Neighborhood Watch :)

Sometimes isn't it just fun to sit arond and watch your neighbors? They can provide better entertainment than the TV!!

There is a rental house across the street from us that has been vacant since November. We had heard rumors from a neighbor that a son of the owner was going to be moving in, but we were warned that he was trouble. Our neighbor told us that she had warned his parents that she won't hesitate calling the police if he's acting up (and we don't doubt that she will). Well, we've waited and waited for someone to move in, but no one ever has. So, we wondered if our neighbor's threats about calling the police on their son made them think twice about that decision.

Then on Saturday Laurie looked out our front window and saw people going in and out of the front door, but there appeared to be something wrong. Since the front door was open Laurie noticed something all over the floor... and something hanging from the ceiling. She called me over and I could see drips of water coming from the ceiling.

Apparently the pipes had frozen and burst and there were long icicles hanging down from the ceiling of the first floor. We're wondering if they had left the heat off since no one was living in the house. Laurie called our neighbors to tell her what was happening and they started laughing.

So today... Serv-Pro showed up (a cleaning and restoration company)... I can't imagine what mess they're having to clean up and "restore." Funny thing is... they were only there about 30-minutes and left the front door wide open. Hope they get back to close it up before we start getting this 6-12 inches of snow tonight!!

Now answer this question, please... if you own an investment property and it's currently empty, wouldn't you be concerned of it's condition when it's as cold as it has been? Can we say "insurance check?"