs laying on the table.........it never ends..