Routine Walk Through Turns Terrifying

If you have been in real estate for any length of time, there are always you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me real estate nightmare stories you love to share with fellow Agents and friends. It’s fun to sit down over drinks and contribute to the tales that begin with “So listen to what happened to me today.”

This unfortunate narrative was told by Elizabeth (Betsy) Gossage of Dorman Property Management of a situation that happened to her while doing a normal part of her daily job.

The tenant had vacated the property over the weekend. The Property Manager (Betsy) went to the house to do a move-out report. She entered the house with keys the tenant had turned in and discovered the alarm had been set.

This is not uncommon in these types of situations. She immediately called the tenant and asked what the code was in order to disarm the alarm. The tenant said they had never used the alarm and had no idea about the code.

So Betsy called the owner. The owner confirmed that he did, in fact, arm the ADT system, but he was not willing to share the code with her. He told her he would call ADT himself and have them disarm the system. The Property Manager continued to walk through the house. She discovered the utilities had been shut off so she would have to return later to complete her move-out report. The alarm was now off.

The Real Estate Nightmare Unfolds

After putting on a lockbox, she closed the door and locked it with the key. Turning to leave, she had an up-close-and-personal encounter with a Sheriff’s deputy. With a gun pointing at her head, he yelled, “SHOW ME YOUR HANDS.” She immediately dropped her phone. Throwing her hands in the air, she followed the deputy’s instructions to walk in front of him (with the gun still trained on her).

After patting her down, he put her in handcuffs and put her in the back of his cruiser. He called the owner to verify Betsy’s story that she was the Property Manager trying to complete the move-out report. She explained that she had the key because she was authorized to be there. Her rational explanations fell on deaf ears. The owner had told ADT that he did not know why anyone would be in the house, even though he knew she was there!

However, when the owner realized the Sheriff’s office had become involved, he changed his story and told the truth. Totally unapologetic for the trauma (and the broken new cell phone), the officer told his partner to walk Betsy to her car, and if her ID matched who she said she was, she would be free to go.

When the ordeal was over, Betsy immediately fired the owner. What should have been easy became an unnecessary real estate nightmare. The owner was being a jerk because the tenant had taken the weekend to move out when he had wanted them out on Friday. He needed someone to blame. Unfortunately, Betsy got the brunt of it!

Real estate is rarely easy. If you’re looking for someone to help you buy or sell your Colorado Springs property, call or text. I’ve decades of experience to help you navigate these crazy real estate times.