Real Estate Adventure

[Todd Willhoite]

I arrived at the home of a potential seller to review their house and negotiate a deal. We had agreed over the phone to a specified time the day before, at which time I promptly arrived. Leaving my vehicle I set the alarm which slightly honks the horn, which I thought would alert the homeowner that I was there. A four foot high chain link fence blocked the way to the front door. Next to the gate on the fence hung a faded sign that said “Beware of Dog”. I noticed the front door, about ten feet away was open. Having read the sign, I was unsure about proceeding to the door, so I yelled “Hello!” toward the open door. No reply. I yelled “Hello!” again. Nothing. After the third time yelling I started to think. The dog sign had faded and was old enough that maybe the dog had passed away long ago. Maybe if there was a dog, it was small. Maybe the sign was there just to scare off thieves. Surely they put the dog up knowing I was coming over and they left the front door open anticipating my arrival. I decided to go up to the front door, so I opened the latch on the gate and pushed to open it. The gate didn’t move because a metal rod was pushed down through the gate into the ground. Now I started to think, should I pull up the rod and go in? A few moments later, three pit bull dogs rushed out of the house and hurled themselves against the fence. As I stood at the gate, a solid white pit bull with what appeared to be a smile on his face repeatedly tried to jump the gate and bite at my face. All the barking and growling got the attention of the homeowner who came out and arranged for me to see the property. I am so thankful I didn’t pull up the rod and walk into the yard. You never know what adventures you will find when investing in real estate.