REO's and health concerns

[Eli Weiss]

I did a REO yesterday, the house was full of mold and mildew, trash and old spoiled food all over, as well as every bug in the book, the house didn't have any ventilation for months, as the windows were boarded up...
I came out of there coughing and spitting, then I noticed my shirt was infested with some tiny bug, as much as I tried to shake them off, they kept on sticking back on me (I was wearing a white shirt) so I kept on hitting my shirt, jumping and running to get the bugs off me, while coughing and spitting at the same time, passerby's must have thought that I am retarded and gave me that weird look, I felt miserable and promised my self never to step in a house with similar conditions.....

What would you guys do in such a case? and would you jeopardize your health for a REO assignment.....

 

[Thomas Fiehler]

I always try to find out the condition when I schedule the appointment. I carry a mask that I wear to protect myself from mold and at the first sign of fleas or other bugs I am out of there.

 

[Eli Weiss]

Thomas, do you cancel the appraisal with the client, or advise them the condition, and that an interior inspection is not possible?

 

[Dan/Fla]

I keep a mask, Flea spray, santizing wipes, Lysol. I always open home up before measuring if it needs airing out, I let it do that while I measure. I always wipe down with the santizing wipe after leaving and after being around any animals, buy by 100 count box at BJs. Also keep a gal. of water and towels if feel really dirty after inspection for small bath at trunk.

 

[G-man]

Yep, Boy Scout Motto rules!

Be Prepared is the best way to go. As Dan says, face mask, bug repellent, slip over boots, mag-light and a baseball cap are must have's when doing inspections (whooops, "observations"). I haven't done a really bad REO for a while, but I've done some really poor homes over the years.

 

[Richard Carlsen]

First thing is to never wear a stupid white shirt to an REO. Jeans, old shoes, long sleeve older shirt. Inspecting an REO is not the time to try and impress the bankers. And besides, everybody knows that white shirts attract most bugs like fleas and ticks.

Given some of the places I've been in my life, here and over seas, I seriously doubt there is that much to be fearful of during a brief visit to an REO. I do get a reaction to certain mold but just about everybody does. It is not going to kill you. (No such thing as "toxic mold")

So dress the part, move as little as possible in gathering data, take thousands of pictures and get out of Dodge if this kind of thing bothers you. If it really bothers you, don't accept any more REO assignments.

 

[Thomas Fiehler]

Eli-If I know about the condition before I go, I require the property to be sprayed for the bug/fleas/etc. If I find out when I get there, I call them and tell them that there will be a trip charge, provide them with a picture of the house with the door open and let them know that I will be back as soon as the house is treated. Normally when they spray for fleas they get most of them, just not all.

 

[Eli Weiss]

First thing is to never wear a stupid white shirt to an REO.

Richard, we can omit "stupid" from the sentence, remember it was a Sunday and you don't know where I was coming from or going to....
We also had a heat wave here in NY, so light clothing was a most, unless you wanna get fried....

 

[Pamela Crowley (Florida)]

Please do NOT go into a moldy property without full protection for your lungs at the least!!!!! Might want to take a couple photos as you can WITHOUT going in to send to the client to show why you will need an additional fee for hazardous duty.

This can be very dangerous to your health!

 

[Eli Weiss]

Thomas, you mentioned fleas, it looks like that is the case, I never experienced fleas before, so I have no clue how they look, but from this description and photos in WIKI, I'm 100% sure they were fleas, because I tried to kill them by squeezing them with a tissue, but they jumped right back on me.

The flea body is hard, polished, and covered with many hairs and short spines directed backward[2], which also assists its movements on the host. Its tough body is able to withstand great pressure, likely an adaptation to survive scratching etc. Even hard squeezing between the fingers is normally insufficient to kill the flea; it may be necessary to capture them with adhesive tape, crush them between the fingernails, roll them between the fingers, or put them in a fire safe area and burn them with match or lighter. They can also be drowned.

Should I be concerned? also I may have some loose in my car, how should I rid them?