Real (sad) stories from the land of Real Estate

With the market being the way it is today, there is no telling what you may find when you walk into a property. Of course there have been many stories of house after house that is stripped bare. However, some of the more eyebrow raising tidbits that have filled my twitter stream just don't get the media lime light. Stories like this one from @SharRundio (paraphrasing from memory)got a call from a buyers agent saying she walked in on 2 teens having sex in the backyard at one of my listings, or the time when Jason found out a squatter had used his real estate sign to pry open the garage of one of his listings and sleep over (leaving his birth certificate, or someones birth certificate on the kitchen counter.) No you won't see those stories in the folds of the daily paper or on the evening news, the media simply isn't interested. Of course until something goes horribly wrong. Something like what happened this evening at a home near Bell and 35th Avenue.

Man loses home, is shot by police

*Updated story here

Going off only the information that is in this brief article I am very curious as to whether or not these men that bought the home, were working with a Real Estate Professional. Now I am in no way implying that if they were working with an agent that this tragedy would have been avoided, nor am I saying that if they did have an agent that agent should have prevented this. What I am saying is, did they have ALL of the information they needed to make a thoughtful and researched decision when they purchased this home. (Sounds to me like it may have been bought sight unseen from the court house steps) Were they aware of the fact that while they are getting a new home at a rock bottom price, it means someone else lost that home. Was there a HUMAN element in this at all or was it all about the $$?

This brings me to my main question. As Real Estate professionals should we care about the human element? I ask this sincerely, because this very question struck me last week. Jason and I were waiting for the call saying "it's been recorded" and in the mean time went to set up a thank you gift in the home for some buyers prior to handing over the keys. Since these buyers were close friends of ours and they were aware that I am in the process of obtaining my own RE License, I went along on many home tours during their process (for experience and for fun) However, I had not been to the home that they actually ended up buying, until this day. I was overwhelmed with excitement and relief because they had FINALLY found a perfect for them home. What surprised me was I also felt a little sad. As we walked around the home, evidence of those that lived there before was still visible. Nothing disgusting,that's not what I mean, what I mean is I could see "life" there. I tried hard to envision it as being our friends life, but it wasn't. The paint style wasn't them, that was the other people, the flower bed someone else's fingers planted that. All of that is changing today as our friends make their new home theirs. Still I can't help but think about those other people.

A few years ago that thought may never have crept into my mind, back then sellers were "moving up." Today however, as I read about the distraught homeowner that lost his house, and then his life the humanness of the REO market is sinking in.

**As per the updated story link, this home was in fact an auction purchase.