Realty World - Sales and Rentals in Charlotte, NC

Property Break In

I got a call last week from the Police Department at about 4 PM to let me know that one of our houses had been broken into. This is a house that sits in one of the city's gentrification neighborhoods that we have been having rehabbed for the past few months. This house has fresh paint, new ceramic tile, new tub, shower, toilet, sink, kitchen cabinets, appliances, lighting, etc. All together, we have spent almost $20,000 to get this house ready for the market!

When I arrived at the house, there were 3 police officers at the property and water was running ouf of the walls at the driveway. Not a good way to end my day! After going through the house, it was obvious that these were some of the stupid crooks that you read about in the magazines, but the unfortunate thing was that they had cost me a lot of money and headache.

To start with, these mental giants threw a huge rock the size of a bowling ball through the glass doors on the back of the house, which not only broke the glass but also damaged sheetrock in the house as it traveled through the door and across the hall. Next, they targeted the thing that everyone wants these days -- no, not the brand new microwave, smooth top range or dishwasher. They went straight for the copper pipes on the water heater. When I looked in the utility room, my 55 gallon water heater lay on it's side in about 3 inches of water as water continued to gush from the floor where the pipe previously connected to it. All together, these masterminds made off with about 8 feet of copper pipe, worth about $12 at your local scrap yard.

Finally, they eyed my brand new ceiling fan that was hot wired in the living room and got a saw horse from the storage building so they could disconnect the wiring. However, apparently they didn't realize the wires were buzzing with 120 volts, because that's where they stopped! Man, I would love a hidden camera of that daring robbery!

When everything was added up, the damage was a little over $1,200. However, it would not be worth it to file an insurance claim because the property carries a $1,000 deductible and then they would probably cancel the coverage.

So, here I sit with $1,200 in damage coming out of my pocket and these idiots got about $12 for their hard fought efforts. Wouldn't it be more productive to get an actual JOB?? As the economy continues to stall, we will probably see more of these types of crimes, so if you own property, make sure it doesn't sit vacant for any length of time. Get it ready to rent or sell and get it on the market ASAP.

Posted - 09/14/2010

View By Category
Rental Dept (9)
Market Conditions (3)

view all