January 27th, 2007 → 12:05 pm @ terry
I intended to not make any entries in the blog until after working my assignments on Monday. However, the newspaper this morning published an article about a shootout between a Sheriff’s Deputy and a man with an assault rifle.
The article stated that the shootout happened on Old Military Road Theodore Alabama and I immediately wanted to know a little more about the incident since I had been on Old Military Road yesterday doing an inspection.INSERT_MAP
As I continued to read, to my amazement, the story continued to say the shootout was the result of the suspect being stopped on suspicion of robbery at Dauphin Island Parkway and Bay Booster Club Road. Wow! I had been there too – on the same route.
The deputy is in fair condition in the hospital and the man with the rifle is dead. The deputy was able to return fire after having his patrol car riddled with bullets and after having been shot several times. One never knows what a day will bring. Be careful out there!
January 26th, 2007 → 10:37 pm @ terry
Yesterday, right towards the end of my route, I had an occupancy verification to complete. At first glance everything appeared pretty normal. There were wicker chairs on the front porch, wind chimes hanging, decorations on the door, etc.  Only when I pulled into the driveway was I close enough to see a utility notice sticking between the door and the door jamb. Such a notice is a dead giveaway that something is amiss.
I knocked on the door and after about a minute without a response, I performed the ever popular tiptoe to look through the door’s starburst window pane. The house was full of furniture and nicely decorated too! Definitely occupied. Right? Something told me I better check with some neighbors.
I was in luck. The neighbor right next door was at home.  After grilling me over coals for what seemed like forever and wanting to see my birth certificate and two or three notarized references she reluctantly told me that she had not seen anyone at the house in about three weeks and she closed the door.
Now I had to get something more that could help confirm that this house was vacant. I turned on a water spigot and no water. I finally found the electric meter and saw it had a red tag indicating that the power company had disconnected the electric service to the house. I was convinced now that the house was vacant
As I was walking to my car, I saw – across the street – a woman standing at her front window motioning for me to come over. Now I am wondering what she is being so sneaky about – why is she motioning for me from inside her house and behind a window!
I walked across the street as nonchalantly as possible and saw that she was now motioning for me to come to the side door, the one not quite so visible from the street. I had no idea what was going on but now my curiosity carried me on.
At first, I thought the story I was being told was entirely fiction but then I rationalized that this story was as good as any other I had ever heard from a neighbor. It turns out that the next door neighbor I talked to was in fact the wife from the vacant house. The story contained names, dates, times and a little prophecy but I really had all I needed now. The house is vacant.
We work some very long hours around here but when the work is done we can relax too. I was given the day off. Can you believe it – a whole day to do whatever I wanted. The girls had lunch out and did a little shopping while I worked on the manual a bit.
Every couple of months, I go through the manual and try to contact some of the companies I have listed. I call to inquire about any changes to their recruiting or anything else that might necessitate a change in the manual. On rare occasions I get to talk with a founder or officer of the company and when I do, a pretty informative conversation usually develops.
Today I had the pleasure of talking with Dana Williams, the Vice President of Cornerstone Appraisal Services, Inc. Mr. Williams assured me that they still want to hear from field reps that have experience in high value inspections, the only type of inspections they perform. You may want to check out their web site:  http://www.cornerstone-appraisals.com
I also received an update from Technical Insurance Services of New York. They ask that all resumes be sent to bconklin@tisinspects.com. Their web site is www.tisinspects.com.
I’ll be back on Monday.
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January 24th, 2007 → 11:15 pm @ terry
My day started with an insurance loss inspection at 8 am. After that, sixty-seven property inspections in a nice tight group of five or six clustered zip codes. I can really put a dent in the outstanding inspection list when working these areas. It is not unusual at all to have one or more inspections per street and certainly have one at each turn onto another street. Days like today are what really make up for the rural routes.
Vickie and I go out on Wednesday nights. As is her typical modus operandi, she routed another insurance loss inspection and three rush inspections for us to do on the way to our ultimate destination for the night!
I only received one call today and I could not answer it at the time – unusual that I only had one call. I hope that means everybody is working!
I realize that many of you may not be interested in what I do other than the field services work but when I mention things such as my book purchasing and sales, my intent is to help you visualize one of my typical days and suggest that you look for all opportunities for additional income.
If you read my post yesterday, you will have read about the books I picked up for sixty-nine cents apiece. Three of them sold last night after I put them online. Net for the three is $20 + $23 + $38 = $81. Add that to the route income and it really makes the day even better.
Again, what I’m saying is you can find many opportunities if you keep your eyes open and they are not all chump change. I have bought boats, furniture, paintings, and many odd things – most sold within days for nice profits.
I helped my daughter furnish her house with antiques when I passed by a house with the people moving out. They were throwing furniture on the curb for trash pickup – most of it bona fide antiques. They either didn’t know what they had or didn’t care.
I pulled up to a property one day and the homeowner was holding an impromptu auction in his front yard. He sold his pickup truck for $5 and I saw him sign over the title! I never participate in any of these activities at a property I service – it could be ok, but I would rather not have any conflicts.
Vickie and I had an older retired couple in their late 60′s that used to do inspections for us but only wanted to work on Saturdays. The inspection work paid for their gasoline and then some. They wanted to work only on Saturdays because they had a pretty good e-bay business going and were big on garage sales and yard sales.
Well, I just wanted to let you know I was still around. I really have to go prepare my route for tomorrow. There is one last thing though. I am getting a fair amount of email from college students around the country wanting more info on the business. Any of you out there know who may be promoting the business to college students?
(3•10)+(2•25)+(67•6.50)
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