Buying a Rental: Speak Loudly and Carry a Big Stick
#2 in our 3 step series of how to buy a rental property without being gashed.
Lesson 2: Speak Loudly and Carry a Big Stick
I was in a back bedroom of one home the other day, and heard a scream from the back yard. This was not the scream of a child or a woman, but that of a grown man. A large grown man. He was running for his life. From a pit bull. He shot through the back door and into the living room, startling all of us with both his yelps of fear and his surprising quickness for a man of his girth.
It was my HVAC guy, and he was procuring serial numbers off a condenser in the back yard that needs replacement. Apparently the neighbors dog had been vacationing in this homes back yard since it went vacant months ago. She was not too happy people were prodding through her stomping grounds.
I will now be sure to carry a weapon of some kind on these jobs walks, at least until I know the coast is clear and the fence is repaired. I also make a habit of talking loudly as I enter a home or a yard in a new property. Not only does it make me feel manly and powerful, but I hope it puts and human or canine trespassers on notice. "Here I come" my voice implies, "and I am not afraid to run screaming from this home like a little girl if you hurt me."
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photo: blhphotography
