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.