Caution in showing vacant homes on the market, especially in the rural parts!

I had a vacant home listed several years back now, and this home was located in the middle of a 5 acre tract of land that surrounded it, also for sale. This was a very much older home in great need of TLC, the owners had left the power and water on, and it did have a few very old furnishings in it. I had just met an appraiser that morning at the home, we locked it up and left. I went back later with an agent out of my office to show her the listing, only to find that there was a homeless person living in the back bedroom, needless to say that when we walked in the house, he ran out the back! He had been storing his belongings in the closet of the bedroom. I was so glad that I had not had a buyer with me, and that I did not come alone! I told the homeowner that they needed to secure the property if we were going to keep it on the market for the safety of the agents and their clients. That was pretty scary, makes me laugh now, but it sure wasn't funny at the time...

Even to this day, when I show vacant homes, I always remember that experience, and how glad I was that the person living in the home ran out the back....