Empty Houses Full Of Trouble
In the January 10th edition of the St. Petersburg Times, Michael Van Sickler and Jamal Thalji report on an ever increasing problem throughout the US. When a house is in imminent foreclosure or has been foreclosed upon, in many instances it is left abandoned. Besides becoming a burden for the bank, the community and the realtors that may be trying to sell the property, the house can be a source of crime and hazards. Squatters claim the empty homes as their new place to live. Thieves, who travel under the cloak of darkness, will store their ill gotten booty in empty houses during the day time.
Be vigilant when you are traveling in the neighborhoods where you sell homes. More importantly, be supportive of solutions that solve the problems of vacant homes. Can anyone say Short Sale?!