sneak preview of my new series, Mark Burkenbine. The Untrained Eye. This week, the world of Occupancy Inspection. Information in this series can be used as it applies to any situation involving going to a strangers property. In picture 1, you have been sent to a home to verify occupancy, and speak to the occupant if you can. Do you notice anything? I see the garage door being up and a shrub between the front door and the garage. As you pull into the drive, you may realize the problem. If you are lucky this is when you find out the homeowner uses the garage as a dog house. If you are not lucky, and have not pieced it together, you will leave your vehicle, ring the doorbell, and turn around to find Cujo, sometimes with his buddy Satan. THEY ARE ALWAYS CUJO AND SATAN. If you are there for the bank, they can smell it on you. You have no good way out of this, unless the homeowner rescues you. Avoid having to have the homeowner rescue you. Iffy at best. The proper way to handle this situation from the start is -- Grass is cut. Assume animal in the garage. Doorbell light is on. Your home is occupied. Move on to safety, or the next stop. In the last photo, I have shown you a tree with a purple x on it. In the state of Missouri, if you step onto the property, the occupant can pretty much shoot you for anything. That X is a warning that you are on their property. Again, don't let the animals or the mortgagor smell bank on you. I know people that say they used to have to shoot the problem and drag the body into the house to be legal, now you just have to be past that tree. The most dangerous thing you will ever do is step on a strangers property. Welcome to my world---Mark Burkenbine. I was going to call this Shit you may need to know, but that is actually in use
