Delirious, yes that might be the word to use. In the early morning when sleep eludes you, the mind begins to spin. Did Americans really land on the moon or was it all a Hollywood hoax? Are all of the houses with foreclosures signs in front of them real or are they just holograms? What could we possibly find today when showing houses that we haven't seen before?
As the sun rose it came to me. I was in foreclosure overload and I needed to come up with a new way to deal with the stress. And then I figured what to do. Turn showing foreclosures into a game of Scavenger Hunt.
That's right Scavenger Hunt. Instead of dreading opening the door and wondering what you might find, make a list of things to look for. This could be both fun and educational at the same time. If you find it you can check it off the list AND depending on what you find you can also take the house off the list as well. At the end of the day if you have found everything on the list you can reward yourself with a glass of your favorite cool beverage. If you end up with nothing on the list you can reward yourself by writing an offer. It's a win/win!
So what would you put on your foreclosure scavenger list?
Broken Windows
Missing Appliances
Mold
Roaches
Dirty Carpets
Missing Plumbing
Falling Ceilings
Sagging Gutters
Squatters
Fleas
Feces
Oh and my new favorite....rats!
So before you head out on your next house hunting trip make up your list. Have a little fun with what can become a stressful day. If you really want to spice up the game give everyone on the search a whistle to blow when they find an item on the list. Just imagine how much fun that would be!
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Cindy: This is a REALLY cool idea. I have many junior investors that I work with that would love this sort of game. By the way, I was showing a home recently that was vacant and had been broken into. The client pointed out needles and syringes in the carpet! BE CAREFUL and instruct your buyers to wear closed-toed shoes when they tour foreclosures!
Cindy,
Don't forget the carpeting with a square cut out of it, the previous listing agent sign in the garage and the prize for the person who correctly guesses the highest number of warning stickers on the front door and the house with the tallest grass.
Hi Cindy - Do you ever come out of showing a foreclosure and wish they had one of those outdoor showers like at the beach that you could jump under clothes and all?
Cindy, EEOOWW! If you were looking in DC, you could ad racoons to the list, usually found napping in fireplaces.
Steve-oh that is a good one. Fortunately I haven't run into those yet. But the closed toe shoes are critical!
Miriam-I can handle seeing a little field mouse but a full size sewer rat will make me head for the door!
Cute! The thing I like best about forclosures is that I get great stories for my "My Life as a Realtor' page! :)
Always be careful, some of them can be dangerous places to go!
Richard-nice additions to the list. Of course the tape outline of a body on the floor might be a good clue to head out the door too!
Pam-Absolutely. I have come home from a day on the foreclosure road and gone directly to the shower. I do have Purell in my car too.
Pat-leave it to you to come up with another critter. Racoons cute until they are in your house or your garbage.
Raylene-I'm a peek your head in the door type person. I lock the doors behind us and make lots of noise in case anyone is around.
Loving the concept and the comments.....some of these properties are enough to make for one heck of a scavenger hunt LOL :)
Porn, and lots of it. Stacks of magazines, dvds and old vhs. Centerfolds of naked women (and sometimes men) prominately displayed on the wall above the living room fireplace. I wonder if they simply ran out of space in the moving van and had to sacrifice their punctured Ginger Lynn blow up doll, or if this is a statement of dissatisfaction about the foreclosure process.