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Serious wake up call. Lock your doors!
- Sep 9, 2009 at 5:03 PM
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- Comments (12) Total Views (209) Everyone can see this journal post.
Our house is for sale, so we have a sign out front and a lockbox on the front door.. you know, its clear to see its for sale from the street or sidewalk. I have been making it a habit to lock all three doors (front, back, and side) religiously since putting it on the market because that makes it easier for me when there is a showing to know I can go out the back and the other two are already taken care of, and I don't want people just walking in or trying to open doors to peek in, our agent told us that has happened to people before.
Today, I am really happy I have started this habit.. because someone tried to break into our house while my kids and I were in it. We had just fallen asleep on the couch together after reading some books. All the curtains in the house were pulled, lights and TV off.. during naptime I try and make the house as dark and quiet as possible.
The side doorknob, which is quite a ways away from the living room started rattling.. I assumed it was our cat. She jumps up and grabs onto doorknobs hoping the door is cracked and she can force it open. I was half asleep so I just dozed and ignored it.
A few minutes later, as I was back asleep already, the lockbox on the front doorknob lifted and dropped a couple of times and the front door knob was being twisted, HARD, over and over again. My dogs were in the side yard and they weren't barking.. I was half awake and stumbled around the corner into the entry, thinking it was an agent coming to see the house, pissed that they didn't call me, and came face to face with an older man who looked terrified when he saw me. He turned and quicklywalked off our porch and away. I don't like to stereotype people but he was clearly homeless. His clothes were heavily soiled, he was very dirty, his facial hair was long and unclean, he was carrying a heavily soiled backpack.. and he was clearly trying to get into my home at 1:30pm on a Wednesday. My neighbors are mostly all home, they are all families like us.. but nobody was outside so eh could have gotten away with it.
I don't know what his intentions were. To steal stuff? To squat here? Maybe he thought it was vacant. With all the curtains pulled, he wouldn't have been able to see in to see what kind of things we own or whether someone was in the house. All I know is that if my side door wasn't locked, he likely would have been in the house a few minutes before he happened upon me and the kids sleeping in the living room. He could have done anything at that point. Ladies.. please remember to lock your doors. I used to think I was being paranoid by doing it.. I used to go all day and night without locking them. But not ever again. With my kids in mind, how could I ever risk it again? Its a simple thing you can do to protect yourself and your family.
Comments:
He was certainly looking to see if anything was left behind, maybe use some running water and just have a "private" place to kinda crash for a while. In Ohio I had a job dealing with vacant homes (assessing damage, cleanup and repairs for hte banks that owned them). Squatters! They steal copper from water heaters, use the toilets, etc. He bolted, of course, not expecting people, but SCARY!
yeah thats what I thought! totally scary.. but it almost made me happy he was kind of old and frail looking because I was like... hm... I could take him! lol. And he was freaked when he saw me so I dont expect him or anyone else to come back
Definitely a scare. Glad you and the kiddos are all okay!
i would have reported it to the police!
I thought about it Julie but he ran away so quickly and he didn't actually get in, so technically aside from coming onto our property he didn't break any laws. Our agent warned us about this but I never thought it would be a homeless guy trying to get in. I'm just happy I am keeping the doors locked and happy the kids and I are headed to my moms house in Wa for a vacation.. I wont even have to stress about it when I'm gone, just hope DH keeps it clean!
How very scary! I've heard so many things on the news lately about squatters. With all the foreclosed homes, it's like a gold mine for them.
So, a few months ago we were gone for the weekend. When we came back, our boxer had literally dug a hole in one of the arms of the couch. Specifically, the one closest to the window. SOMEBODY had tried to get in that house, and had tried for a while. Who would be dumb enough to continue to try and enter the house while a boxer and german shepherd were barking is beyond me, though!
lolI hear you fawn! our big dog is pretty scary looking, shes a great dane pit bull... nobody would dare come in our back yard because of her. The basset hound.. well, shes not scary. But thats OK. I am MAD at my dogs for not barking. They bark their ass off at the mailman.. they bark their ass off at anybody walking down the sidewalk if they don't like how they look.. but when someone is twisting our doorknobs repeatedly they just lay there in the sun?! WTF dogs! lol
You also have to watch some agents. When I was selling my late parents home, one left the backdoor open because a couple wanted to bring their family by to see the house and she did not want to come back with them. I had tools we were using to do repairs stolen. They also left water on and I had to replace a wall. I was ticked. I am glad you are okay.
We had an incident in a local community where a woman got drunk and walked into a house of people she did not know and then refused to leave. Scary
probably a would be squatter.. glad you are ok
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Wow...that's scary! I always lock mine and I always, always chain it at night! It's just an extra step between me and someone who may want to cause me harm, you know? We live in a really safe neighborhood, but you just never know. Glad you guys are okay!!!!