Help I Have Locked Myself In

The field inspector had to enter through a fence gate to do the back of the house and enter the house to do a vacant interior inspection. No problem you would think. Well, if something can go wrong it may just happen at the worst moment in your day.

The property inspector took the photos outside the back of the house. As she stood at the backdoor to use her keys to unlock the door, she dropped her keys and they fell down between the cement step and the house foundation where was just a small separation gap.

No problem you would think. She can get another set. All she needs to do is go to her car and figure out what to do. Well, her day got worst. The inspector walked to the fence gate and there it was, no way to open the gate for the fence from the backside. She was locked in the yard behind a 6 ft fence.

So what do you does a property inspector do when she is locked in a backyard and no one else is around? You call you child and leave a message to come to the house and let you out. While you wait, the mortgage inspector saw a neighbor across the street and started calling for him to come let her out.

Laughing, he comes over, she tells him the story and as he is laughing, he opens the gate. Then he tells her to wait and he will try to get her keys for her. After some time and determination of this nice neighbor, he snags the inspectors keys.

All is good, the field inspector thanked him, laughed with him and she was on her way to the next house.

Moral of this story is: Carry an extra set of keys or inspect gates on both sides before going through

 

Who Is Living Here on the Property Now

The mortgage inspector visited a property on the edge of a swamp or small river like body of water. As most field inspectors do, the inspector started conducting the exterior walk around on a vacant house. She did notice anything out of the ordinary as she headed to the backyard.

As she was taking photos, she fell a funny feeling she was being watched from behind. As she turned around, there it was. A big alligator looking at her. He had come out of the water and was in the same backyard close by.

The field inspector took off running around the side of the house and to her car. Being the diligent inspector she is, she knew she needed the photo of the posting on the door. The alligator never came her way, so she jumped out of the car, ran to the porch to get the photo of the posting.

You will never believe what the posting said. It said, “Do not go in the backyard because there is an alligator.”

Whether the sign was placed there by the mortgagor who left the property or the preservation people that secured the home, they did not really think that one out thoroughly. Generally you save the front door for last since that is where you go to enter the property for the interior inspection.

It would have been a lot smarter for the person who put up the sign to put a bigger sign in the yard so no one would encounter the alligator in the backyard.

Moral of this story is: Keep one eye on your back side. You never know when something or someone could be lurking.

 

The Doll That Has Life All Its Own

Inspector arrived at a house in a rural area where the mortgagor had left. Nothing unusual about the day or the inspection itself. The house was vacant and only needed an exterior inspection. Inspector walked up the grassy area taking photos and saw something laying on the lawn. It was a doll.

Inspector rolled the doll over and saw it was indeed a Raggedy Ann doll that must have been left behind. He left the Raggedy Ann doll face up and did his walk around inspection. He was not more than 5 minutes and the job was done. As he stood in the front yard, he had a strange feeling come over him.

He turned around to leave and the  Raggedy Ann doll that he had left face up on the lawn, was now rolled over and facing down. Inspector looked around and there was no one around anywhere. He could see a good distance and there were no signs of anyone.

He wondered if the Raggedy Ann doll belonged to a child that lived at the house. He wondered a lot of things, but the only conclusion was, he was definitely not alone while doing his inspection of this once lived in mortgaged home.

The moral of the story is: Are you really alone in life as you think or is there someone walking along side you as you move around this world.

 The Funny Spider Monkey

One of my favorite stories is about a property inspector conducting a occupancy inspection and she encountered a spider monkey. As she was attempting to leave the driveway after taking her photos, this cute, adorable spider monkey jumped on the hood of her car, jumping up and down. 

Not wanting to hurt the monkey, the property inspector told the monkey to go away, honked her horn and nothing. The spider monkey was not leaving. She was stuck. What o you do when a cute monkey is jumping up and down on the hood of your car? You sit there and keep trying to get him to leave. 

The little cutie was having none of it. He was there to stay. The property field inspector had no choice but to call the police. They came. I am sure they were a little shocked to see a spider monkey on the car, but a job is a job and the lady was stuck in a driveway with a spider monkey on her car just having a blast freaking her out. 

Things calmed down, monkey was removed from car and property inspector was able to leave. 

The moral of this story is: Always know your surroundings when doing a field property inspection and always enjoy a little humor in your day.