I’ve found myself stuck in the middle of all sorts of uncomfortable or plain unsavoury situations as a property buyer and a landlord.
There was the time I inspected a property I was interested in buying, to find that the tenants had been on a bender the night before. I had to wade through empty bottles of alcohol, dirty dishes and cigarette butts for as far as the eye could see – and the smell…
Then there was the time the tenant couldn’t be bothered getting out of bed, so the agent escorted me into the master bedroom while the tenant held his doona cover over his head. Needless to say it was a very quick inspection!
That said, I’ve never had to face what these property buyers in Milwaukee (which is gaining a reputation as “the new Detroit”) experienced.
The empty house, which was foreclosed and owned by the bank, had an
unknown tenant – a homeless man who had been squatting. And in the
cooler winter months, as the temperature dropped, the man had passed
away.
It’s really quite a tragic story and goes to show that property investing is always full of surprises.
The real estate agent who made this discovery with his prospective buyers, is taking them out to view more properties shortly. But he admits that this time around, “I’m probably going to be a little more cautious.”
Til next time, happy investing!
Helen Collier-Kogtevs
